exalted ruler's MESSAGE

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Howdy!

Hard to believe that summer is almost over, but the heat certainly intends to stick around for a while longer! 

The highlight of my Elks summer was the Elks National Convention, held in Kansas City at the end of June. It was very impressive to see all the lodges assembled in one place, along with all the leadership; more than 6,000 Elks were in attendance! The convention is similar to many others, offering numerous seminars to learn about the Elks’ activities and how to improve local lodges. They also announce the Grand Lodge leaders for the year. Bryan Klatt was installed as Grand Exalted Ruler, and I think he will be a great leader for our organization. He spent 17 years as the Grand Lodge Secretary, so he really understands the organization and all the fantastic things that we do across the country. His motto is: “Be the Difference.” I think that is such a simple yet profound motto, and something that our lodge does every day for the Vets, Children, and community! 

I attended several seminars, but the most interesting one was the initiative to create a digital membership card. This is already in place in the Pacific Northwest, and they are getting great feedback from their members about the ease of always having your membership card on your phone. During the meeting, we voted to grant the Grand Lodge permission to investigate and implement digital membership cards. Don’t worry, anti-technology folks; we will still use our cards, and the digital card will be optional for those who choose to use it once it’s developed nationwide. 

I also had the opportunity to watch the Ritual finals. Those teams were so impressive, and I learned a lot to bring back to our team. I think that we can make it to the National Ritual contest. It will take a lot of work from the team and our coaches, Al Skorupski and Ron Starjnski, but we are up to the task. 

The highlight for me was to see our member Alane Asp be installed as the current District Deputy for the AZ South District. There are fewer than 250 District Deputies in the US, serving as the Grand Exalted Ruler’s eyes and ears across the country, as well as an advocate for anything a lodge may need. This role is both a huge responsibility and a testament to all she has done for the Elks in AZ.

As always, if you have questions or concerns, you can always reach out to me via email pslates1987@gmail.com) or phone (520.268.2375) 

Take care, paul

From the Secretary’s Desk:

I hope everyone is keeping somewhat cool/comfortable. Hopefully it will cool off soon. 

We have so many exciting things coming up in the Lodge, I hope to see many of you here. Unfortunately, we still have 56 delinquent members who will be missing out on all the fun. Please, please, please get your dues paid ASAP. If you are a proposer of someone on this list, please contact them and encourage them to pay their dues. 

I know I have asked all committee chairs to fill out and turn in activity reports. These are very important as they are what proves and allows us to keep out non-profit/tax exempt status. So please get those forms into me ASAP after any volunteer or fundraising event, meetings, clinics etc. also count if mandatory to attend. If you need help with the form or if you are not sure if it should be reported, please come into the office and I will be very happy to help you with it.

Enjoy your Labor Day weekend.

LODGE STATS YEAR-TO-DATE

Membership to Date ...............610

Candidates................................   24

Delinquents .............................   56

Life Members .........................    48 

Average Age ............................   69.83

Something to think about:

The difference between genius and stupidity is, genius has it's limits.  - Albert Einstein

**As a reminder to all committee chairs, please get your activity reports into me ASAP after an event.

Hello Everyone!

Applications for Elks National Foundation Scholarships are now open. With scholarships from the Elks National Foundation, students receive more than financial aid; they receive an invitation to join a strong, supportive community within the Elks Family. Ranging from $1,000 to $7,500 per year, Most Valuable Student scholarships are open to high school seniors who will be pursuing a four-year degree, on a full-time basis, in a United States college or university. Five hundred four-year scholarships will be awarded to the highest-rated applicants in the 2026 competition. No relation to the Elks is needed to apply for the MVS scholarship, but once someone is an Elks scholar, they are part of the Elks Family for life. For Legacy Awards winners, the Elks have always been part of the family. Awarded to children or grandchildren of Elks, this $1,000-per-year scholarship requires recipients to serve with an Elks Lodge three times over the four years they receive the scholarship. If you know any high school seniors, encourage them to apply. 

In 2025-26, the Elks National Foundation will award $5 million in college scholarships, ensuring a bright future for our nation’s youth. As important members of the Elks family, Elk’s scholars receive many social and service opportunities with the Elks and one another. For more information about our scholarship programs and ways Lodges can get involved with Elk’s scholars, visit elks.org/scholars. Thank you all and if you have any any questions my email address is rstarjnski@gmail.com

Ron