Monday, June 26, 2017

BPOE 2348 (Liverpool NY) Just say No


Liverpool Elks Lodge No.2348 recently completed their Just Say “No” Program.  It is a program that is sponsored and paid for by the Liverpool Elks Lodge.  This program was offered at six schools in the Liverpool Central School District and approximately 450 children participated. The Just Say “No” Program is a program that is sponsored and paid for by the Liverpool Elks Lodge No.2348.  It is offered to students at the third grade level at no cost to the schools.  The idea behind the program is to provide the students with information about smoking, drinking, drug use, as well as peer pressure, so that when confronted with these items they can make a consciences choice to avoid them. 



The program runs for six weeks, one day per week for about an hour.  We like to provide the program first thing in the morning, right after school starts.  All students involved in the program receive tee shirts which we ask each to wear each Friday throughout the program.  We divided the classes into two groups; some students receive red shirts the others blue.  This creates a little competition between the groups to get the students involved in wearing their shirts. 



Each week a guest speaker comes to the school to presents a session on one of the following; smoking and tobacco products, alcohol abuse, addictions and peer pressure.  Each of the sessions provide the students with facts about the topic regarding why people do it, why they shouldn’t and some of the negative impacts on them if they were to choose to use them.



Here is a brief description of each session.



            Smoking:  The presenter speaks to the students about why people might smoke and why they shouldn’t.  This is done with questions and open discussions.  The speaker provides the students with reasons to avoid smoking; such as illnesses that can be gotten from smoking, the cost of smoking, people’s desire to be away from smokers, etc.  A lung machine is also brought to the school to display what a lung looks like and also what will happen to the lung when infected by emphysema and cancer.  They also talk about ways to help people who smoke to quit.



            Drinking:  A volunteer from Prevention Network presents a session on drinking. Discussing reasons not to drink and what are some of the affects on people who do drink.  The presenter has a short video tape about a cat that drinks too much and becomes possessive of its milk dish.  The video shows how an addiction can change some ones personality and disposition.



            Addiction / choices:  This program deals with drugs and everyday items that can cause addictions, things such as caffeine, sugar as well as prescription drugs and medicine.  Many common products have substances in them that may affect people differently and this session shows the students something as simple as coca-cola can have an affect on someone by over use. 



            Peer Pressure: This program is provided by Prevention Network.  They talk to the students about what it is and how to handle peer pressure from classmates to do drugs, drink and smoke.





The last week of the program is a pizza party with an awards ceremony to present prizes to the top three poster winners.  All students receive "Just Say No" pencils. 



At no time do we try to set stead fast rules or to lecture.  The whole point is to hopefully provide students with information and facts so that they can make their own choices.

BPOE 271 (Oswego NY) Oswego Drug Program


Federal prosecutors joined with four community organizations in the Oswego, NY area to host an anti-heroin event as part of the ongoing effort to battle opioid addiction. The U. S. Attorney's Office in the Northern District, Oswego Elks Lodge No.271, COACO and Farnham Treatment centers hosted the event at the Oswego Elks Lodge. The event opened with a presentation by U. S. Attorney Richard Hartunian, then the screening of "Chasing the Dragon": The Life of an Opiate Addict," a documentary film commissioned by the FBI and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.



Following the film a panel made up of prevention services, the District Attorney, the Assistant United States Attorney, a first responder, a police detective, the mother of an addict and an addict in recovery took questions from the audience. 



Wednesday, June 21, 2017

BPOE 474 (Auburn NY) Auburn Luau


Edward Darrow, PSVP and Auburn Lodge's Elks National Foundation Chairman presented a check for $2,500 from the Auburn Lodges ENF Gratitude Grant to Shannon Abate VP of SPwDD Services (Services for people with Developmental Disabilities) at Cayuga Centers. These  proceeds sponsored a Luau for approximately 250 attendees from their service center. 



Pictured

Lodge Trustee's Mario Campanello,  Priscilla Rock,  Shannon Abate VP of SPwDD Services,  Dee Dee Schenck, VP of Community Partnerships from Cayuga Center, and Lodge Trustee Brian Schenck, and Ed Darrow, PSVP.
   

