CANADIAN ELK ÉLANS CANADIEN - Elks of Canada

Push for Change continued from previous page . . .
They are also open to ideas around having members walk with Joe as he comes through town, meeting local officials,
being joined by other shopping carts, and possible sleep outs to support youth @risk.
The national campaign is a fundraising initiative so they are open to dollar raising ideas as well.
The National Elks Marketing Committee hopes your lodge will get involved in this extraordinary opportunity. This Canadian
project will be more than a trek with a singular purpose – it is a project that will leave a legacy of sustainable
change. People can use their involvement in this project as a springboard to jump into bigger things in their lives,
which will make a difference to others. The initial experience of taking action and making a difference for troubled
youth will inspire your Lodge and the Elks in positive ways, permanently.
HOW A STRUGGLING LODGE SURVIVED . . .
HOW A STRUGGLING LODGE SURVIVED . . . .
Hi, my name is Dale Wheeler, Secretary of the Bow Island Elks Lodge No. 440 and a while back, we were
asked to comment on how our Lodge has had the good fortune to attract a group of young married and
single guys to take a good look at what the Elks were doing for the community.
It was a struggle 10 years ago when we looked at how to attract a group of young men. We knew that one
member would not solve the problem. Our endeavour was to find a group who communicated amongst
themselves on a weekly basis that would talk or phone or e-mail one another. We had to have short but
eventful meetings. The thought of having free drinks, and how could we offset this cost. We felt that with
new members they would bring in new donations to our charity auction, sell more tickets and the overall,
and bring up the profits.
So the decision was yes, let’s give it a try and see. NOW WHERE DO WE FIND THE GROUP? A member
said “you know we have a couple or three young curling teams in men’s and mixed so why don’t we look
there to find out who is sort of leading the show or making things happen at the curling rink”. With some
communication we were able to talk to two or three to start and it has only been 3 years and their friends
are starting to look at the Lodge for a night out with friends. We know that the new members are not going
to buy or wear the Elks of Canada regalia, so we’ve made the decision to buy a burgundy dress shirt and
a golf shirt for all active members with our Bow Island Elks Logo on it. They all wear it to the meetings
and they all wore their shirts to our charity auction. It looks great to see all active members dressed in the
same shirts for the 180 guests at the auction.
The other challenge was the chairs. We know that being the Exalted Ruler has some commitment, so we
have followed this up with attendance to see who attends and who enjoys being at the meeting. If they
enter into a chair we give them 100% encouragement and we have not made them change chairs until
they are ready no matter how much pressure. We, the elder members, do not want to have to do the
Chairs ever again. WE HAVE FOUND IT TO BE THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE TO HOLD BACK AND
LET THEM MAKE SOME OF THE NEW MODERN DAY CHANGES.
This is not just a look at the procedure we took, but the view of a desperate Lodge who had to look into
the future.
Sincerely,
From the Bow Island Elks Lodge No. 440
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1987-2012 History 44