RELATIONS - Positive public relations creates a “feel-good” aura for our Members and promotes our Order with the image others see in our organization.  Positive Public Relations competes directly with creating negative images of our Order. This competition is a “no effort,” easy, dissemination of information that needs no relationships with the media. There are many who are ready, willing and able to disseminate the negative.

This is not a matter of "covering up" the negative but of consciously avoid-ing the incidents altogether. We are in control of many of the causes. Selling tickets at the bar, announcing sign-up sheets at the bar and making information available at the bar lead to the belief that we do all of the Lodge business at the bar. Concealing announced events will no matter the reason be identified with lack of planning. Reprimands and corrective measures due to deviation from the rules of the Order will always become public knowledge in a negative fashion.

In all our Lodge meetings, management, trustees and committees, we must be alert to where positive public relations comes as well from where negative images of our Order evolve. It behooves us to keep up and increase the "feel-good" public relations and keep in mind that any increase in membership will be a direct result of efforts.

 HELP STOP FLAG DESECRATION!

We need help from all our Elks Members! For the past few years the Elks Americanism Committee has been advocating an amendment to our Constitution that will stop the desecration of our flag. Even though we have provided petitions for our Members to send to their congressmen to encourage them to support such action, it hasn’t worked.

Finally, with the help of the Citizens Flag Alliance, of which the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is a member along with more than a 100 different organizations, a joint resolution was presented to the Senate and House of Representatives in June to amend the U.S. Constitution, restoring the dignity to our flag so it won’t be trampled, ripped apart or burned.

Please find a Flag Petition for the Flag Amendment from a fellow Elk, get as many signatures on it as you can and send it to your senator and congressman. Our committee passed out a lot of petitions at the Grand Lodge Session in Phoenix last month, so you should be able to find one. We need a lot of congressmen to be in favor of this amendment. Twice before when the amendment came up for adoption, the vote came up short in both houses. We as Elks, can’t let that happen AGAIN.

Next month the Elks will celebrate Patriotism Week. It will be eight days this year, starting on Monday, September 5 and ending on Patriot Day, Sunday, September 11. A key to the success of the program will be to get our city’s Mayor to proclaim Patriotism Week.  We need to remember all those who died in the attacks on the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and Flight 93.

ELKS ESSAY CONTEST

The B.P.O. Elks Essay Contest theme has been announced and our Lodge Americanism Chairman will be contacting all the schools with fifth-, sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students in the Lodge’s area. The theme for 2012 is “Why I am Proud to Pledge Allegiance to our Flag.” Details on the Essay Contest may be found in the on the Elks National Website www.Elks.org.

Fraternally, Michael Werle,
Exalted Ruler

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