L to R Vice President Dave Coffin, Lodge First Lady & Trustee Basia Bills, Rose Coffin, ER Derek Randles
California, Hawaii Elks Association District Vice President Dave Coffin and his corps of District Committee Chair-people visited the Mission Viejo, Saddleback Valley Lodge on June 10th. VP Coffin and his team gave the Lodge high grades in all areas of Lodge management and committee accomplishments.
He complimented Lodge President Derek Randles and the Lodge officers and members, highlighting the Lodge’s outstanding contributions to the Saddleback Valley community, children’s charities, and veteran’s benefit programs.
VP Dave Coffin congratulating Lodge President Derek Randles
In his remarks to the members, VP Coffin spoke of the Elks Flag Day ceremony saying, ” It is to be expected that an organization dedicated to patriotic service such as ours, should seek to promote a proper knowledge of, and respect for, the American Flag, and all that it represents.
Our Order of Elks has done this in many ways. Perhaps the most effective of our prescribed activities is the Flag Day Service.
The idea of a Flag Day Service was first suggested to our Order by the then Grand Exalted Ruler at the 1907 Grand Lodge Session in Philadelphia. Each Elks Lodge was and is required to conduct this service annually on June 14th, the anniversary of the birth of the American Flag.
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Lodge Officers & State Vice President standing L to R: Organist Andy Costello, Chaplain Kevin Lindley, Trustees Gary Bennington, Harold Allen & Steve Rusie, Secretary Norm Jones, treasurer Bill Bongartz.
Seated Lodge Officers L to R: Tiler Diana Wilson, Lecturing Knight Greg Morgan, Leading Knight Camacho Alvarez, Vice President Dave Coffin, Lodge President Derek Randles, Loyal Knight Dave McLeod, Esquire Julie Thomas, and Inner Guard Mike Long
It was not until August 3, 1949 that then President of the United States Harry Truman signed Public Law 203, designating June 14 as Flag day.” Coffin added, “So we can be proud of the fact that our Order was not only the first fraternal organization to celebrate Flag Day, but had made this ceremony mandatory long years before the date on which the observance became a nation-wide practice by legal decree.”
The Mission Viejo / Saddleback Elks Lodge No. 2444, celebrating forty-four (44) years of service to the Saddleback Valley communities, is one of ten lodges in the Orange Coast District of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE) whose headquarters is in Chicago, Illinois. The BPOE is a charitable organization with a 146 year history of giving, “Elks Care, Elks Share.”
“KEEP COMMUNICATING”
Andy Costello
2014-15 CHEA Public Relations Chairman
