Have you updated your Protocol List in CLMS? Do you know how to establish a Protocol List? How does a Protocol List benefit your Lodge?

 

In your CLMS home screen on the left you will see a box to add a Protocol member, yes, it is that simple. This is where you want to put the various Grand Lodge dignitaries, State Officers, and State Committeeman information for correspondence. This may seem mundane to some but for new secretaries it may help. All the information you may need can be found in the State Directory.

 

Let’s think about some of those events coming up such as the soon to be District Deputy Visitations to your Lodge. Once you have an established list and have done a sync with CLMS2PC you will be able to do group mailings which will save you time and effort, something most secretaries don’t have much of.

 

Do you realize that in CLMS2PC this is a fairly simple process to do as a group mailing?

 

If you haven’t done this before it is easy enough to learn. Once you have PC open go to the sharing screen and put in the appropriate information whether it is letters, queries, or reports and you will be asked to put in a Lodge number. Not sure what Lodge may have what you are looking for? Try 1589 or go to the secretary’s forum at Elks.org and ask who may have something to share, 2509 is another good one to try, Once, you have it downloaded you can copy and edit it to fit your individual Lodge. A good thing to do is to copy the original so once you edit it you can copy it again to make it easier to create your own for future use.

 

Now when you need to send a group letter you just go to mailings choose the group you are targeting then you are able to print them out. Don’t want the whole group? That’s easy just go to the review and deselect the ones you don’t want.

 

The first impressions new members get at their initiation is very important so when they realize that a group of dignitaries are there it will usually make the event a little more special.

 

Remember the District Deputy is visiting your Lodge as a direct emissary of the Grand Exalted Ruler and should be treated and thought of as such.

 

Please feel free to contact us with questions if help is needed.

 

Your CT CLMS Coordinators

 

Frank Hegedus, PSP PDD

 

Jan Wankowicz, PSP PDD

 

Peter H. Freiler, PSP PDD

 

 

Chocolate is something Brenda Williams (Manchester, Lodge No. 1893) is known for.  Over the past ten years Brenda has made and sold chocolate to raise funds for projects at her local lodge, for the Newtown shooting victims the day after the event, and for the Joplin Missouri Lodge which was destroyed by a tornado.  Her chocolate sales have also supported the CT State Major Project, the Safe Kids program supported by the Connecticut Children's Medical Center; this past June she presented the Exalted Ruler of Manchester with $500 to support Safe Kids.  Together with Pete Nelson, PDD (Manchester, Lodge No. 1893) Brenda has been involved with the Safe Kids program since 2000, nearly 25 years ago.  When current CT Elks State President Donna Wallace was first elected as Vice President four years ago, Brenda made her a promise, saying, "When you're State President, we're going to create a state booth for you at the National Convention."  Together with Phil Stender Sr., PDD and Dawn Stender (Manchester Lodge), they delivered on the promise: the booth won top national recognition, earning five stars in the State Booth Competition, a remarkable success for its first year. 

 

The Manchester Elks have a long-standing association with Safe Kids, holding an annual bike rodeo each June where they check bicycles for safety and hand out bicycle helmets, fire and carbon monoxide safety equipment.  As the Major Project for the CT Elks Association, local lodges throughout the state raise funds for the Safe Kids program, having donated over $1.2 million since 1999.  In turn, the Safe Kids program provides lodges in Connecticut with the equipment to give away.  Having 31 lodges throughout the state and an army of volunteers at each Elks lodge allows Safe Kids to reach many people in many communities throughout the state.  You can read all about Safe Kids at their website, ctsafekids.org. 

