NEWS
News from the Maine Elks AssociationBeacon Grant Augments Portland’s School Supplies Drive
L-R: Elks Susan Smythe, Karen Emerson, Windham teacher Lindsey Pettus, Elk Kim Toppi, Principal Kyle Rhoades, Admin Sandra Vujanic
For the fourth year, the Portland Elks Lodge #188 has held a School Supply Drive in August, coordinated by the Lodge’s Activity Committee. Three schools were selected to receive supplies: Presumpscot School in Portland, Village Elementary School in Gorham, and Windham Primary in Windham. With the use of a $4,000 Beacon Grant, and more than $1,400 worth of supplies donated by Lodge members, each school received approximately $1,800 worth of supplies.
The school principals are contacted and asked what “special items” they could use in their school to help teachers out and these items were purchased with the Beacon Grant. Requests included: board games for after school, sweatpants/sweatshirts, clean underwear and socks, snowpants, adult scissors and staplers for all 50 classrooms, puzzles, widgets, play doh, etc etc. Our Lodge members donated the pencils, crayons, notebooks, colored paper, colored pencils, glue sticks, erasers, and so much more.
In addition to the school supplies, each school received 125 Drug Awareness Bags for their Third graders.
Groups of members from the Lodge helped sort all the supplies, pack boxes and cars, collate drug awareness bags, and make the deliveries to the schools the week of September 17.
DEA Surge Targets Sinaloa Cartel Networks Worldwide
The Drug Enforcement Administration announced the results of a week-long operational surge aimed at dismantling the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the world’s most violent and powerful drug cartels, responsible for flooding the United States with fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin.
The Sinaloa Cartel remains one of the most significant threats to public safety, public health and our national security. DEA is committed to breaking their command, control, and distribution networks.
From August 25 through August 29, 2025, DEA agents across 23 domestic field divisions and seven foreign regions carried out coordinated enforcement actions that resulted in:
- Arrests: 617
- Drug Seizures:
- 480 kilograms of fentanyl powder,
- 714,707 counterfeit pills,
- 2,209 kilograms of methamphetamine,
- 7,469 kilograms of cocaine, and
- 55 kilograms of heroin
- Currency Seizures: $11,111,483
- Assets seized: $1,697,313
- Firearms: 420
“These results demonstrate the full weight of DEA’s commitment to protecting the American people,” said DEA Administrator Terrance Cole. “Every kilogram of poison seized, every dollar stripped from the cartels, and every arrest we make represents lives saved and communities defended. DEA will not relent until the Sinaloa Cartel is dismantled from top to bottom.”
There are tens of thousands of Sinaloa members, associates, and facilitators operating worldwide, in at least 40 countries who are responsible for the production, manufacturing, distribution, and operations related to trafficking dangerous and deadly synthetic drugs.
This coordinated action was a combination of DEA’s increased focus on enforcement, intelligence, and domestic and international collaboration, utilizing every resource in DEA’s arsenal to degrade the Sinaloa Cartel’s command and control.
This surge reflects DEA’s unwavering commitment to confronting the fentanyl crisis and dismantling the cartels responsible for it. DEA continues to take decisive actions to protect American families and communities.
As part of a larger whole-of-government approach to dismantling the Sinaloa Cartel and protecting U.S. communities, DEA is committed to working with the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) and other federal partners to ensure current and future operations advance broader U.S. efforts to combat designated terrorist organizations and transnational organized crime.
Sincerely,
Frank Burr
Assistant Director –
Elks National Drug Awareness Program
Holiday Fundraiser for ENF & Scholarships
The Augusta Elks Lodge #964 Annual Holiday Craft Fair will be held on 11/15/25 and offers Free Admission and is open to the public from 9am to 2pm.
Over 40+ crafters will be highlighting their handmade creations!
Proceeds from the event benefit the Augusta Elks Scholarship Fund and the Elks National Foundation. There will be a raffle table of items donated by our generous crafters with all proceeds going to the Scholarship Fund.
The Kitchen will be open for Breakfast and Lunch with proceeds supporting the Augusta Elks Veterans Committee. There will be something for everyone on your gift list!
