There is a lyric in a song that says: “Did you ever read about a frog who dreamed of being a king….And then became oneâ€

On Nov. 10th, for the afternoon, Orange Elks are letting the Eli Home Shelter whose focus is on abused children and their mothers to live a dream of feeling love, getting a holiday meal, entertainment, gift bag and a gift card from Walmart.

The Orange Elks received a $2,000 grant from the Elks National Foundation. This Promise Grant offers a Lodge a chance to be a positive influence in their community by hosting an event that builds the character and competence of local youth. The Promise Grants encourage Elks to actively engage with youth by addressing several areas including providing them with a safe place, offering support from caring adults, promoting healthy living, emphasizing the importance of education, and encouraging community service. The Orange Elks accomplished this one Saturday afternoon.

Members of the Orange Elks showed that “Elks Care – Elks Shareâ€. The lodge purchased $25 gift certificates from Walmart to give to each child.  In addition the members of the lodge raised the money to purchase all the fixings for a complete turkey dinner. Forty-five lodge members, shopped, prepared and served the meal.

The children were entertained in the lodge room. A photo booth took pictures of the kids and their families and handed them the pictures. Clowns painted their faces, balloon animals were made for them, magicians did a magic show, a juggler with juggling sticks was a big hit, several therapy dogs were there for the children, the Orange High School Choir helped serve the families their meals and also sang several songs to entertain them during dinner. At the end of the event a gift bag for the kids that included a coloring book, crayons, stickers and a picture frame for their pictures were given out in addition to the $25 gift card.

At the end of the day, the Orange Elks and our guests from the Eli Home had a very special Extra Nice Feeling (E N F)!

L – R Terrie Schatz Elks Event Chairman, Kim Tulleners Program Director Eli Home, Lorri Gallaway Eli Home Founder and Executive Director and Phil Moore Loyal Knight