Exalted Ruler's Message
It's a brand new year. We've come through the holidays and I sincerely hope they were the finest for you and your families.
Our Lodge did well with all of our activities. First was our superb Charity Ball, under the direction of Don Schwartz, Leading Knight, who, with his committee, did a fine job. I am particularly proud of our Memorial Service held on December 1st for our departed Members, both Elks and Elkettes. I am grateful to our dearly beloved Nat Barone, PDDGER, for his memorial address. What truly added to the moment was the organ music by the expertise and nimble fingers of Larry Myers. It was beautiful and I am indeed grateful to all of our officers who did it so well.
The decoration of the lobby Christmas trees was another extravaganza, and the "sponsor a hreat" for the Elks National Foundation was certainly a super plus for our Lodge. The children's holiday party on December 14th under Mary Rust's expert direction went well and a lot of children were happy. We came through the events of the holidays and welcome in our New Year.
So, what is ahead? Our positive plans to fulfill our obligations and continue with our Elks basic principles of: Charity, Justice, Brotherly Love and Fidelity. We are going to continue to work together, to seek new and worthy Members, and to ask that our regulars at Wednesday night meetings bring a Member friend. It's at those meetings where you learm first hand what is happening and don't have to learn it hearsay. Please come and be a part of your Lodge 948. We welcome you. May this year 2003 be a very healthy and happy New Year for you and your families.
Fraternally,
Sheila Dowd, ER
Activities Committee Report
As our committee looks back over this year, we see fine results. We've covered sports events in the Lounge; events for the children at poolside; Broadway Showtime, The Rhodes Brothers, The Fabulons (all in the Ballroom); we've had cruises to nowhere out of Fort Lauderdale; Jewelry Shows by Laura, and many, many other events. We had a successful pig roast and luau during the month of December. Music, entertainment and delicious food was served at poolside. It was another success (with the exception of a short rain shower). What and who benefitted by all this? Our Elks Charity Fund. And we, as Elks, know the magnitude of what our Charity does for our fellowman.
We take this opportunity to thank you, the Members and our Exalted Ruler, Sheila Dowd, for your fine support. We thank the Members of our committee who work diligently to make it all successful. We wish all of the above a very happy and healthy New Year.
Ella Mae Shroyer
Chairperson, Lodge Activities Committee
Miami Elks Lodge No. 948
Hoop Shoot Winners
Gulliver Academy - November 23rd, 2002
We are proud of the interest and response from all the children and parents who came out on the above Saturday morning. Sixty children registered; however, about fifty actually shot. We are grateful to the color guard of Boy Scout Troop No. 22 for their participation.
Winners 2002-2003 are as follows:
Competitors ~ Division ~ Place ~ School
Donohue Peebles ~ B 8-9 ~ 1~ Gulliver Academy
Matthew Falla ~ B 8-9 ~ 2~ St. Brendan Elementary School
Otavious Worthen ~ B 8-9 ~ 3 ~ Air Base Elementary School
Mary Roberts ~ G 8-9 ~ 1 ~ Kendall Christian School
Briana Alvarez ~ G 8-9 ~ 2 ~ Emerson Elementary School
Alicia Bryant ~ G 8-9 ~ 3 ~ Avocado Elementary School
Joey Welborn ~ B 10-11 ~ 1 ~ St. Brendan Elementary School
Mauricio Rodriguez ~ B 10-11 ~ 2 ~ Carver Middle School
Guy Alex Vabre ~ B 10-11 ~ 3 ~ Gloria Floyd Elementary School
Jamie Barrar ~ G 10-11 ~ 1 ~ Palmetto Middle School
Amanda Marquez ~ G 10-11 ~ 2 ~ Palmetto Middle School
Rachel Holmes ~ G 10-11 ~ 3 ~ Vineland Elementary School
John Quintana ~ B 12-13 ~ 1 ~ St. Brendan Elementary School
Mikhail Gonzalez ~ B 12-13 ~ 2 ~ Carver Middle School
Jeff Hagen ~ B 12-13 ~ 3 ~ Palmetto Middle School
Tamara Trotz ~ G 12-13 ~ 1 ~ Carver Middle School
Laura Vargas ~ G 12-13 ~ 2 ~ St. Brendan Elementary School
Robin Stephens ~ G 12-13 ~ 3 ~ Kendall Christian School
We had winners from 10 different schools and an Elk. Each competitor received a bumper sticker and a certificate of participation. Winners received a winner's certificate, a trophy and and Elks 948 T-shirt. Twenty-five Elk volunteers participated at the Gulliver gym.
Over 1,300 children participated at School Shots throughout the area. The District Hoop Shoot will be held at Gulliver Preparatory School on January 4th, 2003. The Regional Hoop Shoot will be held in Delray Beach on January 18th, 2003. Thanks to all of the above for making this a successful event.
