Each week, the ENF recognizes CIPerstars who have gone above and beyond in their service to the Elks National Foundation. These CIPerstars are recognized for their outstanding contributions to the ENF and the Elks community.
Senior Programs Associate
Programs Associate
Programs Coordinator
4/30/2025 Abingdon, MD Lodge No: 2354
uses its Spotlight Grant to provide monthly meals at a local emergency homeless shelter. Lodge members shop for the ingredients, prepare and serve the food, and clean up. Scheduling monthly meals allows more Lodge members to get involved, strengthening the relationship between the Lodge and the shelter.
4/15/2025 San Angelo, TX Lodge No: 1880
uses its Gratitude Grant for two projects. The Lodge provides food baskets for families in need three times throughout the grant year. The baskets include food items like flour, sugar, proteins, beans and rice, as well as personal hygiene products. The Lodge realized that much of the support for these families is concentrated around the holidays, leaving other times of the year neglected. However, the Lodge isn’t completely ignoring the holiday season. It offers a home away from home for personnel stationed at Goodfellow Air Force Base who cannot return to their homes for Christmas. The Lodge provides a full meal and dessert for all in attendance, along with small presents, and delivers meals to personnel who cannot leave the base.
4/15/2025 Green Bay, WI Lodge No: 259
uses its Beacon Grant to support families living below the poverty line throughout the year by organizing free and safe seasonal events, including Easter, Halloween and Christmas parties. The Lodge works with area shelters to inform families about the events, ensuring that every child has the chance to enjoy special occasions. Lodge members also assemble birthday bags, filled with gifts and treats, for the shelters to distribute when one of their residents celebrates a birthday.
The Elks National Foundation allocated nearly $16 million this year to fund the Community Investments Program. Lodges meet local needs through grants that offer Elks opportunities to serve their community in ways that will raise the Lodge's profile, energize the membership, encourage former members to return to the fold, and gain the notice of people who want to be part of an organization that's doing great things. To learn more about the Community Investments Program, please visit elks.org/CIP. If you would like to speak to someone in the CIP office, we can be reached at 773-755-4730.