American Patriot Service


The Ontario District recently held its sixth “American Patriot Remembrance” Ceremony.  It was a brief yet reverent ceremony to convey the appreciation of Elks who are members of the six lodges that compromise the Ontario District.  The six lodges in the Ontario District are Syracuse Lodge No.31, Oswego Lodge No.271, Auburn Lodge No.474, Fulton Lodge No.830, Liverpool Lodge No.2348 and Camillus lodge No.2367 and are located in Cayuga, Onondaga and Oswego Counties. Each of the Officers participating in this ceremony are themselves service veterans.  Capt. Thomas Kanaley, SC, USNR (ret), presented the oration. He is also a PER and current ER from Syracuse Elks Lodge No.31.    Catherine and Patricia Commisso presented musical selections.  Emily and Cory King played echo taps to close out the ceremony.



Members of the Ontario District gathered to honor the memory of fourteen American Patriots who died as a result of the Iraqi and Afghanistan Wars, American Patriots who died serving our country during World War II and all other American Patriots who died in our other wars.  We also gather to pay tribute to the families of our service men and women have served our country. 



It has been over 70 years since World War II ended, yet the memories of that war continue to linger within the minds of those who served our country and by their family and friends.  At that time, communication was not instantaneous as it is today and the fate of those who died or who were injured was many times unknown for weeks and months.  Those who served, did so with courage and why they are referred to as the “Greatest Generation.”   The Ontario District of the New York State Elks Association remembered our World War II veterans.  Nine WWII veterans received a medal honoring their service. 





            John Canale             US Army, SSgt.

            Henry Dewey            US Army, SSgt.

            Gary DuBois             US Marine Corps, Cpl.                               

            Angelo Favata          US Army, Cpl.

            John Fultz                 US Army, Pvt.

            Traver Knight           US Army

            John Saltalamachia US Seabees, 2nd class Boatsman Mate

            Frank Terminella      US Navy, Seaman 2nd Class

            Joseph Tuso             US Navy, Seaman 2nd Class

           



           

           

Fritz Allen, Cpl. USMC and Capt. Thomas Kanaley, SC, USNR folded the American flag.  The flag was placed upon the altar.



The names our American Patriots of the Iraqi and Afghanistan Wars were called and a candle was lite in their memory.

            Sergeant Jerry Bell,                                                 United States Marine Corps

            Corporal Bobby Callahan,                                      United States Army

            Private First Class Patrick Devoe,                        United States Army

            Corporal Kyle Schneider,                                       United States Marines

            Specialist Kenneth Haines,                                    United States Army

Senior Airman Dennis Malone                              United States Air Force      

            Sergeant First Class Daniel Metcalfe,                  United States Army

            Keith Ochsner,                                                         United States Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Francis Phillips IV                                                    United States Army

            Staff Sergeant Steven Reynolds,                          United States Army

            Specialist Kyle Rookey,                                          United States Army

            Sergeant Christopher Simpson                             United States Army

            Petty Officer 1st Class Joshua Smith                    United States Navy

            Lieutenant Nathan Williams,                                  United States Navy



One candle was lit in respect and honor of all World War II veterans.

The last candle will be lit to honor all American Veterans who have served the United States of America. 


BPOE 2348 (Liverpool NY) Liverpool Dictionaries


Liveropool Elks Lodge No. 2348 recently went to the Liverpool School District to deliver dictionaries.  The dictionaries were presented to approximatley 350 3rd grade students from six schools in the district.   The Schools were:  Liverpool Elementary, Chestnut Hill, Donlin Drive, Nate Perry, Morgan Rd and Elmcrest

 The principals, teachers and students alike were thrilled to receive the dictionaries.

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

BPOE 2348(Liverpool NY) Liverpool Flags


Liverpool Elks Lodge No. 2348 recently went to the Liverpool School District to present flags.  The flags as well as information on the flags were presented to approximately 350 3rd grade students from six schools in the district.   The Schools were:  Liverpool Elementary, Chestnut Hill, Donlin Drive, Nate Perry, Morgan Rd and Elmcrest.

 The children carried the flags in their Flag Day parade.

BPOE 271 ( Oswego NY) Oswego Auxiliary


The Ladies Auxiliary of Oswego Elks Lodge No. 271 donated $800 to purchase radios and Crock shoes for the patients at the Syracuse Veterans Hospital. 