Bob Willig, Hoop Shoot Chairman
Dolphin Football Pool Results
We are happy to tell you that the Miami Dolphins have played thirteen games as our bulletin goes to press and we have had 104 winners, the following not previously published:
Pool No. 1: November 24th:
1st Qtr.- Dennis Regan, 2nd Qtr. - Dennis Regan, 3rd Qtr. - Tony Diego, Final - Dennis Regan
Pool No. 2: November 24th:
1st Qtr. - Shuffle Boarders, 2nd Qtr. - George Shuffle Boarders, 3rd Qtr. - Jim Pearson, Final - Shuffle Boarders
Pool No. 1: December 1st:
1st Qtr. - Mickey Rauch, 2nd Qtr. - Manny Del Butcher, P.E.R., 3rd Qtr. - Harry DeVeaux, Final - Mary Ellen Groff
Pool No. 2: December 1st:
1st Qtr. - Sheila Dowd, E.R., 2nd Qtr. - Wendy Carr, 3rd Qtr. - Mike Pieper, Final - Cindy and Fred
Pool No. 1: December 9th:
1st Qtr. - Charlie Roberson, 2ndQtr. - Joe Spoto, 3rd Qtr. - Harry DeVeaux, Final - Joe Maiorana
Pool No. 2: December 9th:
1st Qtr. - Gunther and Lee Weigel, 2nd Qtr. - George and Edna, 3rd Qtr. - Cindy and Fred, Final - Harry C. Schromm
Congratulations to the Winners! Super Bowl is just ahead! We all know that the big winner is our MIAMI ELKS CHARITY FUND!
Our Lodge Has A Heart
by Mary Rust, Loyal Knight
Or should I say hearts? All who enter our Lodge can attest to that. Many expressed the pleasure of our twelve-foot tree covered with lights, bows and hearts with our names.
It is beautiful to behold, and even more beautiful was the spirit of giving to the Heart of Elkdom, the Elks National Foundation.
Elkettes President, Mickey Rauch, Helen Everett and I were approached by so many of you wanting to purchase hearts because you know what these funds support. We set a goal of 200 hearts, which is $1,000 for the Foundation. The Elkettes and Elks will share in the credit for this donation. I can't thank Mickey and Helen enough for their hard work and each of you for the holiday spirit shared.
Positive Beliefs = Positive Results
Children's Christmas Party
by Mary Rust, Loyal Knight
This is being written before the Children's Christmas Party, so we can only hope for a good turnout. Our dedicated Elks and Elkettes showed up for our meetings with enthusiasm and dedication.
We'll have games and entertainment led by Wayne Fisk, always fun. The Elkettes Choral Group, led by Lee Williams, will provide holiday songs and a sing-along followed by pizza and drinks, and finally, a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus, our very own Andy Sipos and Yveth Moro. After a chat with Santa, each child will receive a gift, balloons and candy canes.
As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child, well it took a lot of help for this Holiday party. I can't thank everyone enough; from Santa and Mrs. Claus to all the good people who served the food and wrapped the presents, to Wayne for the entertainment, to Bob Mitchell for taking the pictures, to all who helped with the balloons and the many other "little" jobs. As Tiny Tim said: "God Bless you, one and all".
Blood Drive
Our regular Elks Blood Drive took place as scheduled on the evening of Tuesday, December 10th. As usual, we had a fine turn-out: 21 attended and 19 donated. Yes, to help our fellowman. We thank the donors and are very proud that they take the time and care enough to come. Our donors were as follows:
Leonard Gurick, David McCoy, William J. Donnay, Virginia Goodson, Mary Anne Weinstein, Nick Lamis, Pam Stainton, Bert Stainton, Bob A. Sorenson, Jon A. Colledge, Al Reker, Raymond Arthur, David Grime, Lydia Clareus, Ronald Smith, Edna J. Camacho, Terry Avick, Juliana Marchi, Michael Marchi, Alfred Perez
Each donor received a free spaghetti dinner and was treated well. Our next drive will be held in February and we hope you will join us and be a regular donor. We thank you again sincerely for coming. If you have any questions, please call either:
Joan Kingsley at 305-226-8107 or Mary Anne Weinstein at 305-412-0183.
News From The House Committee
by Joe Young, Chairman
As you know, we have experienced a decrease in profitability for quite some time. There are many reasons for this. We've had a lot of unexpected maintenance and repairs. Equipment and machines don't last forever. The biggest problem has been price increases in goods and services. Pest control, waste removal, etc., have all gone up. Food has gone up over 22%. We did not change prices accordingly.
Labor costs also increased. So for the first seven months, we had a slight rise in gross income, but a loss in profit.
We changed the pricing structure for banquets and outside parties in September as a first step.
We are trying to minimize overtime by all employees, which may affect some in-house services.
The Lounge costs have increased over 11%, but we should be able to hold our current prices. We will be phasing out some specialty labels that don't turn over. Liquor sales have decreased for 3 years, so we can't warehouse brands that just sit there.
We need more Member support in the Lounge. Ella Mae has had some great events, George and Edna do fantastically with our football pool, and we have great specials during games. We need customers. We've had special music on Saturday nights without much luck. Please let us know how we can better serve you and get you into the Lounge.
We also must adjust some dinner and buffet prices. If we don't get participation with specific items because of price increases, we'll be forced to eliminate them.
Your House Committee approved the following changes, effective January 1, 2003:
Thursday Buffets;
Southern BBQ - $10.95
Seafood - $12.95
Prime Rib - $12.95
Friday Dinners;
T-Bone Steak - $13.95
NY Strip - $12.95
Shrimp - $13.95
Prime Rib - 11.95
