First Lady's Notes
by
Greer Alverson
1st Lady of Michigan Elks
greeralverson@yahoo.com
Photos
Happy Spring?? Ladies!
It certainly has been Spring-like this 'Winter', hasn't it? Well,
we can only hope the 'other shoe' doesn't get dropped between now
and May.
I have not really had anything of interest to you all to report for
a while. We have had a bit of a traveling break and have had time
to get plans and paperwork for the Elks taken care of.
Want to let you know that plans for the Spring Ladies' Luncheon are
well underway and I hope you will all be pleased. Our Loretta
Ferguson and her 'crew' will once again do an outstanding job with
it, to be sure! We want you to be awed when you enter the luncheon
room, so our thinking caps have been on for a couple of months now.
We will be joined at this event by the lovely and gracious First
Lady of the Indiana Elks Association, Donna Martens (husband Gil),
and the then recent Past First Lady of Ohio's Elks Association, Sue
McGlone (husband Greg). Make sure you come up and meet each of
them, as I know you will find them extremely friendly and welcoming
of your "Hi, nice to meet you" comments! I have had the pleasure of
spending time with each of them and have enjoyed every minute.
Reminder that you don't bring gifts to exchange this time, like last
Fall, and that you think about spending what you may have spent on
gifts for each other toward donations to our Spring Elks Charity,
Major Project. This charitable branch of our Michigan Elks has been
affected, as have so many others, by the economic down-turn, and
investment returns have been declining for them. I ask that you
keep this in mind when it comes time for donations.....Elks Care,
Elks Share!
I have to again tell you all that I was, and still am, so very
touched by your generosity last Fall for Gold Key Scholarship.
Whatever you feel you can give this time will be so greatly
appreciated and admired.
There is an idea brewing for some Major Project fundraising in the
State President's Hospitality Room that weekend as
well............so.....get ready to be a little silly while at the
same time helping others who are in great need!! That's all I can
tell you (secret project for Major Project!).
Once again, our Luncheon doors will open at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday,
May 19, and luncheon/program will begin at 11:00. Oh, and there
will be (hopefully) a humorous ladies' participation regarding
something that occurred at last Fall's luncheon (and, no, none of
you are going to be put on the spot or in the spotlight!), but it
will be fun and funny!
Until I have more news.....As Always,
First Lady, Greer
Dear Ladies:
We have lost one of our own, a very, very special person, Linda
Baracy from Alma Lodge. She was killed in a car-pedestrian accident
on 12-29-11 while leaving her place of work. We are terribly
saddened by her very premature passing, and ask that you all keep
her husband, Gari, in your thoughts and prayers. This is such a
difficult time for all who knew her. She was one of the most
generous, caring, and kind women Keith and I have ever known. She
was my Ladies' Luncheon Chaplain for 2011/2012, a position she
always performed with dignity and grace....she will be sorely
missed. Rest in Peace, my dear, dear friend.
First Lady, Greer
Joyous Noel, My Ladies!
This is my Merry Christmas and Happiest of New Year's 'shout out' to
all of you. Have a Blessed Holiday, each and every one of you. See
you next year...........it's coming quickly.
I wish for you much happiness, good health, good times, and much
luck in 2012. Be safe, get those presents wrapped up, and put your
feet up for a spell!
Always,
First Lady, Greer
When Keith and I attended the Ohio State Elks Association convention
in August of 2011, we heard speak and met an amazing young lady,
Natasha Wortman, Chief Warrant Officer in the US Army. She is from
Ohio, now stationed in Texas. Keith had tried to work out with her
an appearance at our State Convention in October 2011, but it just
wasn't in the cards, as she had travel issues.
Anyway, we became good friends, and have continued to communicate
with her over the last several months. Come to find out, Natasha
just happened to be at the airport in Texas where our Howell
National Guard troops landed for their training, before being sent
to Afghanistan in January sometime, after our 5:15 a.m. send-off for
them at the Armory in Howell the Sunday after Thanksgiving!! Talk
about a 'chance meeting'!! She has verified that these were the
troops she met at the airport.
If Natasha is involved in their training in any way, shape, or form,
these men and women are in the best of hands. Natasha has served in
the Middle East for several tours of duty and knows the ropes well.
Her mother has started Save Our Soldiers Now, an organization that
sends much-needed every-day supply items to the troops overseas;
it's based in Ohio.