November 15th, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm at Augusta Elks Lodge #964, 397 Civic Center Dr
Augusta, Maine 04330
Jean Gotreau, 207 623-9623 or jeangotreau@gmail.com
Spotlight on Service: 2025 Bonus Grant Winners
The books were donated to Resurrection BookMobile, a service that provides books and literacy materials to students pre-K to 6th grade across the Kansas City area. With the help of Elks member Virginia DeBoard from Blue Springs, Mo., Lodge No. 2509, the socks were donated to individual veterans transitioning from homelessness to permanent housing, the Kansas City V.A., Fisher House, and roughly 10 Missouri Lodges for them to assist veterans in their own communities.
To ensure that the impact of this drive continues long after the Convention, every Lodge that donated was entered into a drawing to win a bonus $2,000 Community Investments Program grant. In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the CIP, 20 bonus grants were given to Lodges.
Brenham, TX #979
Oak Lawn, IL #2254
Lynwood, WA #2171
Yuma, AZ #476
Raton, NM #865
Gateway-Gresham, OR #1805
Fetus-Crystal City, MO #1721
Burlington, VT #916
Hackettstown, NJ #2331
Winchester, KY #2816
Cottage Grove, IL #1904
Morristown, TN #1667
Elk Grove, CA #2577
Waterville, ME #905
Joliet, IL #296
Atchison, KS #647
Rupert, ID #2106
Kaukauna, WI #962
Kenton, OH #157
Sayre, PA #1148
August Winning Calendars
Aug 2025 Calendar Winners
| August | Ticket # | Amount | Name | Lodge | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1482 | $25.00 | Mary Pushaw | 1008 | ||
| 2 | 1306 | $50.00 | Jim Margetts | 905 | ||
| 3 | 239 | $50.00 | Patrick Dalton | 244 | ||
| 4 | 1304 | $25.00 | Jim Auclair | 905 | ||
| 5 | 1432 | $25.00 | Tyke McKay | 244 | ||
| 6 | 247 | $25.00 | Renee' Hawthorne | 244 | ||
| 7 | 543 | $25.00 | Renee O'Rourke | 2430 | ||
| 8 | 505 | $25.00 | Ellen Grunblatt | 2430 | ||
| 9 | 330 | $50.00 | Craig Johnson | 934 | ||
| 10 | 667 | $50.00 | Nicola Culmo | 1521 | ||
| 11 | 845 | $25.00 | Rojer Goudey | 188 | ||
| 12 | 129 | $25.00 | Myra Drisko | 964 | ||
| 13 | 596 | $25.00 | Joan Chatfield | 1293 | ||
| 14 | 167 | $25.00 | Deny Hurd | 244 | ||
| 15 | 861 | $25.00 | Victoria Doughty | 188 | ||
| 16 | 987 | $50.00 | Lester Delano | 1470 | ||
| 17 | 632 | $50.00 | Bob Loren | 835 | ||
| 18 | 123 | $25.00 | Brandon Farrin | 964 | ||
| 19 | 119 | $25.00 | Lauren Pease | 964 | ||
| 20 | 287 | $25.00 | Janice Creighton | 244 | ||
| 21 | 907 | $25.00 | Belinda Anderson | 1008 | ||
| 22 | 1399 | $25.00 | Tom Lane | 244 | ||
| 23 | 650 | $50.00 | Reece Ivey | 835 | ||
| 24 | 948 | $50.00 | Elois Vinoel | 1008 | ||
| 25 | 1186 | $25.00 | Dick Vigue | 905 | ||
| 26 | 729 | $25.00 | Jill Parrett | 1521 | ||
| 27 | 23 | $25.00 | Tammy Dow | 2743 | ||
| 28 | 355 | $25.00 | Jane Caron | 1597 | ||
| 29 | 1498 | $25.00 | Kent Stanley | 2743 | ||
| 30 | 1326 | $50.00 | Tom Welch | 905 | ||
| 31 | 250 | $50.00 | Dee Francis | 244 | ||
| 0 | ||||||