The mission of the Elks National Foundation is to help Elks build stronger communities. We fulfill this pledge by investing in communities where Elks live and work. We provide tomorrow’s leaders, our youth, with lifelong skills; honor the Elks pledge to never forget our veterans; help the state Elks associations accomplish their charitable objectives and fund projects that improve the quality of life in local Elks communities.

Like all Elks, the Foundation values the belief that charity is the greatest of all virtues and that by sharing and giving we have the power to replace sorrow and despair with hope and confidence. Donations to the Foundation help us fund programs that match our cornerstone values of knowledge, integrity and community.

If you have not done so (ENF) Elks National Foundation requires us to donate $4.75 per member. These funds come back to us 2X over in grants and support for our community events. If you have not and would like to donate you can do so on line here: https://www.elks.org/enf/OnlineGiving.cfm
or call/stop by the the office.

HAVE A RED HEART ON YOUR MEMBERSHIP CARD? Then you have already contributed this year and we thank you!

The Elks “Hoop Shoot” free throw program is the largest coeducational sports program in the country. More than three million kids participate each year. The event promotes, Integrity, Family, Work Ethics, and Sportsmanship.

Elks Care! Elks Share! Each year your Vancouver Elks Lodge gives over 250 Food boxes and hams to needy families. It is thanks to our member volunteers and donations that we can make this possible.
We are always in need:
• Stuffing Mix
• Chicken broth
• Cranberry Sauce
• Mac and Cheese
• Soup & Chili
• Cornbread/Muffin Mix
• Canned Vegetables
• Peanut Butter
• Canned Beans
• Cup of Noodles
• Pasta & Sauce
• Yams
• Coffee / Tea
• Hot Chocolate

The Elks Drug Awareness Program prints and distributes, free of charge, up-to-date information about drugs to school-children, their teachers, and their parents. Since the program’s inception in 1983, the Elks have distributed more than 200 million pieces of literature.In addition to information about drugs, the Elks provide alternatives to drug use by sponsoring activities ranging from Little League to Scouting. More than 6 million kids participated in these Elks-sponsored activities last year.

The most insidious and devastating enemy this nation has ever faced is drug and alcohol abuse. The scourge of drug abuse destroys the potential of youth before that potential can be developed.Elks are family oriented and are deeply rooted in our communities and their surrounding environs. A significant percentage of our efforts are dedicated to our young citizens. Today’s youth will form the foundation of tomorrow’s society. It is imperative that we insure that they have the opportunity, the sense of self-worth and the skills needed to make good choices.the prevention of drug and alcohol abuse is one component of an overall community involvement that will directly contribute to the well-being of America. Prevention begins with education.

The Elks have 3 types of  Scholarships available, with our local lodge giving out over $3,000 a year.

The three types are:

1. Most Valuable Student Competition
Any high school senior who is a citizen of the United States is eligible to apply. Applicants need not be related to a member of the Elks. College students are not eligible to apply. Applicants must be citizens of the United States on the date their applications are signed; permanent legal resident status does not qualify. Male and female students compete separately.

Applicants will be judged on scholarship, leadership, and financial need. Applications must be submitted to the Elks Lodge closest to the student’s permanent U.S. address. Applications must advance through local, district and state competitions to reach national judging.

Even though 95% of Americans are in favor of being a donor, only 54% of the U.S. adult population, are registered organ, eye and tissue donors. Nationally, nearly 33,600 patients began new lives in 2016 thanks to organ transplants. 683,000 have taken place since 1988. Every year 1.5 million tissue transplants are performed. 48,000 patients have their sight restored through corneal transplants each year and 1,500,000 since 1961! Unfortunately, 119,000 men, women and children currently need life-saving organ transplants. Then, add another name to the national organ transplant waiting list every 10 minutes. No wonder an average of 22 people die each day from the lack of available organs for transplant!

We Elks Members can help close the gap! The effort of Lodges to promote the program through their Bulletins and Web site can gain them five points in their quests to be named an All American Lodge. More incentives will be announced in coming years as the program takes shape throughout Elkdom.

For more information on the importance of donation and how to become a registered donor in your state, click on the Donate Life icon to go to the Donate Life^SM web-site, or by logging onto www.donatelife.net. This is a great way to show that “Elks Give from the Heart.”

In order to appreciate the spirit of the membership of Vancouver 823, one needs to delve into the history and beginnings of Americanism and Veteran Support nationally. The B.P.O.E began in New York with Lodge No. 1 in 1868 with a group who called themselves the “Jolly Corks”. As the order grew, the “development of the Elks into a patriotically active organization was inevitable”¹. The American Flag upon our alter was adopted by the order just prior to the beginning of the Spanish-American War in 1898 and hence the growth of patriotism and our Flag.

The Elks were the first to declare June 14^th as Flag Day in 1907 and created a program honoring the flags of the United States of America of which Vancouver 823 is a proud participant. Moving forward, the Elks then realized that the men and women of the armed forces needed medical attention during the 1^st World War. In 1917, the United States went to war and, in that same year, the Elks proposed a resolution to create “The War Relief Fund”² and pledge $1,000,000 to equip and maintain field hospitals in France. Hospital #41 was organized by the faculty and alumni of the University of Virginia and #46 at the University of Oregon.

Today, Vancouver Lodge 823 continues to support Americanism and Veterans through honoring our flag not only on Flag Day but Memorial Day, the 4^th of July, POW/MIA Day and Veterans Day as well as displaying our flag on the lodge property. The support of our nation’s veterans is accomplished by honoring those who served, made the supreme sacrifice, those who remain unaccounted for and those who returned after serving our country in times of war and peace.

Along with visible support at the lodge, Vancouver 823 provides tangible support as well. The lodge provides events throughout the year to those in our VA hospital by sponsoring monthly bingo games, pizza feeds, and a birthday cake each month as well as other social events. The lodge also helps to provide necessary clothing and hygiene products to both those residing at the Community Living Center of the Fort Vancouver Campus or are homeless through a yearly stand down as well. The lodge is a proud participant in the Elks National Veterans Service Commission’s program called the “Welcome Home Kit” where, through the lodge and the Elks National Foundation, we provide necessary household and hygiene items to homeless veterans who are moving from the street into their first apartment.

The lodge, in conjunction with the ENF and the Washington State Elks Association, has donated during the recent lodge year (2019-2020) nearly $35,000 in support of our nation’s flag and our veterans and expects to continue grow these efforts during the following years.