~~Greer Alverson, MEA First Lady
Ladies:
How true it is that "Elks Care..." Thank-you to all of you who
have sent well-wishes and condolence thoughts to Keith and myself
regarding the passing of his father, my dear father-in-law, this
week. We are truly blessed to have had him all these years and to
have all of you in our lives now and in the future.
Hugs,
My Dear Ladies:
My, what a great convention!
I have to tell you all that my heart is
still overflowing with joy and gratitude for you all and your generosity
at the Ladies’ Luncheon Saturday.
I am weak in the knees still (not just from
being on my feet so long last weekend!) from the great love and
selflessness you all showed...........$1,126 for Gold Key!!!
I NEVER dreamed it would be that much, not
even close, and I thank you all again from the bottom of my little pea-pickin’
heart for what you have done.
Take pride in knowing that between what you
gave that day and what we collected from loving Elks and spouses in the
Hospitality Suite with the Christmas for Gold Key keys over the weekend,
YOU ALL have single-handedly made it possible for one young adult to
have a scholarship they would not otherwise have had.
That should make you feel pretty darned
pumped up for a long time to come, right?!
I hope you also enjoyed the new
PFL Crown Pin presentations.........those gals are amazing and well
deserving of the honor.
Remember, next time, look for those pins on
these amazing ladies!
Step up and visit with them, they will love
it if you do!
Loretta and her Committee made
me look extremely good with the incredible job they did making my
‘vision’ a reality. I could not have asked for a better crew and I am
forever grateful to them all.
Hope you all truly enjoyed listening to
Jimmy Tomczak, our good-looking young ENF speaker.
What a fine young man he is.
It’s heartwarming, is it not, to see where
those funds go and what they do?
Even though my whole body feels
like I walked cross-country over the weekend.......I can’t wait to get
at it again, and I so look forward to seeing you all, and more, in the
Spring for another great Convention!
Keith and I thoroughly enjoyed
ourselves........hope you did as well!
Always and with much love,
First Lady Greer
Hello Ladies!
Alma State President's Night...........WONDERFUL! Thank you Alma
for having yet again followed great tradition in providing Keith
and I, Ron, Shelley and George, and all who attended, with an
outstanding dinner of Swiss Steak (State President Keith's
favorite!), wonderful friendship, and great entertainment. You have
impressed once again.........what a fantastic group of Elks you have
on board. And, lest I not forget..........the amazing deer watching
we always get to do while we are at your Lodge.
Folks, if you are able next year, please make your reservations to
attend this event...you will not be disappointed!
Next up............2011 Fall Convention at Sault Ste.
Marie......hope many of you will be attending....if we have weather
like we do now, it will be an even prettier trip! The Ladies'
Luncheon promises to be great fun..............see you there! No
gifts, donations to Gold Key Scholarship Fund, and a verrry
interesting young guest speaker are on the agenda.
Always,
First Lady, Greer
Oh, My Gosh! Plymouth Elks for State President's Night was 'wicked
awesome', as the kids say! What a great dinner. And the desserts,
well, all we can say to Ann Truskowski, wife of John, SE District
Major Project Commissioner,.......thanks for 'plumping us up' even
more than we already are.....yummmmmy!
The three comedians they had brought in for the evening were
OUTSTANDING!!! Folks, you may want to think about bringing one or
all of them to your Lodge for an event......just contact Ken Hines,
ER from Plymouth Lodge, regarding who to contact.......they were
amazingly talented, and we all laughed until tears were rolling down
our faces and we had a hard time catching our breath! Everyone felt
so revived and invigorated at the conclusion of the
evening.....gut-retching laughter is good medicine!! This was such
a nice change from a band or a DJ.
So, my advice to you all: If you hear that Plymouth Lodge is
hosting an event with comedians in the future............GO!!
You'll be so glad you did.
Next up...........Alma Lodge State President's Night.........always,
always great fun!
Ladies:
My apologies……..I am
quite tardy in updates for the First Lady’s Notes page!
Busy Summer with Elkdom.
Trip to Indiana State
Convention the first weekend in June was great……..even reconnected by
chance with
an Elk couple who used to be members are
our home Lodge in Howell; they are now members at New Albany, IN.
Great Elks in Indiana, and they all, every
one of them we met (and already knew), made us feel as though we were at
a Michigan convention.
Met and had pictures taken with Miss
Indiana and Miss Teen Indiana..….beautiful and talented ladies.
You may not realize this, but any Elks from
Michigan are welcome to attend these out-of-state conventions each
year…….you should think about trying it!
Then, we had Grand
Lodge Convention in Phoenix……hot, hot, hot!!!
