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Winsted Elks Honor Longtime Members
By Debbie Angell, Winsted
On Thursday, February 21, Winsted Elks Lodge #844 will be celebrating "Old Timers" night with its traditional roast beef dinner beginning at 6 p.m., followed by an initiation of new members presented by the lodge's past presidents (Past Exalted Rulers).
The lodge will honor the fifty "Most Veteran" members of its organization. They include Dr. Francis Cornelio of Winsted, the most veteran member, who joined in 1937. He is followed by Milton Dolinsky, Stanley Staszowski, Edward Marolda, Joseph Dolinsky, Joseph Fazioli, Valentine Serafini, Ferdinand Serafini (PER), Theodore Davis, Theodore Marolda, Robert McCarthy, William Hayes, Dominic Russo, Terence O'Neil, Richard Beebe, John Zecchin, Oscar Riiska, Jr., Gaylord Aleman, George Nichols (PER), Leon Deloy, Edward Giansiracusa, Anthony Giuliano, William Hill, Peter Inzinga, Francis Jackman, Dominick Colavecchio, John DiBiasi, Edgar Lizotte (PER), Luke Carl, Paul Julian, Angelo DiMartino, Jean Pequignot, Dr. Donald Daly, Dr. Harry Garbus, Anthony Barber, James Barber, Jr., John Fracasso, Samuel Liskin, Charles Bouchez (PER), Paul Curtin, Joseph Cahill, Anthony Cannavo, James Fortuna, Robert Baldwin, Charles Jasmin, Laurence Winn (Past District Deputy), and Joseph Mirando. The list ends with Francis Nichols, Edward Diulio and Thomas Whyte, who all joined in 1956.
In adding up all the years of membership for the lodge's fifty most veteran members, the result is 2,621 years of dedicated service to Winsted Lodge #844 as well as approximately 314,520 volunteer hours of service to our community—here in Winsted, as well as in many surrounding towns that are in the Winsted Lodge area. Winsted Lodge has over 400 members, with four new members joining the organization on February 21.
What does it mean to be an Elk? How do I become an Elk? The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE) of the United States of America is one of the oldest and largest fraternal organizations in the country. Since its inception in 1869, the Order of Elks has grown to include nearly 1.2 million men and women in almost 2,200 communities. Of everything the Elks do, perhaps nothing is more important than their work with the country's youth. The Elks are second only to the government in awarding college scholarships to local youth; the Elks National Foundation disbursed more than $14.4 million during the 2001-02 year.
The Elks sponsor many nationally recognized programs for youth, including hoop and soccer shoot competitions and drug awareness programs. Locally, our lodge sponsors more than 25 different youth activities—always free to area youth! Currently we are sponsoring a poster and essay contest to promote drug awareness as well as an essay contest on Americanism. In the upcoming state hoop shoot competition in New Britain, we will be represented by Dan Hicks of Winsted, who has previously won the local and district competitions.
Since 1917, Elks have demonstrated their compassion for the veterans of our armed forces through a number of programs and activities. Flag Day, now an important national day of honor for the flag, was first recognized by the Elks.
As you can see, there are many reasons to become an Elk. A current Elk must sponsor you for membership. Once you sign it, your membership card not only gives you membership to your local lodge, but also enables you to visit any of the 2,200 lodges across the country, plus Guam and Puerto Rico.
Yes, Elkdom has changed over the years, especially in our little local lodge. Winsted Elks Lodge is known throughout the surrounding community and beyond as the family-oriented lodge. Most of the volunteer hours involve children's activities, from our basketball hoop shoot and our soccer shoot, to drug awareness education and scholarships programs, to working very closely with Donna Winn and the Winsted Recreation Department.
The lodge just completed a fun fundraising event at Sky Top Lanes to promote family involvement as well as to donate funds to the Connecticut Children's Hospital; $3,000 was raised and donated to the hospital in the name of the Winsted Elks. In honor of the construction of the new day care facility and the new ambulance headquarters, the Elks donated money to purchase furniture for the day care center and to sponsor youth in the ambulance Emergency Medical Technician program at local schools.
Each year we construct a scrapbook of our youth activities that highlights the many activities for local youth that we are involved in, and for the past two years our presentation has received top honors at the state and national levels. The lodge also has a room dedicated to children and youth, featuring a Heritage Wall which depicts the history of our country, drug awareness literature, and many instructional activities, including a computer and a number of motor sensory games.
As you have just read about the lodge's Most Veteran members, you can see why they joined many years ago. To our oldest members—this is dedicated to you. Thank you.
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