“I joined the Elks because of the friendship of the members and the charitable programs the Elks support,” Beverly says. “I have always enjoyed doing volunteer work and helping children. They are our future.”
Beverly, Virginia’s state treasurer and 2003-04 Exalted Ruler of the Year, wasted no time getting involved with Elks charitable projects at the Norfolk, Va., Lodge. She hopped aboard her Lodge’s Elks Drug Awareness trailer and visited different community locations, distributing literature and encouraging youth to make healthy choices.
It was this interaction that inspired Beverly to make her first donation to the Elks National Foundation. “We need to educate our children as much as possible about what drugs can do to your mind,” she says. Her hard work earned her the Virginia Elks Association’s Star Fish Award for Drug Awareness in 2001-02.
But, she didn’t stop there. Beverly also feels passionately about the Elks work with the nations’ veterans. Just mentioning veterans causes her to tear up. She has a special connection to these heroes: Her father, Leonard L. Purifoy, is a Pearl Harbor survivor and was on the USS Utah when it went down. “My father means so much to me,” Beverly says. “Without these great men and women, we would not be the nation we are today. Let’s not forget the veterans, for they gave us our freedom.”
Recently, Beverly saw the results of her gifts firsthand when she attended the Minnesota Twins baseball game during the Grand Lodge Convention as a guest of the Foundation. The ENF’s top two Most Valuable Students threw out the first pitch at the game, then visited with donors, thanking them for their support. “The game was a great opportunity to meet other ENF donors and share ideas on getting others involved,” Beverly says. “It was also nice to meet the MVS kids and their families.”
“I feel wonderful every time I make a gift to the ENF,” she says. “I feel I’m doing something that is great. I’ve always given money to charity, but when I give to the ENF, I know it can be used for a lot of different things.”
She prefers to give online at www.elks.org/donate. “It’s very easy to make an online gift,” Beverly says. “I’m using this method more and more to make my gifts.” In addition to the convenience, she appreciates that her online gifts will go to work immediately for the Foundation’s many program recipients.
“Just think of all the millions the Elks spend each year for the youth in our communities,” Beverly says. “By helping to educate our children, we have helped our nation get stronger. The Elks and their programs are the best things I have ever been involved with.”
Whether it’s drug awareness, veterans, scholarships, or Hoop Shoot, Beverly feels that giving to the ENF lets her community know that the Elks are there to help. “Without the love of humanity and human welfare, we are no better than our enemies,” she says.