20.12.19

Happy New Year to each and every one of you! Leslie and I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Now it is time to get real busy. The lodge year has only 3 months to go. It is time for Exalted Rulers to look back and critically evaluate what your lodge has accomplished so far this year. Likewise, it is important to look forward and make sure that the lodge and all of your committees are on track to complete any of the projects or tasks they have been asked to perform. A successful lodge is the one in which the exalted ruler, committee chairs and members work together as a team to accomplish the goals of Elkdom.

Exalted Rulers should start thinking about the contests that are available to showcase the hard work that the lodges have accomplished this year. Entries for the lodge bulletin contest are due to Lodge Activities State Chairman David Anderson by Jan. The Memorial Service and Community Image brochures are due shortly thereafter.

You should consult the handouts provided by Chairman Anderson for the dates. The forms for the 'All American Lodge' contest must be submitted to your district deputy no later than March 15th. Commendation certificates for up to two outstanding Elks, the Exalted Ruler, and the lodge are currently available through your Grand Lodge Area 1 Fraternal Committee Member Bob Drisko. Requests for these certificates should be sent on the prescribed forms to Bob no later than March 31. If you have members you would like to recognize or if the Exalted Ruler and or the lodge accomplished the goals of the Grand Exalted Ruler, you should make every effort to see that these accomplishment are properly recognized. Elk of the Year, Officer of the Year and Citizen of the Year certificates will be available after Jan.

These certificates must be requested from the GrandSecretary on the prescribed forms. Hoop Shoot should be well underway. Please make sure you do everything in your power to make sure that theyouth within your community have an opportunity to participate in this very worthwhile contest. Fundraising is always an important part of what we do. Please remember to continue to try to raise money for the Elks National Foundation and the Maine Children's Cancer Program.

I would really like to be able to present a check at the convention this year to the Maine Children's Cancer Program in excess of $200,000. The only way that can happen is if the lodges do their best to try to meet that goal. Membership is probably the most critical issue facing our great Order. If your lodge is experiencing a significant number of delinquencies indues collection, please have your membership committee make personal contact with the delinquent members to see if they can get them to consider staying a member of our great fraternity.I believe that one of the ways to retain members is to make members feel they are involved in the activities of the lodge.

One of the best ways to boost interest is to increase involvement. If you feel that you are included in your lodge programs you are much more likely to maintain your membership than someone who is never consulted or never asked to participate. We need to do everything we can to stem the tide and turn our membership numbers around. That can only happen if the membership does its part in trying to recruit new members and the officers and committee members do their part in what must be a team effort.I would encourage all exalted rulers too try to involve as many members, especially the new members, in the ongoing activities of your lodge. We are faced with enormous challenges that also provide great opportunities. To be successful in all of our endeavors we must work together, as my motto says, 'Many Hands Make Light Work.'

Use all the hands available to your lodge to continue to be a positive force in your communities so you will be recognized as, 'Elks Elevating America' and continue to show that 'Elks Care - Elks Share.' A final quick reminder: Outstanding Student Scholarship Applications are due to the district scholarship chairs postmarked no later than Jan. I look forward to seeing you at Brunswick Lodge 2043 for the State Meeting on Jan. Yours in Elkdom, Tom Callahan State President. On Saturday, Jan. 3 State President Tom Callahan and First Lady Leslie will be making their visit to the Brunswick Elks Lodge. There will be a chicken parmesan dinner served with entertainment to follow.

Social hour will start at 5 p.m. Download program za pravljenje karikatura youtube. And dinner will be served at 6 p.m. The cost is $10 per person and reservations are needed by Wednesday, Dec. Please forward your response and money to: Brunswick Elks Lodge 2043 179 Park Row Brunswick, Me. 04011 For those who want to spend the night, rooms have been reserved at the Comfort Inn at 199 Pleasant Street. Phone: 729-1129.

Cost is $75 (tax included). Be sure to mention you are an Elk for this rate. There are approximately 20 rooms available. The MEA State meeting is Sunday, Jan 4.

What Is Auditing

Doors to the Lodge will be open by 8 a.m. There will be coffee and items available for breakfast.

The state trustees meet at 9 a.m. And the regular meeting starts at 10 a.m. A light lunch will be served after the meeting. Remember: Maine Elks Association meetings are open to any member in good standing. On Sunday, Dec. 14 the Elks and Disabled American Veterans (DAV) sponsored a Christmas party at Togus Veterans Hospital for patients in Ward 63.

Food, eggnog, coffee, Christmas candy and presents were provided by the volunteers. The highlight of the afternoon was Debbie Myers and Friends providing the entertainment. Debbie sang Christmas songs and took requests from the patients and led them in a sing along. It was a very special time and very much appreciated by those on the ward. Pictured, left to right, are Debbie Myers, Claudette Marcoux, Sue Morang, Penny Kinney and Linda McGuire. There will be an Auditing & Accounting seminar on Sunday, Jan. 11 from 10 a.m.

