It Takes A Village

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When you look at the large scale events put on by the lodge it’s easy to see that the successful ones have a strong team of helpers involved. Our 1st Responders Dinner included a team to create the most successful one we’ve had to date.

With the support of members and family including: Robbie Pierce, Suzie Vogt, Ed Orchard, Joe Hodgkinson, Kenny Miller, Brenna Baker, Travis Behrens, Dave Behrens, Cliff Yates, Devon Trego, Linda Brooks, Paul Wagner, Karen Weil, Norma Bradford, Ted Hodgkinson, Sandra Baker, Scott Baker, Shannon Kilby, Ramona Mestas, Ryan Heller and our Queens – Maiah Watanabe, Faith Ogden-Ashcraft, and Priscilla Scott all investing time and effort, we provided dinners for 22 1st responders and an enjoyable evening for many of our members.

Then our Mother’s Day Brunch was one of the most beautiful presentations of ceremony and food we’ve had in years with the additional help (many of the above-named individuals helped again on Mother’s Day) of Jessica Rogers, Alexa Rogers, Cindy Turner, Bill Slack, Cynthia Hodgkinson, Rebecca Watts, Ruben Andrade, and Sandra Baker’s granddaughter, Alyssa.

Our lodge is stronger when we work together and we’ve seen that time and again.

When you look at the list of names, yours may not be among them at this time but you may have purchased a meal, shared the event on Facebook, or invited a friend. As a result, your participation is no less valuable because all the food prepared with no one to eat – means little. So know this, I appreciate everything each of you does to continue to help strengthen and grow our lodge as well as the community. We’ll do it all again for the Chili Cook-Off Weekend coming June 14-15.

Also, June will see a new approach to our initiation when “A special meeting for the purpose of initiation” will be held on Sunday, June 9 with a potluck and celebratory cake following to allow more members to come and support the initiation.
I look forward to seeing you around the lodge!

Sincerely,
Kira Wagner, PER
Finding The Gold In Our Members

A New Year with New Opportunities

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As much as I love the charitable work we do, I love performing and one of my favorite passages during the ritual reads:

“Our time upon the stage of action is but brief, yet in the drama each must play a part. The character is left for each to choose; a villain if we will, or person of honor, holding high above all things — high as Hope’s great throbbing star above the darkness of the dead — respect for virtue, and love of family and home and friend.”

We have a limited amount of time here to make an impact, to make a difference in our world, and it is through that respect and love that we are offered an opportunity to choose and act on those changes that what we want to create around us.

Because of your trust in me, the next year finds me serving as your Exalted Ruler for another term and I look forward to additional opportunities to move the lodge and our community forward in success and possibilities. Along with the rest of our new officers and the vision they bring to the lodge, I firmly believe we are in a position to enjoy that prosperity for years to come.

Many of you took advantage to meet our new officers during the installation dinner and you also experienced the changes with the Elk of the Year and Member Appreciation Dinner. With members like these joining our ranks “Finding the Gold in Our Members” will be a joy.

Kira Wagner ER Pin 2019-2020

Kira Wagner, PER
Exalted Ruler 2019-2020
“Finding The Gold In Our Members”

ER Article – End of the Year Wrap-Up

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As the 208-2019 lodge year comes to a close I look back and am amazed at how fast it has progressed!

We have changed a few things up like the birthday steak dinner, while it’s only held quarterly, you can get your free dinner anytime during the year without worrying if you’re gone during your birthday “month”.

This month we have the annual installation as well as a separate night to honor our Elk of the Year and other outstanding contributions over the course of the year. A significant change to this dinner is that for our Mojave lodge members, it is a night to show our appreciation to you, so the dinner is free to Mojave lodge members with their card. Of course, the dinner will be immediately followed by our St, Patrick’s Day Party so a fun evening all around!

The installation dinner on the 30th will be a time to party with others from the community and the district as we bring in our new slate of Officers and have some time to find out what is coming this new year.

Regardless of where you are or what may come, I appreciate all the support you have shown during the year so, one final shout of thanks to the following members: Ruben Andrade, Sandra Baker, Travis Behrens, David Behrens, Suzie Bunn, Dave Cleveland, Lynda Cook, Dollie Cooksey, William Fitzsimmons, Bob Friend, Bob Fusik, Josh Goff, Charlie Guest, Warren Guest, Homer Hansen, Gini, Colleen, Kenny and Ryan Heller, Cynthia, Joe and Ted Hodgkinson, Gene Ikola, Ramona and Michael Mestas, Ken Miller, Ed Orchard, Hank Parker, Robbie Pierce, Leslie Rex-Smith, Alexa Rogers, Steve Rushford, Gary Sampley, Bill Slack, Todd Smith, Jessica Smith, Deborah Smoot, Susan Vogt, Paul Wagner, Cynthia Watanabe, Ashley Wussick, and Cliff Yates. Thank you for your contributions this past year, I appreciate you.

