Community Investments Program grants can be used to educate the Lodge community on a variety of subjects, from maintaining physical health to mastering a new art form. Read on for a few examples of Lodges that use their grants to share knowledge with their neighbors and consider starting an “Elks University” course of your own!
Inadequate food access is one of the most prevalent issues that exists. Access to healthy food, though, is just as important; some experts say that America is experiencing a nutrition crisis. Cooking at home can help improve diets, and Ohio River Valley, Ohio, Lodge No. 231 took this lesson to local high school students.
With its Beacon Grant, the Ohio River Valley Lodge hosts around 60 high school students each week for a cooking class. Lodge members design a menu, purchase the food items and cooking supplies, and lead the lesson as an after-school program. The students who attend the program are from under-resourced households and may not have the opportunity to learn these skills at home.
After the weekly lesson, the participants eat the fruits of their labor together, an effort to include a social benefit along with the physical benefit that healthy food brings (for more information on the benefits brought by eating with company, check out this visual). In November, the students cook a Thanksgiving dinner for their classmates and families.
“The Cooking Club meets an immediate hunger need, but it has the added perk of educating children to be self-sufficient and prepare meals at home,” says Grants Coordinator Mary Carolyn Nichelson. “The program has long-term educational and personal goals.”
Pendleton, S.C., Lodge No. 2861 receives an Impact Grant to provide local high schoolers with lessons on life skills, parenting, sex education and personal growth. The Lodge supports the work of MAPPS (Medicaid Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Services) to create an environment where young people can learn health and social lessons while connecting with a caring group of adult mentors.
Lodge members have made meaningful connections with the youth being served. Through a variety of activities, including cultural exchanges, STEM lessons with students from Clemson University, movie screenings, and much more, the Elks have helped create a space where students are safe to explore new experiences and alternative paths. The goals of the project, which are to decrease teen pregnancy and show children who have experienced hardship that they can have a bright future, will take time—but the Lodge has shown it is there for the long haul.
Blue Springs, Mo., Lodge No. 2509 also receives an Impact Grant to provide important health and safety lessons. The Lodge organizes CPR classes for various groups in the community—so far this year, certification classes have been held at high schools, martial arts studios, libraries and churches. Along with the CPR certifications, the Lodge also hosts Safe Sitter classes, both for young children who want to learn the responsibilities of babysitting and first-time grandparents, as well as Stop the Bleed classes, which teach how to treat a bleeding emergency. Since the start of 2024, more than 700 members of the Blue Springs community are now CPR-certified.
Some Lodges focus their lessons on the arts. Studies have shown that art classes help kids develop their decision-making skills, inventiveness and cultural awareness.
With its Beacon Grant, Green Cove Springs, Fla., Lodge No. 1892 hosts an event where kids can take art and music lessons. Elk volunteers lead painting and origami classes and show attendees how to play the kalimba. At the end of the event, the children can take their art materials and musical instrument home to continue practicing.
“It is important to give children an outlet for expressing themselves,” says Grants Coordinator Tracy Carroll. “Each child will receive an instrument, art and painting supplies, craft and activity items, as well as a book, to take home to continue building their opportunities for self-expression.”
If your Lodge has members with special skills or knowledge, consider using your CIP grants to share them with the community. “Elks University” is always looking for new teachers—enroll today!
Beacon, Spotlight, and Gratitude Grant applications are open through January 22, 2025. For more information, visit elks.org/cip, or contact the CIP office at 773/755-4730 or LodgeGrants@elks.org.