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| Brother Ron Potter - Elks President |
Greetings Brothers and Sister Elks.
First of all I have a few Thank You's to start with. The members of the Moosomin Elks lodge for doing a great job of hosting our 82nd annual Saskatchewan Elks Association and the 17th annual Royal Purple Association Conference last June where I was installed as President for the 2011-2012 term. The complete membership of the Association for their support in electing me as President. My wife and family for their support and encouragement in pursuing this great honor.
My theme for the year is LOOKING BACK...MOVING FORWARD. Take a "Look Back" at what you have accomplished over the years. What did you do to make the Lodge viable and successful? What projects have you done in your community that was a big hit? How many members came to meetings or projects? What did your lodge do to entice members to participate in meetings or projects? Everywhere I go I hear "remember when we." This I hear from the "older" members who now say let the "younger guys do it". I think the so called younger guys could use some of the experience that is there. There may be some new ideas to look at but the same old principles could be implemented. What if you picked up a member on the way to a meeting or called them to see if they were coming? They may not be able to come all the time but at least extend the invitation to let them know they are still needed. This goes a long way to insure the members know that they are still a valuable member of the lodge. Then the lodge can "Move Forward" and attack some new projects. If all lodges were to try this I think many would realize an increase in attendance. What can it hurt? Too many lodges are throwing in the towel when their towns or communities still need them. Please think about it.
Another issue I would like to address is the ticket sales such as the Charity Appeal, the Walkathon, The Peace 100 and our Children's Hospital Lottery. These raise a huge amount of money for our charities but some lodges are reluctant to even try to sell tickets. When tickets are issued to a lodge they sometimes only receive 5 books. This is a very easy thing to sell as most are 3 for 5 dollars. I would just like to ask that all lodges make a concerted effort to sell as many as possible. One thing that may help sell them is for members to attend a Walkathon where you will meet a family that our efforts in selling tickets has totally changed a family's life. I know for me, that was a big motivation. The testimonial family that comes to the banquet is very appreciative of the efforts that we put in to help their child. They try to thank each person there personally. It is such a gratifying experience knowing that the 1,2,3, or 4 books of tickets you sold could make such a huge difference in someone's life. Please think about it.
I am looking forward to meeting new people and making many new friends in my travels this term. I was pleased to see Beechy lodge step forward at the conference to host the Mixed Curling in December. This lodge has always supported the curling events and should be commended in trying to keep the event alive. So many members used to hustle to get their names in to curl in this event that there was usually a long waiting list. Brothers and Sisters let's" Look Back" at the fun and fellowship and give it another try. Hopefully then another lodge will "Move Forward" and do it next year.
One final note, to Brother Fred, a great friend and mentor-
"TIS THE HOUR OF ELEVEN......"
Till we meet again my friend.
| Lady Colleen MacDonald - Royal Purple President |
I have just recently attended the 17th Annual Prov. Royal Purple Conference coinciding with the 82nd Annual Prov. Elks Conference. The Moosomin Elks, Prov. President Ron Potter, his friends and family displayed hospitality and friendship second to none, a very well run event.
Many lifetime friendships are made and memories that will last a lifetime exist when all these volunteers gather together to work and plan for the coming years.
Attending a Walk-A-Thon in Hudson Bay last October was a real example of true volunteerism, when members of the Elks and Royal Purple from across Saskatchewan gathered together for such a worthy cause raising money for Sask. Pediatric Auditory Rehab. Centre to help deaf kids hear for the first time - a testimonial from a young teenage girl kept tears and emotions running high, she told us her story and was up dancing with her mom, as she could now hear the beat of the music!
I have chosen as my theme this year: RECRUIT, REVIVE, RETAIN, - we all need to recruit - we all need to work at bringing more members into our great order. We need to revive lodges that have gotten smaller, are loosing interest and planning to close, we haven't held any membership drives lately, it's worth a try to go into these communities to try to recruit new members if our lodges are going to exist. Retain - retaining our present membership and new members can often be a challenge, we need to attain their thoughts and interests, be willing to give them a try.
I look forward to the visits to your lodges this year hoping to discuss and encourage some new ideas so we can increase our membership. Royal Purple work for our children and our communities.
It is indeed a great privilege to belong to this order, I thank the Royal Purple for the great opportunity to represent the members across the province, a lifetime of experience and memories will remain with me forever.
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