Volunteer Appreciation Dinner Recap

Eureka Elks Lodge held its annual Awards Dinner for Volunteer of the Year, Elk of the Year and Officer of the Year on March 10th. The majority of the work at the lodge is accomplished by members volunteering their time and talents. It is very hard to choose those members for the award, out of the many who volunteer. This year was no different. The Exalted Ruler, Jennifer Cory, thanked the 150 volunteers who attended the dinner for all their hard work.

The volunteer of the year did not go to a single member but to a couple, Dan and Angie Jenkinson, for the many hours they put in working in the kitchen. Pictured from left to right: Gwen Morris, accepted the Award for Elk of the Year, Vicki Matthews (not pictured); Volunteers of the year, Dan & Angie Jenkinson; Officer of the year, Chaplain, Jim Kloss and Jennifer Cory, Exalted Ruler.

Exalted Ruler’s Column – March 2018

Greetings all! It is with mixed emotions that I write my final Herd Talk article as Exalted Ruler. This year has been an amazing journey and I am so thankful for all the wonderful people that I encountered along the way. There are so many individuals within our lodge that supported me and guided me through this last year. I am forever grateful for all the memories, Good Times, smiles, and laughter.

Please remember to sign up for the volunteer dinner on March 10th. This is a fabulous opportunity to be recognized for all the hard work that you have done within our lodge. Even if you haven’t volunteered you can come out and show your support to those that do. Another one of my final events is the children’s Easter party also on March 10th. I’m looking forward to both of these events. I spent 7 years going through all the officer chairs and now I get to look forward to being a Past Exalted Ruler and enjoying continue camaraderie with all of you! Thank you all again for a fulfilling and blest year!

Jennifer Cory, Exalted Ruler

Message from the Leading Knight – March 2018

There are many events coming up in March, including some great dinners! So be sure to check your calendar in this month’s Herd Talk.

Foremost on my radar is Step-up Night on Wednesday, March 21st where Chair Officers advance to their new Chairs and initiate new members. We’re all a little nervous about our new roles and could use your support. The Installation of Officers and dinner takes place on Saturday, March 24th. All of these events provide an opportune time to come to the Lodge and meet fellow members and your Lodge officers. Details on both of these events appear elsewhere in this Herd Talk.

Since this is my final article as your Leading Knight, I want to thank you for all your support throughout our year. Our Purple Pig dinner, held on February 11th, was a great success! We all raised over $1,600 which will go toward the California-Hawaii Elks’ Major Project. These funds go to the aid of children with disabilities throughout both states. Kathy Payne, her kitchen crew, and servers provided us with a delicious pork dinner. A special thanks goes out to Dan, Shelley and crew from Rendezvous Music for counting up the cash! In fact, Dan put in an extra $30 to get us over the $1,600 plateau.

Dennis Hunter, Leading Knight

Trustees Corner – March 2018

The Trustees have been working on the budget for next fiscal year, which begins April 1, 2018. The budget will be posted on the lodge bulletin board for your review.

March is a very busy month at the lodge. Kevin and crew will be in the kitchen for the Wild Game Feed on Sunday, March 4th. The Children’s Easter Party, which is a little early this year, will be on March 10th begin-ning at 10 AM. The Easter bunny has promised to visit and there will be fun, games and treats. The Volunteer Appreciation dinner is also on March 10th with cocktails at 5 and dinner, which I believe is CYOS, at 6 PM. I, and other lodge officers, will be working in the kitchen so our volunteers can relax and enjoy dinner. We often forget to let volunteer know how much we appreciate their service to the lodge. Please remember to say “Thank You For Your Service” next time you encounter a volunteer. Remember, we would not exist without our volunteers.

The Installation of Officers will occur on Saturday, March 24th. Please show your support for our incoming Exalted Ruler Dennis Hunter and his officers by attending this event. My term as Chairman of the Board of Trustees ends on March 31, 2018. I would like to thank all of those who offered advice and guidance during my term.

Fraternally yours,
Mark Householter, Chairman, Board of Trustees

Veteran’s Corner – March 2018

Thursday Feb 15th was the first training session for veteran companion animals and their owners. This training was made possible by receipt of the ENF Anniversary Grant in the amount of $1000. The lodge added another $500 from the Veteran’s Account, and when added to the grant, covers the cost of training for 36 veterans. One thing that was pretty obvious to this reporter was that the trainer trained the owners and the dogs just followed along.

Redwood Roamers – March 2018

At the February Roamers meeting on Feb. 7th we discussed the outings nominated for this year. We came up with 16 places Roamers want to go to. The first outing will be to Fort Bragg, at Promo RV Park, on May 3rd thru the 6th. This is when Fort Bragg has their Rhododendron festival. We have 18 RV’s signed up to go. The next will be to Lewiston Old Bridge RV Park, on May 31th thru June 3rd, with 16 RV’S signed up so far. This is when Lewiston has their peddlers fair. We are actively working on the other places we want to go to. If any Elk members are interested, please feel free to attend our next meeting.