Tales of Elks

Hutchinson Elks Lodge No. 2427

Greetings All

Another month has passed by and it was a busy one. George Lehn, Jer-emy Bakke, Tam- my Prior, Dennis Schroeder, Rick Wilke, and John Jennings accom-panied me to the

Central District Fall Conference and District Deputy Clinic at Brainerd Elks on Septem-ber 12. At the conference George Lehn was reelected Central District President. In the ritual competition John Jennings won the 11 O'clock Toast and Flag Charge Contests for Past Exalted Rulers. I was fortunate to win the 11 O'clock Toast Contest for Exalted Rulers. Both John and I will be competing at the Mid Year Conference which will be held in St. Cloud on October 21 and 22. By the time you receive this newsletter, the Taste of Hutchinson Jumbo Elk’s Taco Pie Stand, the Cash Wise Food Stand, and the Gun Show and Food Stand will all be over. Hopefully in the November newsletter I can bring you the results of all these fund-raisers. An important date is coming up on No-vember 19. Our District Deputy to Grand Exalted Ruler Bill Meyer from Alexandria Elks Lodge will be visiting our Lodge. This day is also the date for the Life Member Dinner. Please mark your calendars for this event. We need a good attendance to show the DDGER that Elkdom is alive and grow-ing in Hutchinson. The Minnesota Elks Youth Camp Raffle is in full sweep. Our Lodge received 38-$100 tickets from the Minnesota Elks Associa-tion. The profit from this raffle is used to send kids to the Elks Youth Camp. This raffle will relieve our Lodge of the expense of sending our quota of 13 kids to Camp. If you would like to buy one of these tickets or split one with some friends, please contact an Officer of the Lodge or a Board member.

Volume 42, Issue 7

October, 2011

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

Exalted Ruler’s Message 1

Does Talk /

GER Carr’s Message

2

State Soccer Shoot /

TPA Fraternalist of Year

3

Taste of Hutch /

ENF Helps Minnesota? /

Family Picnic

4

Club Activities /

From the Secretary

5

October Calendar . 6

NovemberCalendar /

State President’s Message

Membership

7

8

They will be happy to sell you one. All the tickets need to be sold by October 15. The drawing will be held at the Mid Year Con-ference on October 22. Please support this great fund raiser. On August 27 the Lodge held its annual Chicken and Sweet Corn Dinner. The Lodge received about $360 from this event. If it hadn't been for Lee Cox, this event could have been a big flop. We only served 45 dinners to people associated with the Lodge. Lee invited a group of 61 people who were looking for a place to meet. These people made the event successful. I want to thank everyone who worked at the chicken dinner. Thanks for sharing your time to make our Elks Lodge a great place to go. The next Board of Trustees meeting is scheduled for October 27 at 7 p.m. at the Lodge. Board of Trustee member Larry Smith has resigned. I want to thank Larry for serving on the Board. If anyone is inter-ested in serving on the Board, we now have two openings, please let me know. Until next month...

Fraternally,

Paul Ackland, Exalted Ruler

EXALTED RULER’S MESSAGE

2011-2012 Officers

Exalted Ruler ........... Paul Ackland (Jeanie) Leading Knight ............. Rick Wilke (Mary) Loyal Knight ............. Jeremy Bakke Lecturing Knight ........ Tammy Prior (George Lehn) Secretary ............. Dennis Schroeder (Louise) Treasurer ..................... Michael Loe (Tonia Bymers) Esquire ................................. Vacant Inner Guard ............... Lane Schlecht (Donna) Tiler ........................... Stan Scieszka (Karen) Chaplain ............... Clifford DeBlock (Shirley)

2011-2012 Board of Trustees Larry Wagner, Chair (One Year)

Vacant John Jennings (Two Year) (Three Year)

Jack Fitzwater Vacant (Four Year) (Five Year)

Elks Tales Editor & Coordinator

Dennis Schroeder

Distribution Manager Stan Scieszka

The Tales of Elks is published monthly under the auspices of the Grand Lodge and Hutchinson Lodge #2427 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the U. S. A., 720 Highway 7 East, Box 272, Hutchinson, MN 55350, Permit No. 3.

Chicken/Sweet Corn Feed A Success On August 27

The Crew served 108 guests. Pictured are

Larry Wagner and Lee Cox filling the rotisse-

rie with another load of chicken.

