Recently, Springfield Elks Lodge 1560 presented a National Elks Beacon Grant to the VA Hospital in White River Jct., Vermont, in the amount of $1000.
The Beacon Grant awarded to Springfield Elks Lodge was for $2000. The Lodge elected to present the other half of the Beacon Grant to the Veterans Home in Bennington, Vt., in March.
Usually the Elks get a check and present it to the recipient. This year, Springfield Elks did something different, they went out and bought toiletries in lieu of a check. Items that the Elks presented them with were like, Men’s razors, shaving cream, deodorant. Unisex toiletries, chap-stick, denture cream and hair brushes. Reading glasses, men’s sweat pants, sweat shirts, briefs and t-shirts. Also Arts & Crafts Supplies, fine point art markers, watercolor dual tip art markers, acrylic paint sets, wood burning kits, embroidery for cross stich kits, jewelry making supplies (beads, cords, etc.). Wooden plaques, birdhouses, wood stain of any color and wood burning kits.
With the above awards, Springfield Elks Lodge continues to show they are very vested in our Veteran’s, locally and state wide. Springfield Elks Lodge Veteran’s chairman Vicki Siliski, has given much her time and efforts to get awards for them over the past few years. The chairman of this latest Beacon Grant was treasurer Karen Whitney. The contacts at the VA Hospital was Karen Campbell the Chief Voluntary Service Officer. Also, Trevor McCants is the Logistics Supply Chain Officer and an Elks member of Bellows Falls Lodge #1619.
Caption: Shown is the National Elks Beacon Grant presentation at the VA Hospital by the Springfield Elks Lodge #1560 recently. Shown L to r; Karen Whitney, Beacon Grant Chairman, Trevor McCants, VA Logistics Supply Chain Officer, Vicki Siliski, Veterans Chairman of Springfield Elks Lodge and Karen Campbell, VA Chief Voluntary Service Officer
News item submitted by Mike Gunn