E L K S N A T I O N A L F O U N D A T I O N Joy of Giving Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
INTERS may not be terribly snowy in South Carolina, but each December, Santa still manages to find his way to the
Santa listens to the Christmas wishes of one of the Christmas Party’s young attendees.
Myrtle Beach Lodge to help out with the lodge’s annual Christmas Party for foster children with special needs and their families. For years, lodge members have worked with South Carolina Department of Social Services Intensive Foster Care and Clinical Services, providing the organiza- tion with items such as car seats. When the lodge was asked if it would consider holding a party for the children, project Manager Lottie Menor set to work to secure funding. Turning to the Elks National Foundation, Menor applied for an ENF Promise Grant to help fund the party. Promise Grants are grants that are available to the first five hundred lodges that pledge to host an event that helps build the character and competence of youth in their community.
The Elks National Foundation
awards $2,000 Promise Grants to the first five hundred lodges that pledge to host an event that helps build the character and competence of youth in their community. To find out more about Promise Grants, visit
www.elks.org/enf/community.
Last December marked the Myrtle Beach Lodge’s third annual Christmas Party for foster children with special needs and their families. Lodge volunteers transformed the lodge into a winter wonderland for the party and treated the children who attended to a holiday feast. After dinner, the young guests had the opportunity to have their faces painted and sang Christmas carols while waiting for Santa to arrive. “Seeing the kids watch Santa come through the door is heartwarming,” says Menor. “They’re so excited to meet him.” During his visit, Santa listened to each child’s Christmas wishes and gave them a goody bag complete with pencils, crayons, candy, and other small gifts. By the time of the party last December, ENF Promise Grants had been increased from $500 to $1,000, so the lodge was able to do even more by providing gift cards from a local retailer to each child as well. Throughout the party, the children and their foster parents made new friends and learned more about what the Elks do in Myrtle Beach. But the one hundred children in attendance weren’t the only ones who enjoyed the gathering. Twenty- five lodge members were there as volunteers, including four new members who enjoyed getting to know other Elks. “The party enabled lodge members to work together and see the difference we can make by sharing our fortunes with others,” says Menor. Plans for this year’s Christmas Party are already under way, and with ENF Promise Grants now worth $2,000, Santa’s bag will be even more full of goodies this Christmas season. ■
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