Veterans Remembrance
For the Order of Elks, veterans remembrance is a daily proposition. We never have and never will never forget the sacrifices these heroes made so that we may be free. But it has been a tradition for the Order to redouble its efforts on behalf of veterans in November, not just for Veterans Day, but for the entire month. For the Elks, November is Veterans Remembrance Month.
The Elks National Veterans Service Commission asks all Lodges to run a special event to commemorate Veterans Remembrance Month and to raise funds for the Lodge's Veterans Service Commission. The committee should clear a date with the Exalted Ruler well in advance so it will have time to properly plan the evening. The committee should enlist as much help as it can gather, put together a program that the membership will enjoy, and promote it to ensure a good attendance. And then it should use the proceeds to make a lot of veterans smile. Many Lodges use the proceeds for special events in the VA medical center during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Some Lodges even invite those veterans who are able to take part in special programs and functions.
The Woodstock Elks Lodge remembers our veterans every November by visiting our vets in retirement communities around McHenry County and providing them with a special cerimony and certificates of appreciation. We do this in partnership with a number of veteran organizations as well as the Boy Scouts of America.
During the month of November 2009 the Woodstock Elks Lodge will honor 200 plus veterans in 15 retirement communities around McHenry County.
