Photo provided by Elks Member Lorene Tierney
Memorial Service Remembrance Table.
Elks Lodge Remembers Fourteen Departed Members at Annual Memorial Service
Mission Viejo / Saddleback Valley Elks Lodge No. 2444 (“Elks Lodge”) held its annual memorial service (“Program”) to remember fourteen of its members that passed away during the past year.
Honored members included: Past District Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler Robert Lionetti, Inner Guard James C. Peterson, Elk of the Year Leo Hazell, Edward Gosse, Alan L. Petersen, Thomas Cahill, Patrick J. Weagraff, John J. Hargy, Al Haywood, John Scott, Don Petrics, George E. Way, Jr., Hugh Dewey and R. Scott Cornelius.
The Program was attended by Elks Lodge members, friends and family of the deceased. Fronting the podium were two posters with photos of the deceased members, a poinsettia, fourteen white candles and Elks Lodge Emblems. The Program was opened with the presentation of the colors by Boy Scout Troop 603 and a welcoming message from Elks Lodge Exalted Ruler Gloria Le Couvre. As each deceased Elks Lodge member’s name was announced by Secretary Charlie Hart, a candle was lit by Chaplain Steven A. Rusie and chimes were struck by Assistant Inner Guard Howard Sargeant. Sharon Scott sang Amazing Grace. Throughout the Program, organ music was provided by Elks Lodge Life Member, Andy Costello. The Memorial Service was closed with the playing of Taps by Ray Mallen and the reading of the Elks Eleven O’clock Toast by the Exalted Ruler. The hard copy program was provided by Assistant Chaplain Michael Alarcon of Fairhaven Memorial and the photo posters by Elks member Karen Chaklos.
Photo submitted by Hal Mattson
Andy Costello Reviews the Dictionary with the Third Graders of Barcelona Hills Elementary School.
BARCELONA HILLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL THIRD GRADERS RECEIVE DICTIONARIES FROM ELKS LODGE
Mission Viejo, CA – Mission Viejo / Saddleback Valley Elks Lodge No. 2444 (“Elks Lodge”) members donated and delivered an early Christmas gift to third graders of Barcelona Hills Elementary School of Mission Viejo – their very own dictionary.
Elks Lodge Dictionary Chairman Pat Martino, Honorary Life Member and Lodge Organist, Andy Costello and Past Exalted Ruler Hal Mattson gave the students a brief summary of the features of the dictionary. In addition to the 36,000 words, the dictionary also includes the United States of America, Declaration of Independence and Constitution, facts of the fifty states, facts about all countries, the solar system, sign language symbols and many other features. Andy Costello joined the third graders on the school room floor as he explained some of the dictionary features.
The students are told that the dictionary is a gift for them to keep as an aid to their education. They are asked to learn one new word every day. Also, Pat Martino challenged the students to apply for an Elks scholarship when they are seniors in high school.
The Elks Lodge Wednesday night Bingo operation, as well as member contributions, funds the purchase of the dictionaries.
Photo submitted by Andy Costello
(L to r): Elks Lodge Wagon Master Pat Martino Presenting Gift Cards to OC Outreach Representative Ken Carpenter.
Elks Camper Group Makes Donation to OC Outreach Charity Group
Every Christmas season, the “Run-A-Ways” camping club of Mission Viejo / Saddleback Valley Elks Lodge No 2444 (“Elks Lodge”), makes a donation to a local charity. The donation is made instead of a gift exchange among members. This year the benevolent Elk campers raised $420, which they used to buy Wal-Mart gift cards. Wagon Master Pat Martino and member Andy Costello presented the cards to Ken Carpenter Client Services Volunteer for OC Outreach.
Carpenter said of the gift, “Every year the small children get toys and families get food, but somehow the teenagers seem to be overlooked. This is a great gift for them. The gift cards will be placed in holiday food bags and specially earmarked for the teenagers in the family.” With a smile Carpenter added, “Maybe they will buy a CD for themselves or even a gift for someone else, which makes it even nicer.”
The Mission Viejo / Saddleback Valley Elks Lodge, along with the other nine Orange County Elks Lodges, celebrate the season with parties for the developmentally challenged, gifts for service men and women, visits to veteran’s hospitals and numerous other acts of charity. The Run-A-Ways are one of the many clubs within the Elks Lodge that makes additional donations to favorite charities throughout the year. Martino said of his club, “Every year, the Run-A-Ways raise over $4,000 for charities, mainly for handicapped children. For group members to add this extra Christmas gift to what they all ready give throughout the year, demonstrates their special character of giving.” For information regarding Elks membership or Elks Charities, call the Elks Lodge @ (949) 830-3557.
Photo submitted by Andy Costello
(L to R rear): Elks Andy Costello and Pat Martino with third grade students of Kinoshita Elementary School in San Juan Capistrano.
Elks Lodge Delivers New Year Gifts of Dictionaries to Third-Graders; Cummulative Total of 4,400 Dictionaires Delivered
San Juan Capistrano School District’s Kinoshita Elementary third-graders were the happy recipients of the last 124 dictionaries donated this year by Mission Viejo / Saddleback Valley Elks Lodge No.
2444 (“Elks Lodge”). With this last delivery, the Elks Lodge has distributed a total of 4,400 dictionaries in the past three months to Saddleback and Capistrano Valley School District third graders. The thick paperback dictionaries contain over 32,000 words and much more information than most regular dictionaries.
Elks Dictionary Project Chairman and Past Exalted Ruler Pat Martino said of the program, “Each year, generous contributions from Elks Lodge Members and our Big Bucks Charity Bingo provide the funds for the purchase of the expensive dictionaries. We enjoy personally delivering the dictionaries because they are so well received by the kids and so appreciated by the teachers. We even hear accounts of students who have taken the books they received from us 6 years ago and used them all the way through high school.
That tells us that the objective to increase the understanding and use of words is working.”
Elks Lodge publicity chairman Andy Costello, who has assisted in the distributions for the past 6 years, said, “It’s interesting how the kids of today still relish taking possession of a book, especially in this day of electronic communication and Internet education.” He added, “In presenting the dictionaries to the students, we simply describe the great source of knowledge they now have at their fingertips and what that knowledge can do for them, today and in the future. We even talk about preparing for high school and encourage them to think about working hard in order to earn scholarships. We realize that, like most kids, they like their computers at home and in school, but the dictionary seems to be something special to them. I think that they feel a sense of pride when they can write their name in the book and call it their very own.”
The Mission Viejo / Saddleback Elks Lodge No. 2444, celebrating forty two (42) 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 144 year history of giving, “Elks Care, Elks Share.”
