National Veterans Service Commission
Tips for Lodge Chairs
Section 13.130 of the Grand Lodge Statutes outlines the duties of the Lodge National Veterans Service Committee chairman. This person should be appointed by the Exalted Ruler. Section 13.130 states:
- Section 13.130. The National Veterans Service Committee shall implement the program of the Elks National Veterans Service Commission within the Lodge as may be requested by the Commission in the furtherance of service to veterans, assist when called upon by the Armed Forces of the United States, respond to any call for aid and cooperation as might be requested by our National Government in any emergency and to be available for cooperation in the event of disaster in any local area of the United States.
The Lodge level is where everything begins. If the Lodge does not lend its support to a program, all efforts by others are futile. As a Lodge chairman, it is your responsibility to motivate your members to produce activity. Make sure your Lodge has a copy of the Elks National Veterans Service Commission video and the companion piece, Concise History of the Elks National Veterans Service Commission. Use them. These items will help you motivate your Lodge to become active volunteers in our Army of Hope. Through your district chairman, you should determine the needs of the VA or state facility you are serving and in what way you can fill them.
Strive to set up your program for the year by planning only the activities you feel the Lodge can handle. Do not burden the Lodge with programs it may find difficult to undertake. Keep in mind that when you go into a hospital, you are on public display. Every caution must be taken to see that the image of the Order remains unblemished.
You should attend at least one regular Lodge meeting a month, and report the activities and plans of your committee on the floor. Remember, you are operating under license of the Lodge, and it is entitled to know what your committee is doing. Also, by describing what you are trying to accomplish, you will find that the members will be more inclined to your cause and volunteers will be easier to find.
A good leader encourages those associated with him to express their thoughts, so that he can sift through them and determine for himself the ideas that are most innovative and practical.