Pictured Bernie France, VA Chairman, Terry Cooper, Auxiliary president and James Dillabough presenting the donated items to the Syracuse VA Hospital.   


BPOE 2348 (Liverpool NY) Liverpool Lodge Dollars for Scholars

Liverpool Elks Lodge No. 2348 Lecturing Knight, Allen R. Mitts, Jr. PER recently attended the Moving up day ceremony at Baldwinsville High School.  Scholorship winners are chosen by the school.  He was honored to present Justin Goodridge a $1000 scholarship on behalf of the lodge.  It was wonderful to witness these outstanding students receive both recognition and financial support from their community.  Justin was also one of the lodge’s Students of the Month this year



Tuesday, June 13, 2017

BPOE 830 (Fulton NY) Fulton May Day


Exalted Ruler Ryan Wallace, Kindergarten bike winner Wyett Clark, Leading Knight and May Day chairperson Dave Ormsby 



The Fulton Elks held a May Day Fair and Bike Giveaway in celebration of Youth. The Fulton Elks #830 gave away 16 bike, a boy and girl bike for grades preschool through sixth grade. The event also included rides, concessions, face painting, and 'The Parrot Lady' as well as other venues. A Drug Awareness booth was also set up and 70 bags filled with Drug Awareness materials and goodies presenting positive and drug free messages were given out to local youth. Fulton BPOE 830 also gave away a gift card for each child to get a helmet of their choosing as well as safety reflectors for their clothing and bike. 









Fulton Elks Lodge No. 830 completed their 66th May Day Celebration. The 2017 May Day celebration was a fair to celebrate the youth of our community. After many years the May Day celebration was moved from the lodge to the Fulton War Memorial. A Drug Awareness booth was set up with brochures, color books and a coloring station that included posters to color with positive messages. Over 70 bags were filled with Drug Awareness material and goodies presenting positive and drug free messages and were given out to local youth. Many community member came together to make it a success including volunteers from the city, citizens and members of the local VFW as well as numerous donations.  A local artist donated her time for face painting. Her designs were amazing. The event also included rides and a group who brought parrots to interact with the community and have pictures taken. The highlight of the festivities was the annual bike giveaway. 16 bikes total were given away to children from Preschool to sixth-grade. Fulton Elks Lodge #830B also gave away a gift card for each child to get a helmet of their choosing as well as safety reflectors for their clothing and bike. 



Pictured:  

Exalted Ruler Ryan Wallace, Kindergarten bike winner Wyett Clark, Leading Knight and May Day chairperson Dave Ormsby 





BPOE 2367 ( Camillus NY) Camillus Military Room Donation


The Gregory J. Harris Military Courtesy Room is located at Syracuse’s Hancock International Airport. The Staff and Volunteers of the Military Courtesy Room are proud to serve each and every member of our Armed Forces who walks through our doors. We are one of only a handful of privately funded military lounges in the nation.  They provide our servicemen and women with snacks, beverages and a comfortable place to wait and rest for flights or transportation to many of the local military installations, in particular Ft. Drum—a US Army base located a little over an hour north of Syracuse. Ft. Drum is home to the 10th Mountain Division and the majority of the military traffic we see comes from these amazing men and women.



Every item in the Military Courtesy Room comes from private and corporate donations from local folks and companies. The City of Syracuse has also wholeheartedly supported our efforts and is an integral part of the continuing success of our project



The Courtesy Room is named in honor of a local Marine, Cpl. Gregory J. Harris who was captured in June of 1966 during the Vietnam War and is still unaccounted for.



Pictured Bob McIntyre, Rocco Arcaro, DDGER , Jay Mason, PER and Bob Mariano , Veterans Chairman and from the Camillus Elks lodge recently visited the Gregory J. Harris Military Courtesy Room at Syracuse Hancock Airport to drop of a donation of $750 worth of snacks, drinks, and personal hygiene items.  


BPOE 2348 (Liverpool NY ) Liverpool Elks Ladies Auxiliary


Liverpool Elks Lodge No. 2348 Ladies Auxiliary President Deborah Leonard-Sandore recently attended the moving up ceremony at Baldwinsville High School.  Scholorship winners are chosen by the school. 

