The national grand exalted ruler for Elks Canada believes the fraternal organization needs to grow and attract younger members, but he does see a lot of good things happening within the Elks across the country.
Dennis Ellingboe was in Estevan on Friday to speak to the provincial Elks convention. He told the delegates to be more pro-active, and to develop new ideas and processes for bringing in new members and organizing fundraisers.
鈥淚 think the lodges have been doing a great job of fundraising, but like a lot of service organizations, we always seem to have a difficulty attracting newer and younger members,鈥� said Ellingboe. 鈥淲e just have try to figure out some way of changing that situation.鈥�
There are two major reasons why people join the Elks, he said. One is to serve the community and make it stronger for future generations. The other is to help people who are less fortunate in life, such as those with hearing difficulties, so that they can reach their greatest potential.
He noted lodges needs to respect the past, but they can鈥檛 live in the past. Young people don鈥檛 always accept the older lodges ways of doing things, so lodges need to adopt new ideas, new concepts and accept change for the future.
鈥淟ife changes, society changes and we have to try to stay abreast of those changes,鈥� said Ellingboe.
It might mean developing new ideas and new ways of doing things, and having new meeting formats.
The organization is in good shape, he said, with 11,000 members and 285 lodges across the country. But they have seen membership numbers slide, and many lodges are operating with 10 to 15 people.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e still doing their community service work and stuff like that, but the writing is on the wall,鈥� said Ellingboe. 鈥淯nless they get younger members 鈥� then they aren鈥檛 going to be in existence anymore.鈥�
Many service groups are having the same issues with membership, and he hopes the Elks can move forward because they still have a lot to contribute to communities.
鈥淎 lot of people ask 鈥榃hat鈥檚 in it for me?鈥� It鈥檚 that tradition of value that we provide that makes a difference, and it affects each and every person in society, and not just the Elks,鈥� said Ellingboe.
It鈥檚 also important for the lodges to promote themselves, and to let people know that what they contribute makes a huge difference.
When he joined the Elks in the 1970s, it was common for young people to be part of a service club. People he knew asked him to join the Elks, and Ellingboe wanted to help those who are less fortunate.
Ellinboe, who hails from Hythe, a small community in northwest Alberta, became the grand exalted ruler at last year鈥檚 national convention in Fredericton, New Brunswick. He said he will travel close to 60,000 kilometres on the road by the time his year is finished, and he has also flown to some lodges.
It鈥檚 been great to give speeches to lodges across Canada, he said, and to see how they鈥檙e all operating. The past year has also allowed him to visit new parts of the country.
There have been challenges to deal with, but they鈥檙e part of the job, and the lodges and the people have treated him in a wonderful fashion.
鈥淚 hope that as a grand exalted ruler, my vision and my ideas will be accepted and will help lodges progress,鈥� said Ellingboe.
Even though he has been an Elk for nearly 40 years, it has also been a learning experience. Each lodge and every community is different.
鈥淏ut most of all, it鈥檚 just the camaraderie and fraternalism and meeting new people and gaining some friendships right across Canada,鈥� said Ellingboe.
Ellingboe believes every community with an Elks lodge has members who are doing things to help grow the community by building infrastructure, supporting organizations and helping families grow stronger.