Mojaveelks.com Takes First Place

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Our website, mojaveelks.com received a citation from California-Hawaii Elks Association (chea-elks.org) for having the best website out of all 168 CHEA lodges. Thanks to our members for providing timely and relevant information to the site.

In Keeping With The Season

Mojave ELks Lodge #2059 Posted on by

Great Ruler of the universe, all-seeing and benign,
Look down upon and bless our work, and be all glory Thine;
May Charity as taught us here be ever borne in mind,
The Golden Rule our motto true, for days of Auld Lang Syne.
BPOE opening ode sung to the tune of Auld Lang Syne

Whether it is a lodge meeting, committee meeting, charity work or simply having fun, these words ring through my mind and my heart as we work together to make something magnificent happen in Mojave.

During Thanksgiving, we gathered together with other members and businesses of the community to provide a meal for about 200 people. That’s 200 smiles, 200 thoughts of gratitude and well over 200 moments of hope.

In December we will party together and bring Christmas joy to somewhere between 150-250 children. That effort is a glorious representation of our motto to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. To be a little gentler, kinder, patient and in general, help make this world, this community, a better place to live.

2018 is rapidly drawing to a close and I am grateful for all of the efforts you have made to make this lodge a bright spot on the map of humanity.

My prayer is that you continue to find blessings and joy in uncommon moments and when you look into the eyes of those around you, you’ll see it reflected back tenfold.

Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.

Fraternally,

Kira Wagner, Exalted Ruler
Strengthening Elkdom Through Communication and Team Work

 

 

 

 

Mojave Elks #2059 Veterans

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On November 11, 2018, Mojave Elks Lodge celebrated our Veteran's with a BBQ / Potluck, which as attended by Veteran's and our Mojave Queens. We take a moment to say Thank You to our members who have served our country.

Below is a list of our current members who have served in the Armed Forces.  Please take a moment when you see them to thank them for their service.

Aday, Guy R
Andrade, Ruben
Baggett, Michael Dean
Bailey, Jr., Ervin G
Bakman, Robert R
Barrett, Martin
Bixby, Robert
Brown, Darrel D
Brueggeman, Walter
Bryant, Timothy B
Cooksey, Maryon C
Cramer, Raymond C
Crothers, Frank J
Cummings, Robert A
Elrod, James R
Felter, Jr., Richard
Fimbres, Julio
Fitzsimmons, William
Fritz, Danny A
Gerwat, Frank R
Given, Ray
Graves, Clayton
Green, Thomas N
Griffin, Marion D "Grif"
Grim, Clark W
Guest, Charles W
Guest, Warren
Guethlein, Richard Lee
Gunnell, Byron Gary
Heller, Virginia "Gini"
Herrera, Rudolph
Huston, Gerald W
Ikola, Eugene
Kainu, Mr, Bret
Krawitz, Mr, Howard
MacInnes, Jessica
MacInnes, Michael
Meily, John
Mestas, Michael A
Michel, Steven T
Montgomery, Kenneth
Nault, Thomas Ryan
Nove, Walter
Oliver, Steve
Olson, Steven
Orchard, Ed J.
Osburn, Daniel
Parker III, Henry H
Peery, Robert Jw
Penick, George L
Pierce, Grady
Polzin, Larry A
Rest, Edward F
Rush, Raymond E
Russo, Louis Michael
Rutter, Gregory
Sallee, Jettie L
Shamphan, William J
Slater, Edward
Smith, Connie Lee
Smith, Richard A
Stone, Robert
Thomas, Arthur M
Verren, Karl
Wagner, Kira
Watts, William Glenn
Willie, Richard A
Wilson, James Keith
Wilson, Kenneth
Wingerter, Gary D

The Obligation, Our Faithful Guide and Constant Monitor

Mojave ELks Lodge #2059 Posted on by

John F Kennedy, a notable member of our order, is often quoted as saying “ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country”. While we often use this quote when we’re trying to rally support for an event or a cause, however, Former President Kennedy finished his speech encouraging the world to come together to further the cause of freedom for all mankind.

When we look around at the charitable activities supported by the Elks at our lodge, we have been known to cite our Major Project as well as the support we provide for youth, the veterans, the scholarships, the sick and Infirmed, and the list goes on… On an individual basis, I would encourage each of us to take a few minutes and recall the obligation that each of us took upon becoming a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. In order to support some cause or organization, it is necessary to understand the guiding foundation. In our case, it is the statutes, rules, and regulations of our order, along with the individual bylaws of our lodge.

During the obligation we agreed to support all of this and more, both at the lodge and, as we’re charged, “You may well be proud that the Members of this Lodge have deemed you worthy of their confidence. I trust that you may continue to merit their approval and become a true and faithful Member among us. To accomplish this, you must at all times have in mind the solemn and binding Obligation which you have so recently assumed, and I charge you that your highest duty as an Elk is to keep it inviolate. Conscience will not permit you to expunge a paragraph, eliminate a sentence, or evade a responsibility; nor can you lay it aside when you leave the Lodge room, for it must henceforth be your constant guide and faithful monitor.”