The Auxiliary presents the Theresa Sullivan Scholarship in the amount of $1000 each year.  This was dedicated to the young daughter of member of the lodge who was lost at a very young age.  Taylor Trowbridge and Jason Wenneg each received $500 to help with their first year of college.

Monday, June 12, 2017

BPOE 474 (Auburn NY) ENF Certificate Of Appreciation


Ed Darrow, PSVP presented PDD Mindy Johnson with the ENF Certificate of Appreciation for donations exceeding the GER's $4.65 per member giving goal in 2016-2017



BPOE 2348 (Liverpool NY) Award


Kenneth Richards, PSVP of Liverpool Elks Lodge No. 2348 was honored at the NYS Elks Association Convention for his outstanding contributions to Elks National Foundation. Congratulations Ken!



BPOE 271 ( Oswego NY) Oswego Memorial Day


Oswego Elks Lodge No. 271 celebrated Memorial Day by visiting 10 cemeteries and placing wreaths at the grave sites. The members of the lodge then marched down to linear park to place a wreath under the American flag. The ladies auxiliary also attended the ceremonies.

BPOE 2348 ( Liverpool NY) Liverpool Service Awards


Liverpool Elks Lodge No. 2348 recently celebrated their 51st anniversary.  New York State Elks Association President Phil Conaty joined in the festivities.  At a dinner in his honor awards were given to outstanding police and firefighters that serve the members of the lodge.  



Sargent Gerald Unger, of the Liverpool Police Department, Chief William Lefencheck of Baldwinsville Police and Chief Tony Albanese of Seneca River Fire Department were present to honor the award winners from their departments.  Officer Marcus Lukins of Liverpool Police Department and Officer Martin Knaul of Baldwinsville Police received recognition as Officers of the year.  Ronald Bryant of Seneca River Fire Department was honored for 40 years of volunteer service to the Seneca River fire Department.  The recipients were all chosen by their peers in their respective departments





Pictured:  

Front Row   Officer Marcus Lukins, Officer Martin Knaul, and Ronald Bryant

Back Row    Sargent Gerald Unger, Chief William Lefencheck, NYS Elks Association President Phillip Conaty, Donald Neiberger, ER Liverpool Elks Lodge and Chief Tony Albanese








BPOE 2348 (Liverpool NY) Award


Sheila McCallum was recognized at the NYS Elks Association convention as district editor for the Districts Exceptional Contribution to the Empire State Elk. Liverpool Elks Lodge No. 2348 was also recognized for their exceptional contribution to the Empire State Elk.


Wednesday, June 7, 2017

BPOE 474 (Auburn NY) Child Safety Seat Inspection

On Sunday May 21, 2017 The Auburn Elks Lodge 474 along with the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office and members of the Cayuga County Deputy Sheriff's Benevolent Association held free child safety seat inspections.
Certified child passenger safety technicians from the Sheriff's Office, Cayuga Seneca Action Agency, and Auburn Internal Medicine   and Pediatrics provided the inspections and assisted with installations of the restraints.
Replacement child restraints were available at no cost Thanks to a grant provided by the Elks National Foundation and the local Auburn Elks Lodge 474. Elroy The Elk was in attendance he distributed drug awareness coloring books and book marks.
The Auburn Elks Lodge also held a Chicken BBQ during the Inspections.
Pictured below from left to right are Officer
Mario Campanello, Detective Lieutenant Brian Schenck, Elroy The Elk, Tracie Coulson (certified installation technician), and Sheriff David Gould.

Officer Mario Campanello and Detective Lieutenant Brian Schenck are
Lodge Trustees of the Auburn Elks Lodge 474


Tuesday, June 6, 2017

BPOE 2348 (Liverpool NY) Syracuse Chiefs Baseball Game




Liverpool Elks Lodge No. 2348 recently attended a Syracuse Chiefs Baseball game.  They proudly displayed a banner with their Lodge and number.  They were given a shout out with some of their accomplishments. A total of 29 members and guests were in attendance. 


Don Neuberger, ER Liverpool Lodge No. 2348, Jason Smoral, GM Syracuse Chiefs, Deborah Leonard-Sandore, Liverpool Lodge Ladies Auxiliary President