Newsletter

BENEVOLENT AND PROTECTIVE ORDER OF ELKS

PANAMA CANAL LODGE No .1414

BOX 2032

BALBOA, REPUBLIC OF PANAMA

(507)228-0720

Lodge News Feb. March 2007

PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW WEB SITE ADDRESS

http://elks1414.tripod.com

Community Activities Committee

Our Exalted Ruler reports that the Helen Keller School is in recess; they begin their school year in March. They are going to start a new program of integration this year where students with special needs or special education will join with the other students in other schools.

The director is continuing with his travels within the interior of Panama doing seminars to the teachers and parents of blind and vision impaired students. With this new program of Integration, the school has seen a need for new Braille machines in the interior and the possibility where our Lodge can help. In the city, the school needs to repair 8 Braille machines and they have 8 new students in the system.

Brother Ted Henter introduced HB to Euclid Herie and Ulysses from the Canadian Institute for the Blind and where they noted there are Braille machine fabricated in South Africa and that they are cheaper than those from India or the United States. They are also of better quality than those of India.

Lodge Officers for LY 2006-2007

Exalted Ruler: Henry B. Twohy, III

Esteemed Leading Knight: Jason Critides

Esteemed Loyal Knight: Kathy Fennell

Esteemed Lecturing Knight: Robert M. Webb

Secretary: Arthur M. Mokray Jr, PER

Treasurer: John L. Haines, III

Tiler: Wallace M. Snyder

Inner Guard: Carlos Belizarie

Chaplain: Jennifer J. Howitt

5 Year Trustee: Bruce M. Homa, PER

4 Year Trustee: Luke T. Palumbo

3 Year Trustee: Donald Williamson

2 Year Trustee: David K. Bishop, PER

1 Year Trustee: James A. Reid

With Sorrow

Mrs. Rodriguez notifies our Lodge that her husband Adrian Rodriguez passed away in August.

The lodge announces the death of Daniel C. Beech who passed away on 29 January 2007.

Brother Beech was the Guest of Honor at the Veteran’s Day Ceremony this past November.

Elks National Foundation Committee:

Jennifer reports that the ENF needs One Million seven hundred sixty four nine seven three point fifty six ($1,764,973.56) more than they raised last year to meet the per capita goal. They are asking all the lodges to help. Our Lodge has met our goal of $4.00 but we have not meet the goal of surpassing the mark we set last year. With the months left in the Lodge Year, it doesn’t look like we are going to achieve that. Our Lodge is about $900.00 short and to collect that much donation before mid March is unrealistic. A fundraiser may not cover the funds needed and with the Jar set to collect funds for the annual Cayuco Race, even that would be a long shot. Our lodge received certificates from ENF for our members that donated for Halloween but there were errors. Jennifer is awaiting word on the corrections

Nominations and elections of Lodge Officers for LY 07/08 took place in February with the results as followed:

Exalted Ruler: Henry B. Towhy, III, PER

Esteemed Leading Knight: Jason Critides

Esteemed Loyal Knight: Kathy Fennell

Esteemed Lecturing Knight: Robert M. Webb

Secretary: Arthur M. MoKray, Jr. PER

Treasurer: John L. Haines, III

Tiler: Douglas Phillips

Inner Guard: Carlos Belizarie

Esquire: Leila Shelton

Chaplain: Jennifer J. Howitt

5 Year Trustee: James A. Reid

4 Year Trustee: Bruce M. Homa, PER

3 Year Trustee: Luke T. Palumbo

2 Year Trustee: Donald Williamson

1 Year Trustee: David K. Bishop, PER

During February, the lodge recognized the Past Exalted Ruler’s with a Happy Hour concluding the 1st meeting of the month. Turnout of PER’s could have been better but the PER Association thanks those that did show up even with those out of country.

Membership is growing a bit with Brother Donald Nolan proposing Mr. Eric Ernest, Brother Jason Critides proposing Mr. John Blennerhassett. Brother David Bishop proposes Mr. Stanley Wright. Brother Henry Twohy III proposes Mr. Eric Grimison.

Mr. Louis Reyes was requesting Reinstatement and balloted on favorably as was Mr. Daniel Ulrich, Eric Ernest and Mary Ann Spagna, for membership

HOUSE COMMITTEE:

With the end of the Football Season, the Club will be closed on Sundays till the season starts again. If there any special request to use the facility on a particular Sunday, contact the House Committee to see if it is possible.

