10 Tampa Bay and the Florida State Elks Association are teaming up to brighten the days of our military members serving overseas. The non-profit group Support the Troops packs up care packages and sends the boxes to military members serving in forward operating positions and on ships.
10 for the Troops Elks Flyer 2Lakeland Lodge 1291 never ceases to amaze! The Veterans Flag Sale Fundraiser started off slow but finished with a bang just before the 4th of July deadline. The $1000.00 goal was met!! Our members are truly the best!
The 4th of July was a great success! Steve Masterton, PER cooked and ran the kitchen along with Scott Lewis and Anne Marie Wendel. Marla Sale cooked and donated the potato salad, Vickie Crosby made and donated the coleslaw and the corn was donated by Shannon Benzel and Char. A special thank you goes to them and a few others who volunteered at the event. Penny Deig, Kristen Francks, Len and Pauline Craighead, Sandy Fuschetti, Carrie Howard and Hank Cobb. I cannot say it enough…volunteers are the key to our functions. Thank you again! In total the event raised just over $2,900.00.
While they are still on restrictions from visiting the lodge we are reminding the Medical Foster Veterans that Lakeland Elks are thinking of them. Penny Deig crafted a therapy tool/toy for them and we sent it along with a short note to Kathryn for her to distribute to the veterans. We also granted a wish of one patient to be able to go to the movies by providing a $50 gift card to the movie theater. I am sharing Kathryn’s email:
“TEAM…. The Lakeland Elks continue to spread the ❤, joy, and connection to their brothers/sisters in arms. We were able to send this little bit of “community connection” to all of our Lakeland Medical Foster Veterans for the upcoming Holiday. So sweet to have this camaraderie albeit from a distance from such a giving organization.
REC Therapy uses these gifts in treatment for cognitive and, if the Veteran is able, for fine motor skills to write you notes. Great opportunities for discussing positive experiences in our lives. We ALL can use a little bit of such sweetness. Happy 4th everyone! ❤ Kathryn”
Remember to SAVE THE DATE for our Annual Veteran Silent Auction & Dinner which will be on Friday 11/11/22. We are actively working on donations, both auction items and monetary. Please contact Char or Kristen if you can help with a donation or if you want to assist with the event.
“So long as there are veterans, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks will never forget them.”
Char and Kristen
Veterans Committee
As we write this, our celebration of Armed Forces Day is approaching, and it will be past,
by the time this article is printed. We would like to thank the McCoy Team, their helpers
and all the volunteers who helped with this event. A big thank you, to everyone who at-tended and supported. Our Lodge never ceases to amaze and impress.
Our next event is a Fourth of July picnic. See our flier for details.
Flight to Honor Mission #5 was April 30. Our Foster Veteran, Joe, and our members Pat
and Thelma Mahanna were able to attend. A special thanks to the Elk Riders, Duke and
Martha Schneider, and Penny Deigs for helping to welcome them back from their flight at
Lakeland Linder Airport.
The spaghetti meal on the second Wednesday each month has become a regularity with
our Foster Veterans from James A Haley Hospital. We would like to thank everyone who
over the months have taken time to assist them in and out of the lodge, and with serving
them. It is truly an example of Elks caring. Anyone who wants to assist them, please con-tact Char. We want to give a special thanks to John Read for donating dessert to them on
numerous occasions, Penny Deig for cards and crafts for them and to Steve Masterton for
all the extra that he does at these visits. These veterans truly enjoy their short visits with
us and it means a lot to them. We continue to encourage members to sit with them, social-ize, and get to know them. A few minutes leaves a lasting impression.
“So long as there are veterans, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, will never for-get them.”
Char and Kristen
Veterans Committee
As our Fiscal Elk Year comes to an end, we want to give you updates on our recent donations. We made a donation to the James A. Haley VA Hospital, specifically targeted to the homeless veterans that they serve. The immediate need was for athletic shoes, rain jackets, toothpaste, toothbrushes, bar soap and baby wipes. We donated approximately $850.00, of these items, which included 39 pairs of shoes, 13 rain jackets, 27 packs of baby wipes, 93 bars of soap, 68 toothbrushes, 64 boxes of toothpaste, 33 packs of antibacterial wipes, and 20 pairs of socks. We were also able to donate an additional 32 personal care kits from member Dan Wait’s Sandpiper community. The kits were also tailored toward the homeless veterans and included toiletries, socks, hats, and puzzle books. A special thank you to Steve Masterton, PER and John “Mac” McArthur for delivering the donations to the hospital.
We were once again able to donate to the Lakeland Veterans Center. We donated $400.00 of beverages which included: 10 cans of coffee, 40 creamers, 1 box of 2000 sugar packets, 2 boxes of Splenda, 8 cases of water and 15 cases of soda. The facility does not have a provision for this in their budget. This donation will be used by local veterans during group and individual counseling sessions and takes the burden off of the veteran to provide it.
Flight to Honor Mission #5 is scheduled for April 30th from Lakeland Linder Airport. As previously reported we have helped two of the James A. Haley Medical Foster Veterans with attending this trip. We would like to show our community that with Elks, veterans are our priority, and therefore, we would like to get a group of Elk members to go to the airport to show support at “Send Off” and “Return”. If you would be willing to do this, please let us know. We will post further details as it gets closer to the flight.
In order to continue on with our ability to support veterans in need, please join us for our next fundraising event, which will be Friday May 17th, to honor Armed Forces Day. It will be a steak dinner by the McCoy Team with karaoke by Garry and Bob and we will have raffles. Mark your calendar to come out and pay tribute to all military branches. See our flier for further details.
We would like to thank everyone who has helped make this another great year. It is because of you, the members, that we are able to make these things possible. Your support and assistance is truly appreciated.
Char and Kristen
Lakeland Elks 1291 Giving To Local Veteran Facility
Lakeland Elks 1291 donated 40 cans of creamer, 1 box of sugar packets, 2 boxes of Splenda, 10 cans of coffee, 8 cases of water, and 15 cases of soda to the Lakeland Veterans Center. The facility does not have a provision for this in their budget. This donation will be used by local veterans during group and individual counseling sessions and takes the burden off of the veteran to provide it.
