Members All,

I recently attended the Elks Spring Convention in Sault St. Marie, MI. I met many fine people and learned a few new things. The convention kept us all quite busy while we gained increased knowledge on current Elks initiatives and the status of future work.

I was honored to receive the following awards for our Lodge:

The Silver Star Award in recognition of their fulfillment ofGrand Lodge and State Programs.

The Michigan Elks Charitable Grant Fund presented the Platinum Donor Award for our generous donations of over $2500.00 to the Gold Key Scholarship Program.

The Golden Kettle Award presented by The Salvation Army for being the #1 Lodge in the State on the Salvation Army’s Bell Ringing Elks Day on December 7th, 2024 and the 2nd overall Lodge in the State for the Month of December.

The Elks National Foundation Certification of Appreciation for donations exceeding the GER’s $5.00 per-member-giving goal in 2024-25

The Elks National Foundation Certification of Recognition: Building a Stronger Community. For their use of all three Small Community Investment Program Grants they received.

In the 2024-25 fiscal year. Their Lodge successfully carried out community projects using the Gratitude, Beacon, and Spotlight Grants.

The plaques we received for the Silver Star award and the Platinum Donor award will be available at our next meeting on June 11th for all to see.

Warm weather is almost here, and the patio is just waiting for us all. Lights are up. Flowerpots look fantastic as always. Come up on Thursdays for Social Night burgers, fries, and more. Can’t make it on Thursday, then come in on Friday night. We have been seeing more new faces, along with the regulars, come out and join us.

Our next major event is June 14th. We will hold a Flag Day service and a Flag Retirement ceremony, both starting at 3 pm, which are free and open to the public. Immediately following the ceremony, we will be having our Luau Pig Roast, which is also open to the public. Please ensure that you purchase your tickets in advance, as this helps us plan effectively. If you don't get the chance to buy early, they will be available at the door for an increased fee.

I heard a lot of good things about our Lodge from folks at the convention. A big thanks goes out to all our members and especially our volunteers for making this happen.

In April, we initiated six newcomers into our Lodge, and at our May meeting, we initiated two more newcomers. Welcome to all!!

See you at the lodge,

John Sherwin

Exalted Ruler