DONATING QUILTS TO ADVENTIST HOSPITAL

Gateway's Betty Hise Committee made a presentation to the Adventist Medical Center of seventeen blankets to be used by patients receiving cancer treatments. Hospital representatives Teri Gilmore and Todd Dickerson, Director of Annual Giving, expressed an interest in working more with our Betty Hise Committee and the Lodge in a spirit of mutual cooperation.

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Members of Gateway Lodge spend time each week volunteering their services at the Casey Eye Institute. They answer the phones, greet patients & guest, help them find their way around the building and generally do whatever they can.

Please click here if you would like more information about the Casey Eye Institute and how the Elks help this great institute.

For more information on how you can become a volunteer, please email or ask one of the volunteers when you see them at the Lodge.

Pictured here are a few of our Gateway volunteers: (l-r) ~ Lois Freeman, Eleanor Brown and Shirley Stambaugh.

Gateway Elks Lodge Members Get Presidential Honors

Pictured here from left to right: Lois Freeman, Shirley Stambaugh,
Eleanor Brown, Margie Szmanie, and Nancy Rattey

At the annual Volunteer Appreciation luncheon hosted by the staff of the Casey Eye Institute on Thursday June 23rd, 2011 Gateway Elks Lodge members who volunteer at the eye clinic received The President’s Volunteer Service Award.

Elks Lodge members from the Metro area have manned the information desk at the eye clinic since it opened in July 1991. Elk volunteers provide more than 7,500 hours per year. The volunteers are usually the first people that eye clinic patients and family members encounter upon arriving for their appointments. They perform a number of interesting duties. Some of these duties include welcoming patients, giving directions for patient appointment locations, calling medical transport and taxi’s, help prepare mailings when needed, and even bringing surgery patients down from the 6th floor post-op room to their waiting transport.

This was the first year Elk volunteers have received this award. The Elk volunteers were nominated under the “Family and Group” category. Receiving awards were: Gold Award: Eleanor Brown (3,543 hours of service), Lois Freeman (1,331 hours of service), and Shirley Stambaugh (1,087 hours of service). Silver Award: Nancy Rattey (522 hours of service) and Margie Szmania (548 hours of service). Congratulations ladies. You make Gateway Elks Lodge very proud!

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$1,000 Community Grant
Awarded to Alder School's Reading Program

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BRONZE AWARD FOR CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS
GIVEN TO CHARTER MEMBER RON BROWN

The distinguished Elks National Foundation Bronze Plaque and Pin were posthumously awarded to charter member Ron Brown for his contributions of over $5,000.  OSEA Chairman of the Board of Trustees Gene Spina and OSEA ENF Chairman KC McCuen presented the plaque and pin to Ron's wife Eleanor in a simple ceremony during the Lodge meeting on June 17.

(left to right) PER Gene Spina, OSEA Chairman of the Board of Trustees; Lois Freeman, Gateway ENF Committee; Eleanor Brown and PER KC McCuen, OSEA ENF Chairman.

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A NEW WAY TO ASSIST MEADOWOOD!

Meadowood Springs Speech and Hearing Camp is a major charitable project of the Oregon State Elks Association and its subordinate lodges. This camp would not be possible without the Elks' dedication and commitment to helping children 6 to 16 years of age with speech, language and hearing challenges.

AND NOW YOU CAN HELP TOO!

eScrip has partnered with local businesses and major credit card companies to donate a percentage of your purchases to your favorite charity...every time you use your card!
eScrip is proven to be a fantastic resource for fundraising where participating business partners contribute a percentage of your grocery loyalty cards, credit card, and debit/ATM card purchases to the school, group or organization of your choice. Now you can sign up for this fantastic service to help support Meadowood Springs Speech and Hearing Camp!
And it is so easy!

Simply go online to eScrip.com and select 'Group ID'. Enter the number 500016104 for Meadowood Springs Speech-Hearing Camp and then fill out the rest of the registration form and you're done! Within about a week, every time you use the cards you indicate on the registration, Meadowood will recieve a percentage of the amount. And, with your eScrip account, you can track your purchases and your donations to Meadowood!

You can also download the form by clicking HERE, fill it out and mail it in. This method takes about 6-8 weeks processing time.

For more information about Meadowood Springs Speech and Hearing Camp, please
CLICK HERE.

We at Gateway Elks encourage not only all Elks but anyone who wishes to sign up for this most worthy cause.It's for the kids and they are extremely grateful!

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DICTIONARIES FOR 3RD GRADERS

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GATEWAY ELKS DONATE HAND-MADE QUILTS
TO ANIMALS AT OREGON HUMANE SOCIETY

(photo: (left to right) Gateway Lodge member Diana Mills, Mary Henry, OHS Donor Relations Manager with temporary resident Gretchen in the foreground)

Everyone likes to curl up with a nice warm blanket from time to time. Somehow a blanket, all warm and fluffy, instills a sense of peace and security. And that is just what is needed when animals first come to the Oregon Humane Society center on Columbia Blvd. Coming into a strange place with strange sounds and smells and people all around that they don't know can be overwhelming to an animal. A nice warm blanket helps to assure them that all will be well.