Saw our first and probably our only dust
storm…..fascinating……dusty!!!!
Your First VP and wife, Ron and Jean, did a
fabulous job with the Michigan Hospitality room.
Spent some great time in the pool, right
outside the hospitality room with friends and visitors.
Great fun, great sites, great food, great
convention!
Next up was the
annual trip to Bay Cliff Health Camp at Big Bay in the U.P.
What a wonderful
time it always is, and the kids at the
camp…..just amazing!
Had new-comers, whom we are sure will
continue to attend:
Ray and Joanne Chase, Lansing Lodge;
Bert and Theresa Knickerbocker, Howell
Lodge; and Nancy Robinson, Rochester Lodge.
They were impressed!
Plan to come next year, last full weekend
in July.
Ohio State
Convention in Dublin, outside of Columbus.
Great, great time here as well.
Ladies had great fun ‘field trips’ planned,
and Keith saw some new and different things at the meetings he attended.
Great hosts, Sue & Greg McGlone, First Lady
and State President from Ohio.
David and Penny Carr, GER and First Lady,
in attendance, as well as PGER Jim Nicholson and the wonderful Mary
Carolyn too!
Had lots of fun and made great new friends.
Thanks Ohio!
Think about trying this one too if you
can….3rd weekend in August.
Elk Day at Comerica
Park!!!
Hot, hot, hot…………but fun, fun, fun!!!!
Ended up being an unbelievable victory for
the Tigers…………missed the last two innings (when all the real action
happened) due to the incredible storm that passed over (lightning
strikes and wind and rain with all of us in the upper deck, out in the
open).
We high-tailed it out of the Park and
headed to Greektown for dinner…..lucky to see the end of the game on the
big TV at the restaurant and the crowd there went wild when the Tigers
made their astonishing last-inning comeback!
Plan on doing it again next year with even
more Michigan Elks attending………….Holland Lodge sent 55 folks on a bus to
join us and made up at least half of those in attendance!
Thanks, Holland!
Most recently,
Major Project dinner/party at Holland Lodge on the 9th……..11th
year for Barb and Rich Versendaal, our wonderful hosts, cooks, and MCs!
Lasagna, made by Barb herself, fantastic
yet again.
Great raffles and great money raised for
Major Project.
Think about going next year if you can;
they would love to have you and could raise even more money for the
cause!
Did you realize
that any Michigan Elks can attend practically everything listed on the
State President’s Schedule?
Well, you can……..these functions/visits are
not JUST for us to attend.
We’d love to spend time with any and all of
you at outings like the State President’s Nights, the Major Project
meeting, the Gold Key/Scholarship judging (they could always use more
judges and they will ‘train’ you, etc., etc.
Think about trying one or more of these
things……..guaranteed great times and new Elk friends to be discovered!
REMINDERS:
Ladies’ Luncheon at Fall Convention:
Doors open at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday and
Luncheon begins at 11:00…..get your tickets ordered!
ALSO, remember, no gifts this year…..we
will be making monetary donations to Gold Key, but you all will go home
with some nice things!
For the Gold Key donations – cash or check
(made out to Michigan Elks Gold Key Scholarship Fund).
Friday, sometime around 1
p.m., we will be taking a shopping trip to downtown Sault Ste.
Marie………you are most welcome to join in!!!
Jean, Shelley and I will be taking the
First Lady of Elkdom, Penny Carr, to lunch and then shopping.
You may join us for both events!
There are some pretty unique shops
downtown!
I will have my pins at Fall Convention, so if anyone
wants one, has not received one yet, just ask me!
Having a fantastic
time as your First Lady……love each and every one of you!
Until next time (I’ll stay more up to date
from now on!).
Always,
First Lady Greer
Greetings All:
Well, there are now 94 folks signed up to be at the Tiger's game for
Elks Day on September 3rd! What a crowd, and how nice.
To date, we are all to be seated together as a group, but seats are
selling fast for the 'general public', so please, if you think you
want to go, get your reservation in (Form may be found on this
website). We'd love, love to see even better representation of our
fine Organization at the game....maybe we'll get shown on the
screen, maybe on TV, who knows!!! Family members of Elks are
welcome as well.
Batter up!!
Always,
First Lady, Greer
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Hello Ladies:
Just letting you know that NO MATTER WHAT your Fall Convention
letter/forms say, the LADIES' LUNCHEON times are as follows: Doors
open at 10:30, Luncheon begins at 11:00 a.m. !! Please share the
word on this!
