ERs Corner--Frank Burns

"GOOD START TO 2012!--WE WANT TO SHARE IT WITH YOU ALL"

As we start the New Year at the Lodge, we are thinking first of our members, and how we can find ways to see more of  you around the Lodge more often.   We already have a lot to offer each other, and sometimes it is important simply to remind ourselves of this.  For example, we can be very impressed by the results that have already been generated by Linda Buskirk's officers and volunteers during the year, especially in the areas of services to veterans and children.  This tells me that the Lodge has something rewarding to do for all of us.  We can be equally impressed with the Lodge's current social, dining and entertainment options, including the high quality of the food, service and performers at our regular and special Lodge events.  There are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night dinners, many special Saturday events, monthly ballroom dances, monthly Sunday Supper dances, and much more.  Still, if it takes more to entice some of us to enjoy what we have to share, then let's do it.  I am pleased to report that in 2012 we have already made progress to encourage more of you to come by more often.

The members who attended the first meeting in January voted to approve our new meeting-attendance incentive program.  Beginning with the second meeting in January, for meetings attended by 40 or more members (including officers), we will award free Friday-Night Dinners to 10 lucky members attending the meeting.  With this initiative, the odds of winning are very good (up to 1 in 4 for each meeting), so a lot of you will be enjoying a free Friday Night Dinner soon.  What we really want is to see more and more of you at our meetings AND at our social events.

The volunteers and staff for our club-management, fundraising, and charitable efforts are producing effective, high-quality and rewarding programs.  Their work is interesting and rewarding, and makes for worthwhile planning and discussion at our meetings.  For example, we have just learned from PER and Elks Chief Justice, Bob Goolrick, that 2011 proceeds from our bingo operations have increased by 33% over our 2010 proceeds, and by 167% over our proceeds for 2009.  This exhibition of leadership by Barbara Marshall, Tom Thiebaut and their bingo and "pull-tab" volunteers provides us significantly greater revenue to finance our charitable work and improve our facilities.

The timing of this financial improvement is impeccable because it has already allowed our scholarship program to respond to an increasing demand for support from the community.  Rick Baldwin, our current Elk of the Month for February, and a long-time contributor among our scholarship-program volunteers, announced at the last meeting that we will be able to give out seven Lodge scholarships for the first time in a number of years.  He noted that the impressive quality of the over forty scholarship applications easily justified our increased commitment of support. Our improved financial condition is timely also because it will support the recently approved upgrade to our "downstairs" kitchen, which will help us  improve the quality of the food we serve in the Lounge now and enhance our menu options for the future.

So, with a new member incentive to attend meetings, record bingo proceeds, increased support of scholarships for the community, and concrete plans to improve our facilities, we are pleased with our "start" at encouraging our members to come by more often.  And, we have no intention of stopping there.  Check out the Horn and the events calendar; keep track of Rose's news flashes and Steve's Jolly Corks emails.  And don't forget that Lodge meetings are second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at 7:30 p.m.  You will be entertained and energized, and there is a very good chance you might become a frequent winner of free Friday Night Dinners--a fun prospect.

Frank Burns

Exalted Ruler

P.S.  Hope you all had the opportunity to read about Kristina Hu from Thomas Jefferson High School in the local section of the Washington Post on Thursday, Jan 19, 2012 or in Rose’s blast.  Kristina is one of our scholarship applicants this year.

We obviously have the cream of the crop here in Fairfax County and Arlington to choose from.  Kristina was one of the applicants selected to go forward to the State for continued judging prior to this article.  We obviously have a very good scholarship committee too.