Page 2 Volume 42, Issue 7

Does Talk - Louise Schroeder, Does Drove 233 President Does Members Fall is here and the cold weather is on its way. Leaves are turn-ing and the colors are going to be beautiful. Thanks, Alexia Per-son, for hosting the September Business Meeting. We all had a great time.

A big “Thank You” goes to all who stepped forward to help at the Gun and Coin Show Food Stand. I know it was a busy month, but a great job was done by all. Thanks, again. Now we can fulfill some of our charitable commit-ments for the year. Our Business Meeting in October will be at Karen Gehrke's home on October 11 at 7 p.m. We will vote on the election process. We will also be making plans for attending the Does

2011 Officers President .......... Louise Schroeder First Counselor… . Karen Gehrke Sr. Counselor .......... Doris Strand Secretary ............ Karen Scieszka Treasurer ................ Jackie Smith Conductor ............. Alexia Person Trustee ..................... Jan Draeger

State Meeting in Rochester on October 28-29. Our Social Meeting will be on October 25 at 5 pm. Please meet at the Elks Lodge to car pool.

Shoestring Salad 1 cup chicken, tuna, or shrimp 1 cup shredded carrots 2 teaspoons minced onion

½ cup chopped celery

½ cup salad dressing 1 tablespoon cream ¼ teaspoon mustard Combine all the ingredients and chill. Just

before serving add 1 - 1½ cups of shoestring

potatoes.

Grand Exalted Ruler’s Message Honorable David R Carr

Impact Grants, State Major Project G r a n t s , H o o p Shoot, Veterans Service, Youth Activities and Drug Awareness. Many schools now de-pend on our profes-sionally prepared Drug Awareness flyers for their health classes. It’s well known that ENF funds numerous projects that improve the quality of life in Elks communities nationwide. Lodges understand the needs of their community best, which is why each Lodge has the freedom to choose what activities will best meet the needs of its community. Lodges using ENF Gratitude and Promise Grants have consistently posted a noticeable increase in membership both in the year of the grant and the year following. Make sure to include the ENF seven-minute DVD presentation during your Lodge Orienta-tion Programs. Also provide copies of the many ENF brochures as well as bookmarks and other promotional material for potential Members and other guests attending the Lodge Orientation. Thank you for helping to make a positive difference in the lives of so many. You are indeed special people!

The Good We Do

Makes Elks Special People

To Exalted Ruler, Officers and Members:

It is common to hear, “BPOE stands for the Best People On Earth!” A sixth-grade student familiar with the Elks because of Hoop Shoot, Dictionary Project, Soccer Shoot and Drug Awareness Programs in her school wrote to the Local Lodge about a painful and frighten-ing situation at home. She concluded with a plea, “I don’t know who else to turn to. Elks are special people. Please help me!” The Lodge assisted this child just as Lodges nationwide reach out to help people every day. But this child brought forth a new description of Elkdom. Many children, veterans, victims of disaster, and children and adults with dis-abilities do not know who else to turn to but the local Elks. To them, Elks are special peo-ple. Elks Members are committed to charity and patriotism and support just about every com-munity and national program that helps others in need. Elks Lodges and Members often con-tribute to the success of local programs spon-sored by other organizations as well. October is Elks National Foundation Month, and I again urge every Lodge and Member to help achieve the highest contribution per cap-ita possible. I know of no charitable program anywhere that contributes so much in student scholarships, Lodge Promise, Gratitude and

Sponsor three new members and receive this

Grand Exalted Ruler Award Pin.

Tales of Elks Page 3

2011-2012 Committees

Accident Prevention ..... Jack Fitzwater Americanism ................. Sidney Grams Auditing ............................. Mike Piehl Drug Awareness ............. Tammy Prior Flag Day ......................... Paul Ackland Government Relations ....... Rick Wilke Hoop Shoot .................. Jack Fitzwater Orientation .............. Dennis Schroeder Investigation .................. Jeremy Bakke Lapsation ........................ George Lehn Lodge Activities ................ Rick Wilke Membership ................... Paul Ackland Memorial Service ........... Paul Ackland National Foundation ...... John Jennings Veterans’ Service .......... Stan Scieszka Public Relations ...... Dennis Schroeder Welfare/Relief ............. Lodge Officers Visitation ................. Dennis Schroeder Youth Activities ............ Stan Scieszka Community Activities .... Paul Ackland Soccer Shoot .. Deb Card/Tammy Prior PER Association ............ Cliff DeBlock Club Board ..................... Paul Ackland Board of Trustees .......... Larry Wagner Charitable Gambling .. Brad Bonniwell Orange Spectacular ........ Paul Ackland Cash Wise Food Stand ...... Rick Wilke Taste of Hutch ................ Kevin Burich Boy Scouts Liaison ............ Sid Grams Elk of the Year ............... Kevin Burich Tales of Elks ............ Dennis Schroeder MN Elks Charities ............. Rick Wilke Scholarships .................. Charles Olson Kids Christmas ............. Kelly Phillips/ Tammy Prior Penny-A-Day .......... Dennis Schroeder Highway Clean-up ....... Tim Pulkrabek Duffers Tourney ........... Lane Schlecht/ Steve Queenan Family Picnic ................. George Lehn Gun Show ...................... Dale Harbarth State Bowling ............... Lane Schlecht/ Brad Burich Shrimp Boil ....................... Skip Quade Pancake Breakfasts ......... Paul Ackland Kids to Camp Raffle ........ Rick Phillips Outside Maintenance .............. Lee Cox Inside Maintenance ........ Kevin Burich