At the Augusta Lodge. We will break for lunch at noon and continue no later than 4 p.m. James Sabio of Naugatuck, Conn.

Lodge 967, the Grand Lodge Area 1 Auditing & Accounting Committee, will present the seminar. The seminar will cover areas that seem to be troubling when the auditing evaluation is returned to the lodges from the area committee chairs. The seminar will cover matters of auditing, accounting, bookkeeping, and budgeting recognizing the fact that a Lodge is a business and that good business practices should be followed. The Auditing & Accounting manual is planned for revision in 2015-16. Several areas will be expanded including restricted funds, unrelated business income, cost of goods sold and an expanded Chart of Accounts with a five digit account number with a better understanding on how it relates to your own lodge. These areas will be discussed during the presentation.

Elks Auditing And Accounting Manual Download

All officers, the auditing committee, house committee, and the Board of Directors should try to attend. Cut off date for attendance and meals is Sunday, Jan. Please consider he will be traveling from Connecticut a considerable distance. We want to make this a good turnout for the seminar. Please try to attend.

The Augusta Emblem will be providing a light lunch at $7 per person. Philip O'Brion PSP, PDDGER, PGLC Make checks payable to: Maine Elks Association Office of the state Secretary 31 Belleview Drive Jay, Maine 04239. On Sunday, Dec. 14, the Millinocket Elks Annual Kid's Christmas Party served over 200 parents/grandparents and children hot dogs, popcorn, candy, and drinks. The children played beano and won prizes. They also were all entered in door prizes contests.

There were prizes for ages 1-3, 4-7, and 8-12 year old boys and girls. This year's grand door prize was an Amazon Fire tablet with cover for one boy and one girl. The highlight of the event was when Mr. Claus came to pass out gifts to the children. Bobbie Allen, chairperson, had John Allen, Mark Malcolm, Exalted Ruler Ron McInnis, John Nicholson, Rod Cyr, Ron Darling, Tim Beaulieu, Dave VanDine, Betty Jo Austin, Gerald 'Slugger' Barnes and Kevin and Sue Jandreau to help put on this event. This annual event has been going on for decades and is just one of the community projects the Millinocket Elks is involved with.

Amen Grand Exalted Ruler It is the start of a new calendar year, and now is the time to make a personal resolution regarding your Lodge Membership situation. Resolve to call upon all Members to help improve Lodge membership numbers because membership is our number one issue. Resolve to work these final months of the Lodge year for a plus membership year in your Lodge.

Resolve to act now! Lodge Secretaries and Exalted Rulers: Do not go it alone - ask for help from your key Members. Enlist the help of your Past Exalted Rulers Association. Additionally, you should engage the Proposers of delinquent Members to call on their initiates. All local delinquent Members should receive a personal visit from a key Lodge Member. This will enable Lodge officials to determine if the delinquent Member is sick or in distress and should be the subject of a review by the Lodge Standing Relief Committee.

The pride of distressed Members will often prevent them from talking about their situation on the phone. You know the Grand Lodge and State Association dues and per capita fees have already been paid by the Lodge, and if you allow the Member to be dropped from the rolls then you will have gained nothing this year. Special consideration should be given to delinquent Members who have attained Life Member status. These Members have paid at least 30 years of dues and may be in a situation where family members are making financial decisions for the Member. It is a shame to coldly drop these long-standing Members who may well be incapable of making their own financial decisions.

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Again, face-to-face visits with a delinquent Member is imperative. Form a committee to call upon Members who have been dropped from the rolls the past five years, and remind them of the good works your Lodge does in your community. Let's all pull together to get the Plus 1 status for the Lodge and for the Order. State President's Visitation Schedule Jan. 3, 2015: SP Visit, Brunswick Jan. 4, 2015: State meeting, Brunswick Jan. 11, 2015: District Hoop Shoot, Skowhegan Jan.

11, 2015: Auditing seminar, Augusta Jan. 17, 2015: SP Visit, Skowhegan-Madison Jan. 25, 2015: State Hoop Shoot, Augusta Feb. 7, 2015: SP Visit, Bath Feb. 14, 2015: SP Visit, Rockland Feb. 21, 2015: SP Visit, Old Town March 7, 2015: MEA budget meeting March 7, 2015: SP Visit (Homecoming), Augusta March 8, 2015: State Meeting Augusta March 27-28, 2015: Regional Hoop Shoot, Portland April 17-19, 2015: National Hoop Shoot; Springfield, Mass.

May 1-3, 2015: State convention, Bangor.