The members of Gateway Elks Lodge #2411, understanding the situation, made a slight detour from their normal community efforts to assist their less fortunate 4-pawed and tail wagging neighbors. The Elks gathered together material and supplies and member Diana Mills set to work making hand-made, pet-sized quilts to be donated to the Oregon Humane Society for use by the temporary residents of that facility. Odd sized scraps of durable material in festive colors were fashioned into 22 quilts that ranged in size from baby kitten to Great Dane. Oregon Humane Society Donor Relations Manager Mary Henry and temporary resident Gretchen (shown above) received the quilts from Lodge members Diana Mills and Esteemed Leading Knight Ralph Hartmann in the lobby of the Columbia Blvd facility. Ms Henry stated that she hoped this act of kindness by the Elks will help others realize the need these animals have for our help and understanding.

The Oregon Humane Society has a terrific record saving and placing lost, neglected or abandoned animals. In 2008 they proudly reported a 96% save rate for their sheltered animals. That means that 96% of their animals were either adopted, reunited with their owners or placed with another group (such as a specific breed rescue group) committed to finding the animal a home. They never put a time limit on how long an animal remains available for adoption at the shelter and they never euthanize one pet to make room for another. Their high adoption rate many times higher than the national average are made possible by a caring community, dedicated employees, committed volunteers and thousands of generous donors, like the Gateway Elks, who make this work possible.

But there is more to the OHS than finding new homes for animals in need. OHS is dedicated to making a difference in their community: OHS educators reach out to youths to instill humane values; OHS volunteers bring therapy animals to hospitals; the OHS animal rescue team works to save trapped animals that need human help. Making the community a better place for pets makes it a better place for people.

Diana Mills and the members of Gateway Lodge make and donate quilts through-out the year to human recipients as well. Chief among the organizations that receive them are the Veterans Hospital in Portland and the VA Nursing Skill Care Unit in Vancouver, WA, Meadowood Springs Summer Camp for Speech and Hearing Impaired Children in Eastern Oregon, the Elks Children Eye Institute at OHSU and local Senior Care facilities. In the past couple of years, Diana, with fabric and supplies donated by the Lodge members, has personally made over 2,500 quilts to be donated by the Lodge. Leading Knight Ralph Hartmann said that it is not unusual for her to periodically show up at the Lodge with a hand truck stacked with boxes that are stuffed full of newly made quilts. And this new venture, quilts for animals, is just another example of her dedication and that of the Elks motto
Elks Care ~ Elks Share, even with our animal neighbors.

For more information about the Oregon Humane Society, visit their website at www.oregonhumane.org or visit their facility at 1067 NE Columbia Blvd, Portland.  They may also be reached by calling 503.285.7722.

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GATEWAY LODGE ASSISTS LOCAL SCOUT TROOP IN BUILDING A RAMP FOR MOBILITY-IMPAIRED
GENTLEMAN

The members of Gateway Lodge supplied the material for a local scout project to build a wheelchair ramp for a mobility-impaired gentleman in the NE area of Portland.  The scouts, assisted by their troop leader and contractor Don Brisack braved freezing weather, snow and heavy rain to build a sturdy access ramp to the gentleman's home.

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GATEWAY LODGE PARTICIPATES IN LOCAL FUN PARADE

Members of Gateway Lodge proudly marched in the local Gateway area Fun-O-Rama parade.  Participants handed out Drug Awareness ribbons to the crowd and demonstrated that "Elks Care - Elks Share"

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RETIRING OLD AMERICAN FLAGS

Gateway Lodge gratefully accepts torn, tattered and faded old flags to be respectfully retired by our local Boy Scout Troop on Memorial Day.

Flags to be retired may be brought to the Lodge Office anytime during Lodge business hours.

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SNAP-TABS FOR KIDNEY DIALYSIS

Yes, it's fun – but remember that all of the proceeds will go to Kidney Dialysis.
This is an on-going hunt for pull-tabs so bring them in anytime.
Your collection can be turned in at the Lodge office during regular business hours.

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EYEGLASSES AND HEARING AIDS

Gateway Lodge collects used eyeglasses and hearing aids for the Lions Club to aid sight and hearing impaired individuals who have limited resources. 
So next time you're digging through the drawers and find an old pair of glasses or an old hearing aid that isn't being used, drop them by our Lodge during regular business hours for collection.

EDUCATING THE COMMUNITY ABOUT ELKDOM

On July 24th, 25th & 26th, members of Gateway Lodge exhibited the purpose, benefits, wonders and joys of Elkdom to our community at the East Portland Exposition.  Designed to showcase community involvement and interaction in the East Portland neighborhoods, the event attracted other non-profit organizations as well as local businesses, attractions and food vendors.  Volunteers manned the booth throughout the weekend, greeting visitors, answering questions about the Order and meeting with other community-oriented groups to foster our involvement in the community.

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