Elks National Foundation Director, Jim O’Kelly
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Grand Exalted Ruler, Michael F. Smith
Mission Viejo / Saddleback Valley Elks Lodge No. 2444 has received notice from the Elks National Foundation (“ENF”) of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (“BPOE”) national headquarters in Chicago that it plans to double its Community Investments Program (“CIP”) from $2.3 million to $4.6 million effective for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. The CIP debuted in the 2005-2006 fiscal year with a budget of $350,000. Since its star six years ago, the ENF Trustees will have increased funding for the program by 1,200 percent. The CIP grants currently feature three components, with grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,000. Every Elks Lodge in the nation is eligible to submit a proposal to receive a CIP grant.
“The ENF Trustees want to provide extra support to every Elks Lodge in the nation in their efforts to be pillars of their communities,” said Jim O’Kelley, the ENF Director. “The CIP provides all Elks Lodges the resources to do so much more to strengthen and support their communities.”
Pat Martino, Elks Lodge Exalted Ruler said, “The ENF and BPOE continue to set new standards in giving to assist local Elks Lodges in their endeavors to improve their communities.”
The Mission Viejo / Saddleback Elks Lodge No. 2444, celebrating forty (40) years of service to the Saddleback Valley communities, is one of ten lodges in the Orange Coast District of the BPOE whose headquarters is in Chicago, Illinois. The BPOE is a charitable organization with a 142 year history of giving, “Elks Care, Elks Share.”