Owen—1st Place in 12 & 13 year old girls, Alex Nelson—1st Place in 12 & 13 Year Old Boys, Sam Starke—2nd Place in 7 & Under Boys, Emily Lenarz—3rd Place in 8 & 9 Year Old Girls, and Tate Card —3rd place in 10 & 11 Year Old Boys. Congratulations to all of the participants and their families!

The Travelers’ Protective Association (TPA) National Board of Directors selected the T.P.A. Fraternalist of the Year from nominations made by local posts. Is it presented to one of its Asso-ciation members at the National Convention whose activities during the current year, January 1 to December 31, is the most outstanding in the interest of the community and the Travelers’ Protective Association.

Club Happy Hours

Monday — Saturday

4:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Dining Hours

Monday & Friday 5:00-8:30 p.m. Tues., Wed., Thurs., & Sat.

5:00-8:00 p.m.

On Saturday, August 27, the Minnesota Elks Association welcomed 28 kids and their families to the Minnesota Elks Youth Camp for its annual State Soccer Shoot-out contest. These participants won their local and district contests to earn a spot in the State Shoot-out. Children ages 9 and under are challenged to earn points by kicking through 5 goals of various sizes while the kids ages 10-13 take aim at a rope grid in the standard goal with each area worth points based on its difficulty. This year’s event was a family friendly weekend hosted at Elks Camp on Pelican Lake near Nisswa, Minnesota. Each partici-pant and their family were invited to spend the weekend at the camp. In addition to the competition, the families enjoyed kayaking, swimming, mini-golf, hay rides, tether ball, campfires and other activities during their time at camp. Winners from Hutchinson were Kaitlyn

State Soccer Shoot

Winners Deb Card, Committee

Pictured below from Hutchinson: (back)

Alex Nelson, Kaitlyn Owen (front) Emily

Lenarz, Sam Starke, and Tate Card.

Cash Wise Food Stand Rick Wilke, Chair, Says, “Thanks, Volunteers.”

Charles Draeger Selected as T.P.A. Fraternalist of the Year

David Grossklaus, National Board of Directors T.P.A.— MN Division

Elks Member Chuck Draeger was pre-sented with this year’s award which was based on his Leadership: Secretary-Treasurer of T.P.A. Post G Minnesota Di-vision. Safety Chairman of T.P.A. Post G Board of Directors, T.P.A. Membership Chairman of State T.P.A. His Member-

ship Development: sending post cards to delinquent members and calling or visiting delinquent members. Welfare Project snow blowing neighbor’s (80 years old) driveway in the winter. Support of Homer

T. Wilson Fund and Scholarship Trust: sold tickets. Other Civic or Volunteer

Organizations: McLeod County Agricul-tural Association (Fair) Board member. Immediate Past Treasurer of Hutchinson Elks Lodge 2427. Religious Activities: Church Clipper Club (lawn mowing), Church Council, and Church usher. Other

Volunteer Activities: Youth Organizations Pancake Breakfasts fund raisers, Elks Hoop Shoot (Free Throw Contest).