 

At the state convention in Rocky Hill, the CT Elks Association presented Luis Rivera, CT Safe Kids Coordinator, with a check for $100,000, something the CT Elks have done for a number of years.  At a later meeting, the Booth Committee proposed that Luis attend the national meeting and man the booth at the convention.  Luis took the idea to the Connecticut Children's Medical Center which provided giveaways and demonstrations for the booth, which brimmed with pins, wrist bands, heat-activated pencils, reflector pads, and most importantly stickers for the attendees' official credentials.  Luis also brought smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, bicycle helmets, car booster seats, and some of the other things that Safe Kids provides.  A blinco game could be played for a dollar, winning a small giveaway, and a raffle was held to give away the TV displaying a Safe Kids video which played all week.  Many volunteers, including James Coley, PDD (Bristol Lodge), Mike Johnson PDD and Denise Johnson PER (Southington Lodge), Donna Wallace PDD (Willimantic Lodge), Phil Stender PDD (Manchester Lodge), and Brenda and Pete cheerfully manned the booth, meeting and greeting state and national dignitaries, including PGER Dave Carr and his wife Penny, Bob Hansen GLTC, and the ENF scholarship winners. Luis himself had so much fun in the company of Elks that he decided to join our organization!

 

State President Donna Wallace was thrilled when she learned that the CT Major Projects booth earned the prestigious Five Stars from the Grand Lodge.  "It was really exciting to see the progression of this idea materialize to reality. The committee and I spent many hours having meetings and discussions of how to best represent our State Major Project.  It was quite an accomplishment to witness our volunteers enjoying sharing information regarding Safe Kids Connecticut with other Elks from all over the USA.  Words cannot express the pride I felt when we were presented with a Five Star Award."  Donna added, "I hope this inspires other committees to not be afraid to try something new." 

 

"My experience at the national convention in Reno brings me to believe that all States should have a booth showcasing their Major Projects.  It's a great way to make your state shine.  I felt proud in being an Elk and in seeing all the good work that we do throughout the country," said Brenda, reflecting on the team's accomplishments with the CT Major Projects Booth.  So what's in store for next year for the CT Elks in San Antonio?  When asked whether the CT Elks would have a booth again next year, Pete quickly responded with a hearty "Yes!"  "So how are you going to improve on the booth for next year," I asked.  And with a smile and a wink, Pete simply said, "You're going to have to wait and see." 

 

 

 

Recently, with the catastrophic floods in Texas, the Elks Disaster Relief Program, Inc. donated $25,000.00 to aid those victims. To help replenish those funds, I encourage your Lodge or State Association to raise and donate what you can for this most important program. Without support, eventually we may not be able to continue to live up to our motto "Elks Care - Elks Share" by easing the burden and lend a helping hand to the victims of major catastrophes.

 

Donations are tax deductible as allowed under the 501(c)(3) IRS Code.

 

In the event that donations exceed the funds needed for a disaster relief effort  any excess funds will be held in Elks Disaster Relief Program, Inc. for use in future disasters.

 

All checks should be made payable to: Elks Disaster Relief Program, Inc.

 

Contributions should be mailed to:

Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks

Attn:   Bryan R. Klatt, Grand Secretary

2750 North Lakeview Avenue

Chicago, IL 60614-1889

 

Frank 'Cheech' DeFazio - CEA Leather Program

 

The Elks National Veterans Leather Program was formally established in1946, making it our longest standing program. Through the Veterans Leather Program, we can donate hides at our local lodges. These hides are then sent to a tannery to be made into finished leather pelts which are then sent to our Veterans to be used by them for various projects. 

 

A seminar on this program and how to prepare the hides for the tannery will again be held at the Middletown Lodge No. 771. The date will be October 7, 2017. Lunch will be served at noon for a small fee of $6.00 per person. The seminar and videos will start at approximately 1:00PM. There will be a Q&A period at the end of the program. 

 

Last year we doubled our hide count from 25 hides to 59 hides. We are looking to double our hide count again this year to over 100 hides. 

 

We must continue to make the hide count grow to make the pickup and shipping by Grand Lodge worthwhile. We can do it with your help. 

 

You do not have to be an Elk to join us and attend this seminar or to participate in our hides program. All hunters, hunting clubs and people that know hunters are welcome to join us at the seminar and to donate hides.  

 

If you have any questions, please contact me at 203-968-6301.