The Club will be closed on Fat Tuesday– Carnival 20 February. Shamrock’s Restaurant will also be closed for the Carnival Festivities. The new owners of the restaurant concession are moving along with their improvements and our Lodge wishes them well.

As a means to improve the aspects our Lodge and Club facilities, we have solicited quotes to paint the exterior of our building and divide or convert the existing bathroom in the Club/Bar area into a Men’s and Women’s bathroom. The ER, House Committee and Trustees will look over the packages presented and give the go ahead as each project is evaluated.Plans and quotes are open to the membership for discussion as announced at our regular meetings. These projects are long overdue.

Club will be closed on Good Friday, 6 April.

Youth Activities Committee

Our Lodge received a letter from the crew of RAPID TRANSIT requesting support in this year’s annual 54th Ocean to Ocean Cayuco Race in the Trophy Category, Mixed Class. With funds that were raised through

donation, we provided them with a $100.00 check.

Audit and Accounting Committee

Brother James A. Reid, Chairman of the Committee, reports that Tax Service has been contacted to

perform our annual accounting and audit for the Grand Lodge and have already started to go over our financial records and procedures.

TRUSTEES

Brother Bruce Homa, Chairman of the Committee, reports that the proposed preliminary budget has been worked on and presented on the lodge floor for discussion and knowledge. Increases in repairs, utilities, projects and legal fees were taken into consideration based on comments with those committees.

They will be posted on the lodge bulletin board downstairs for viewing. Any other observation can be discussed and balloting can take place at the end of April

LODGE NOTES

Our Lodge is preparing for the Annual visit of our Special Representative from the Grand Lodge, Brother Thomas E. Elmore, PGELK. His visit will coincide with the Installation of our Lodge

Officers on Wednesday, the 11th of April. Brother Elmore will be in Panama from 9 April till 13 April.

Brother Reid has invited him and his guests to see a little bit of Panama this year and will be showing them the area of El Valle de Anton on Monday, when they arrive. Accompanying Brother

Elmore this year will be Lillian Riley, PER, James Hollingsworth, VP North District and Barbara Hollingsworth, Esquire, all from Lake City Lodge No. 893. Our Exalted Ruler is looking forward to the visit and hopes our Lodge will be well represented by our members.

Brother Ted Henter has brought the Braille Machines and Repair Kit from the states. Now the Community Activities Committee needs to set aside an area and contact the members that volunteered to learn repairs of these essential writers for the blind community.

We also received, through Brothers Ted Henter and Al Schonert, some tapes, tape players, and MP3 audio discs from the Audio Bibles for the Blind (in Spanish) from the Aurora Ministries for use in the local blind or handicapped community. The committee has decided on three organizations so far where these version of the Old Testament would be appreciated.

We have received information for the next Grand Lodge National

Convention to be held in Charlotte, North Carolina from July 8-12, 2007. The Florida delegation will be at the Hilton Charlotte Center City located at 222 East Street. The cutoff date for reservations is June 8, 2007, or when the 200 block of rooms are sold out.

Headquarters Hotel will be the Westin Hotel and Business Sessions will take place at the Charlotte Convention Center.

Registration starts on Saturday,7 July at 8:00 a.m. and registration fee is $35.00 for Elks members to be able to attend the Business Sessions. There is no fee for Non-Elks registration with an Elks member.

The official Grand Lodge opening ceremonies will be at the Charlotte Convention Center on Sunday, 8 July at 8:00 p.m. Opening ceremonies are open to all Elks members and their guests.

Our Exalted Ruler, Henry B. Twohy III, will represent our Lodge again this year so if you’re in the area, help us give him a shout.

Also located at the Charlotte Convention Center will be the Exhibition Hall where members and guests can browse what the different State Elks Associations and the Grand Lodge has to offer.

Euclid and Ulysses will look into the purchase of Braille machines through us and let us know.

HB also had a conversation with the Director of the Special Education Schools and where she express hopes that we could extend our reach into the interior and maybe provide a few Braille machine to those schools.

I have only this to add:

Should any ten men attempt to follow in your footsteps, they could only hope to accomplish half of your life’s work.

Brother Mike, you will be missed. We are all better for having known you.

Elks Care - Elks Share

Prepared by: Arthur M. MoKray, PER, Lodge Secretary