Chuck Draeger David Grossklaus

Volume 42, Issue 7 Page 4

Each year, the Elks National Foundation strives to grant more money back to each state than it received from that state in donations. These grants help fund the state Elks associa-tions' major charitable projects, which include aid for people with disabilities, cancer research,

children's hospitals, youth camps and safe havens for abused families. The state associations also use these grants to fund their Hoop Shoot, Soccer Shoot, Drug Awareness and Scholar-ship programs, as well as other charitable and philanthropic pro-jects. This year, the Elks National Foundation will grant $8.1 mil-lion to the state Elks associations. When you give to the Elks National Foundation, you're doing more than funding the Elks National Drug Awareness and Hoop Shoot" programs. You're doing more than supporting the Community Investments Program and providing Emergency Educational Grants to the children of de-ceased or totally disabled Elks. You're doing more than maintaining the Elks Veterans Memorial. You're doing all that, and you're supporting Elkdom in your state. During the 2010-11 Lodge year, the Elks of Minnesota do-nated $74,012.05 to the Elks National Foundation. This year, the Foundation will give back the State Charities Grant: $38,010.00; Special Projects Grant: $21,560.00 and Bonus Grant: $15,100.00. These grants support the Minnesota Elks Youth Camp, as well as other philanthropic projects. Portions of these grants will also support your state's Drug Awareness Program, Hoop Shoot, Soccer Shoot and educational programs. The Foundation will award a total of five "Most Valuable Stu-

dent" scholarships--$20,000--to high school seniors from Minnesota. In addition, four Legacy scholar-ships--$16,000--will be awarded to children, grand-children and stepchildren of Elks.

The Minnesota National Veterans Service Committee will receive $16,080.00 which will help provide aid and comfort to Minnesota’s hospitalized veterans.

Minnesota will receive a National Elks Foundation Grand To-tal of $126,750.00. That's a ratio of $1.713 for every dollar the Foundation re-ceived from Minnesota last year. And that doesn't even include the money Lodges in your state will get back through our Com-munity Investments Program. Last year, for example, we awarded a total of $26,908.97 to Minnesota Lodges. Since inception in 1928 through March 31, 2011, the Founda-tion has granted a total of $2,265,835.15 to Minnesota, com-pared with Minnesota Elks' total donations of $1,915,803.78. That's a ratio of $1.183 for every dollar the Foundation has re-ceived from Minnesota Elks. The Foundation's past support includes: $1,106,421.00 in State Charities Grants; $287,801.00 in Special Projects Grants; $445,690.50 in "Most Valuable Student" Scholarships; $112,127.55 in Emergency Educational Grants to the children of deceased or totally disabled Elks; $81,500.00 in Legacy Award scholarships to the children and grandchildren of Minnesota Elks. If you can’t give a million; be one in a million to give!

How is the Elks National Foundation Helping Minnesota?

Taste of Hutch Food Stand Successful, Again! Kevin Burich, Chair, Says “Thanks.”

The weather was cool both days, but the enthusiastic volunteers again sold a record num-ber of Elks Jumbo Taco Pies. The stand is a favorite at the Arts and Crafts Festival in Library Square and is a great fund raiser for the Elks community chari-ties.

Elks Family Picnic George Lehn, Chair

The Elks Family Picnic was held on Sunday, August 27. It was sparsely attended. How-ever, the rain didn’t hamper the delicious pot-luck lunch with hamburgers, hot dogs and beverages provided by the Lodge.

Kevin Burich Lee Cox

Page 5

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The Lodge still has 17 members who have not paid their 2011-2012 annual dues and are now 12-months delinquent. If you know any of these members, please encourage them to pay their dues. The Lodge has already paid their per capita assessments of $18.00 to the Grand Lodge and the Minnesota Elks Associa-tion— Dick Anderson Mark Carrigan Josh Gehlen Ron Holtz Steve Jansen Michelle Jeske Gerald Kaczmarek Mark Koelln William Leung Mark Lies Jeff Munsell Rich Pohlmeier Carla Reinowski Eugene Speiser Ryan Wendlandt Neil Whalen Lee Wright The September 30 Membership Report is as follows: Members as of 4/1/11—234; Initiated—3, Absolute Dimit—1; Deaths—1. Members as 9/30/10—235. Orientation for Candidate James Evenson will be held before the Lodge Meeting on October 1 at 6:30 p.m. Initiation will begin at 7:30.

