On Saturday, December 16, 2017, Springfield Elks Lodge members drove to the Vermont Veterans Home in Bennington, Vt., to present a $1500 Elks Anniversary Grant. Elks NationL Foundation came up with the name and donation application, because this February 2018 will mark the 150th Anniversary of when Elks became a fraternity in New York City, N.Y., in 1867.
The Grant will be used at the home to build a “Game Room”, to be used by Veterans recovering from wounds inflicted during their service. These could be long or short term recovering Veterans. The “Game Room” will include books, board games, card games, darts, Play Stations w/games, Wii and Wii games and other games deemed suitable for the Vets. This “Game Room” will cost a substantial amount of money and the $1500 Anniversary Grant will certainly help offset the cost of approximately $5000.
This is an important need for our Veterans who have served our country and have suffered by receiving wounds of various types. We owe our freedoms to all of our Veterans and this is a very small amount of giving back.
The Vets at the home remarked that they remember what our Lodge has given to them in the past. One year the Lodge donated a couple dozen fish poles with bait boxes. Another year the Lodge took down boxes and boxes of books, VHS movies, when they were popular. Another year the Lodge donated boxes of tube socks. Springfield Elks Lodge donates to the Veterans Home and VA Hospital in White River Jct., every year with something. We ask, and they give us a list of what we can take to them.
Caption for attached picture: At the Elks Anniversary Grant presentation at the Veterans Home in Bennington, Vt., were the following l to r; Al Fagans of Rutland, Vt., (USMC/Army), Ray Meaney of Florida (U.S. Navy on the USS Bennington), Eugene Siliski, Gloria Gunn, Exalted Ruler Vicki Siliski (all of Springfield Elks Lodge), CEO Melissa Jackson of the Vets Home, Paul Lyman of Brattleboro (U.S. Navy) and COO Al Faxan Col. USMC (Ret.) of the Vets Home.
News items provided by Mike Gunn.