The Salinas Elks Lodge #614 held their annual Youth Appreciation Night on Wednesday May 2, 2012. It was a regular meeting night for the Elks and an opportunity to hand out certificates, scholarships, and congratulations to several young citizens of the community.

Our local Elks Hoop Shoot champion, Ricardo Orozco Jr. was honored with a certificate and a sweater. He competed in the National Hoop Shoot Contest in Springfield, Massachusetts on April 28, 2012. The eleven year old was disappointed with his fourth place position but his family and the Elks Lodge is very proud of his accomplishment. His initial score of 23 out of 25 tied three other young men. The shoot off for second, third, and fourth ended with Ricardo in fourth place in the entire country. That is simply amazing! We hope he will try again next year!

Scholarships of five hundred dollars were awarded to high school students that had competed in our essay contest. They also received a certificate and a sweater. Annika Fling will attend the University of Notre Dame. Jason Lee Traina is planning to attend the University of California at Davis. Mary Sutliff will be attending Simpson University in Redding, California. Chris Chen has plans to attend Stanford University. The Elks were impressed with these young scholars. We know they will make their families and their community proud of them!

Shown right to left; Ricardo Orozco Jr., Mary Sutliff, Jason Lee Traina, Carolyn L. Cleaves – Exalted Ruler, Annika Fling, and Chris Chen.