Dennis Schroeder, Secretary

Thirsty Thursdays

$1 Tap Beer

plus Appetizers

Texas Hold'em League every Tuesday! 6:30 sign in, shuffle at 7

Be a Proposer

Volume 42, Issue 7 Page 6

Tales of Elks Page 7

Believe me, he’ll tell you! They want to talk, and they crave to be heard. Recently, I asked a little boy about his favorite subject in school. I wanted to cry when he told me he liked math the best but that his Dad had told him he wasn’t very good at it. “But that’s why I like math best,” he said, “because it makes me keep trying harder.” That little guy was wise beyond his years, hav-ing taken his father’s negativity and turned it into his own little opportunity for growth. And working with teenagers…..ah, yet another opportunity for growth, with raging hormones added for extra color! They chal-lenge me every minute, prompting me to consider how I will choose to use our Cardinal Principles in dealing with them. Did I treat Chris fairly when he called in sick 15 minutes before his shift? Was I loyal to Robin when she confided in me about a personal matter? How can I continue to respect Ethan when he challenges my every move? Are we doing everything in our power to help our children GROW? Are we setting the right examples and teaching the right lessons? Do we respect them? Do we hear them? There’s always room for improvement. Let’s not be content with a passing grade on this test. Let’s all strive for straight A’s!

November

As I followed the big yellow bus over-flowing with exuberant little cherubs the other day, I found myself pondering my theme again…“Grow.” One of the things that set our organiza-tion apart from all the others is the wonder-ful range of ages of our members. Many have young families; and many, like me, have watched our babies prepare and send their own babies for the daily ride on the

yellow bus. But whether young or old, bustling homes or empty nests, each and every one of us has the opportunity and the re-sponsibility to impact the lives of these youngsters. As adults, and Elks, are we doing everything we can to help them grow into the human beings we have dreamed they would become? Working in a grocery store is akin to being in the classroom each and every day. I have learned many valuable lessons in my daily dealings with the public. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that no matter the age, every human craves validation, and every human just wants to be heard. One of the joys of my job is to be able to talk with our customers, and my favorite customers to visit with are the kids. You never have to wonder how a child feels about anything. Just ask him.

Grow MN Elks President Lisa Richmond

Ditch Clean-Up

Non-Profit Organization U. S. POSTAGE 55350

PAID Hutchinson, MN

Permit No. 3

Return Service Requested Hutchinson Elks Lodge 2427 P. O. Box 272 Hutchinson, MN 55350 Phone: 320-587-3660 E-mail: elklodge@mediacombb.net Web: hutchelks.org

October, 2011

Staying Positive Breeds Success Leo R. Blanchette, Grand Lodge Membership Committee Member

_ _

_

Lodge is Available

for Rentals! Whatever the occasion--the Club can accommo-date groups from 2-130. Catering is available. Call the Lodge for prices and to reserve your date!

Call 587-3116.

A strong leader is one who stays positive and is able to moti-vate others. For the growth of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks to continue, we all have to be leaders in our own way. Our goal as Officers and Members should be to obtain a plus one in membership annually in every Lodge. This goal can be achieved if we, as Members, focus on maintaining a positive attitude when attempting to promote new membership. This approach should start with the Exalted Ruler and filter down to the Officers and Members. Nothing is ever accomplished when utilizing a negative attitude. When approaching a potential new Member, your first thought should be: How can I motivate this individual to be a part of our organization? Start by focusing on what, within our organiza-tion, will appeal to his or her interests by highlighting all the positive involvement that the organization does throughout the community, whether it be community involvement, veterans assistance, youth activities or our involvement in Drug Aware-ness programs, to name a few. It is important we outline these programs and define what we do as an organization. Maintain-ing a positive attitude toward your involvement and being infor-mative will appeal to the potential Member. Always remember, if you believe in what you say, it becomes an easy sell. Growth in our organization begins with new membership and ends in retaining the delinquent Members. According to Grand Lodge statistics, for every three new Members, four are dropped for nonpayment of dues. Retaining Members is never an easy

Every Friday Night!

feat; however, it can be achieved by pushing involvement and promoting pride in membership. In order to promote pride, a positive attitude must be maintained, ultimately leading to in-creased interest in membership and decreased delinquency. Ap-proaching a delinquent Member is not always easy. Try starting with letters, then moving to phone calls. However, sometimes in order to get the best results, it is important to appeal to him or her face to face. Explain that their dues and involvement are very important to the success of our organization. If they can’t pay their dues in full, offer them an alternative such as paying half and then the other half in the near future. In order for our Lodge to grow and prosper, all of our Officers and Members must be proactive in promoting all Grand Lodge programs. Success leads to strong motivation. Every Lodge will succeed if all Members stay active and excited about Lodge activities. It is our job as Elks to look for the positive side of any situation. Remember, with a positive attitude, anything is possible. We must all stay, “Loud and Proud!”

Ditch Clean-Up on Highway 22 one mile on either side of Biscay. Meet in Biscay on Sat-urday, October 8, at 8 a.m.