Here’s to supporting each other in the order in a spirit of Thanksgiving that we may all be the best versions of ourselves!
Fraternally, Kira Wagner, Exalted Ruler

Why Elks?

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In its entirety our mission statement reads: “To inculcate the principles of Charity, Justice, Brotherly Love and Fidelity; to recognize a belief in God; to promote the welfare and enhance the happiness of its Members; to quicken the spirit of American patriotism; to cultivate good fellowship; to perpetuate itself as a fraternal organization, and to provide for its government, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the United States of America will serve the people and communities through benevolent programs, demonstrating that Elks Care and Elks Share.”

The significance of that statement is awe-inspiring and I believe that, in spite of our differences (opinions, actions, beliefs…), we come together for the good of each other and all those within our sphere of influence.

As a TEAM, we work toward increasing our charitable contributions, the well-being of each member, continued development of our communities’ youth, instilling pride and support for our country and those who serve to protect, and more…much, more! Additionally, we have fun doing it.

I am grateful to you for your contribution – at whatever level. Without your membership – we would be less effective. I wish for each of you opportunity and as always – a sense of hope.

To those that have the time to be more actively involved – a special wish that you find the road smooth and that you have the vision and fortitude to achieve the goals we have set forth at the lodge.

I look forward to seeing many of you at the Rib Cook-Off and having a great event!

Sincerely,
Kira Wagner, Exalted Ruler Mojave Lodge #2059
Strengthening Elkdom Through Communication and Team Work

Virtues and Blessings

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The faults of our members we write upon the sand, their virtues upon the tablets of love and memory…

Forgetting faults is not always an easy task and sometimes the sand tends to solidify for a time before it is blown away to become dust in the wind, but fortunately, I have seen the members of this lodge rise to every occasion and make a difference in this community.

Today it is those virtues I’d like to highlight as we move into July celebrating our country’s Independence and the courage of our ancestors to come together and create this Nation which subsequently gave birth to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.

As a lodge:

  • We have provided more scholarships for graduating seniors than almost any other single organization here in Mojave
  • We give dictionaries to the elementary school students here and that simple act can provide a sense of hope because maybe, in some small way, we show them that we believe they can rise to the greatness that already exists in them
  • We support our Veterans and show our respect to them through our actions at meetings, meals and more for the sacrifices that they have made to protect our freedom
  • We support our community with events like the Chili Cook-off, Rib Cook-Off, Easter Egg Hunt, Christmas for Kids, and Halloween that allow the members to come together with the community in celebration of the human spirit
  • And last, but certainly not least, we care about each other like family. The trust comes easier sometimes than others, but family stands up for each other when the chips are down and the members of this lodge have shown time and again how they care for each other

Finally, last month I had mentioned a number of members that have actively and consistently supported the lodge this year. Moreover, I asked that if you knew of anyone I had missed and I’d like to add two more members to that list, Sandra and Ashley Wussick, who we can now add to our growing list of members, please take a moment to thank them along with the 20+ others you can find here…

Time Flies and Thanks Abound

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Time waits for no one and it is flying by here at the lodge!

It is so easy to find fault these days with what was done wrong, what wasn’t done, what should have be done differently… you get the idea. We all have our ideas of “how” something “should” be and too often, we are quick to remind someone else of those “facts”.

Here at the lodge, there are a LOT of things that could be improved, just look around and you will probably spot something that needs some attention. That is just what is on the surface. With a national non-profit organization, there are also dozens of reports and records that are required and as we prepare for our Association Vice-President’s visitation on June 6, our committee chairs and officers know this all too well.

As we move into summer (there are only 30 Monday’s until Christmas!) we have the Flag Day BBQ / Flag Retirement and Chili Cook-Off this month out at the Trap Range as well as food, music, and friendship happening at the lodge. These activities don’t happen on their own so I want to give a shout out to the many members who take the time to make it all work.

Some faces are here more frequently but all have a hand in making this lodge a place where friends can meet and Veteran’s, Youth and our community are supported throughout the year.

When you encounter one of these folks…please take a moment and say “thank you” – Alexa Rogers, Bob Friend, Charlie Guest, Cindy Hodgkinson, Colleen Heller, Dave Cleveland, Deborah Smoot, Dollie Cooksey, Fred Hudson, Gary Sampley, Gene Ikola, Gini Heller, Hank Parker, Homer Hansen, Joe Hodgkinson, Ken Miller, Kenny Heller, Leslie Rex-Smith, Mike Mestas, Paul Wagner, Ramona Mestas, Rebecca Watts, Ruben Andrade, Steve Rushford, Susan Bunn, Ted Hodgkinson, Theo Miller, Todd Smith, and Warren Guest. If I have left anyone out, please let me know and I’ll make it up to you!