CANADIAN ELK ÉLANS CANADIEN - Elks of Canada

Brother and Sister Elks:
By the time you read this, the
Christmas season will be part of
our memories, and Lodges and
members will be implementing
plans made for the New Year.
Sharon and I sincerely hope
each and every member had the
opportunity to share the season
with family and friends.
My term as President of the
Association is already half over. It
has been a busy year with many
Lodges celebrating anniversaries
and hosting events to mark the
occasion of the 100 th Anniversary
of Elks in Canada. It has been
an honour and a privilege to be
invited to join the Lodges and
communities in commemorating
these occasions. Be proud of your
Lodge and the Order and take the
time to celebrate these milestones
in our history. Lodges still have time
to celebrate the 100 th Anniversary
before the Grand Lodge Convention
in July.
As I make my visits, I am amazed at
the number of man-hours and the
monetary donations each Lodge
continues to contribute to their
respective communities. Large or
small, Lodges seem to do it all.
ALBERTA
Some of our Lodges are starting to
have problems with membership
recruitment and retention, and this
is starting to impact Lodge activities
in the community. My theme this
year is: “Building Together” and I
have been encouraging Lodges
to work with their Royal Purple or
other service groups to continue
supporting the community. By doing
so, the Lodge can remain active
and visible within the community.
Partnering with others is one way to
create an awareness of the benefit
your Lodge can provide to the
community and expose potential
new members to your Lodge. Be
leaders by inviting others to join
you in working on projects and
socializing afterwards.
The Association has been
approached by individuals who
are interested in starting Lodges in
their communities, and is currently
exploring the possibility of two new
Lodges in the province. Several
members of the Executive are
working with these individuals and
communities to lay the ground work
for a successful launch of these
Lodges. Hopefully we will have a
positive report on the progress of
these developments in time for our
16 1987-2012 History 16
Brother John Christie
Spring District meetings. District
meetings are soon going to be held.
Take the time to attend if you can,
and make every effort to have your
Lodge complete the Community
Service Report. It gives members a
chance to see what other Lodges
have for projects and perhaps find
a new project idea for their Lodge.
If your Lodge has a successful
project, share the idea with other
Lodges. Consider serving as
District Deputy if approached to
do so. It will be a very rewarding
and educational experience that
enhances your leadership skills,
and increases your awareness of
how the Association operates.
The annual conference will be
held in June at Edmonton and will
be jointly hosted by the Edmonton
and Sherwood Park Lodges. The
Grand Lodge Convention will be
held in Grande Prairie in July.
Lodges and members should now
be considering attending these
meetings as both levels of the Order
need and appreciate the input from
all of the membership.
Fraternally,
John Christie, President
Alberta Elks Association