St. Joseph/Benton Harbor #541 Grand Opening on August 6th was
outstanding! Great food, lots and lots of guests, great
entertainment, and oh, what a beautiful new Lodge! When you are in
their area, do stop by and see for yourself. The view of the water
and harbor is amazing. Their hospitality yesterday was
unprecidented and we all had such a fun time. The Major Project,
Gold Key, Drug Awareness booths were there and well-manned....Good
Job #541. It took a ton of hard work and dedication for this merger
to come to fruition; they appeared to be 'experts' at it and it all
worked out, making two Lodges even stronger as they become one.
Will talk with you/update you soon, as travels continue this Summer
and Fall for us!
Be safe, do good things, as always.....
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To The Ladies:
Wanted to let you know that, any of you who are members and would
like to finally be able to attend the Ladies' Luncheon on Saturday
in October at Fall Convention, State President Keith has graciously
given 'dispensation' for any of you who wish to come join us for the
Luncheon to leave the business meeting at 10:45.
We have missed you at our events over the past several years,
realizing the Elks business is important and that you need to be
there, but this is a great opportunity for those of you who have
needed to attend the business meeting but who also would love to be
at the Ladies' Brunch/Luncheon and could not because the two
coincided. The Luncheon begins at 11:00 a.m. this Fall, probably in
the Spring next year as well, so this should work just great. If
you still wish to attend the ER/Secretary's Luncheon, which usually
begins about 12:30 p.m. that day, you will be able to do that too!
I have 88 seats available, so when those are filled, they are
filled. Doors open at 10:30, so I'd recommend you purchase your
Luncheon tickets soon as you can in the Fall from your Lodge
Secretaries.
This weekend's Bay Cliff visit was WONDERFUL, as usual. Had two
'new' couples, two 'new' children, and one 'new' Alma member join us
this year!! Our Friday afternoon picnic at the Motel was wonderful
as well, and the weather was beautiful. As in the past, Marquette,
Nagaunee, and Ishpeming Lodges extended all of us great friendship
and hospitality....AND food and music throughout our visit.
All for now................Facebook me your thoughts on the Luncheon
information if you like!
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Greetings Ladies:
I am back from Grand Lodge Convention in Phoenix.......hot, hot, and
hotter! It was great seeing old Elk friends and making new ones.
If any of you have never had the opportunity to attend, do try and
do so in the future, as it's a really wonderful experience and you
can learn a lot.
Coming up in the way of travel this coming weekend is our trip to
Bay Cliff Camp and Christmas in July for them. Looking very forward
to that and to visiting with 'newbies' JoAnn and Ray Chase from
Lansing Lodge, and 'newbies' Bert and Theresa Knickerbocker and
their girls, and visiting Marquette Lodge, Negaunee Lodge, and
Ishpeming Lodge as well.
Doors will open for the Ladies' Luncheon on Saturday, October 22, at
10:30. Luncheon will begin at 11:00 a.m. It is now 'set in stone',
so see you there! Have arranged seating for 88......hopefully there
will that many of you who will come and have fun with us!! Menu
will be as follows: Tuna Salad and Chicken Salad on bed of Leaf
Lettuce; fresh sliced seasonal fruit; assorted breads and rolls;
coffee and iced tea; and a 'different' light desert!
Our new First Lady of Elkdom will be dining with us that day. Her
name is Penny Carr. I will be forever short that day, as I will be
standing with tall Jean Zimmerman, Michigan's 'Lady in Waiting' as
we have dubbed her, and now also with the tall Penny Carr, First
Lady.....hope you will be able to spot me! Let's give First Lady
Penny a very warm Michigan Elk reception at the Luncheon and enjoy
meeting and visiting with her.
That's it for now.........
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Greetings Ladies:
FYI…..new format is in the
works for the Fall Convention Ladies’ Luncheon; yes, luncheon!
This will start a bit later than it has
been in the
recent past and will be a PLATED simple but delicious lunch with light
desert.
So, you know ahead of time now to plan to
have a light breakfast earlier in the morning to ‘hold’ you until
approximately 11:00 a.m., if you wish.
The start time is not yet set in stone, but
I’ll be letting you know when it is.
Hoping to see a lot of you there on Saturday, to have
luncheon with our First Lady of Elkdom from New York State!
Remember, no gifts to bring in
the Fall…….just try and save some money out of your gambling funds to
donate to Gold Key at Lunch!!
You will all go home with something
(secret!).
There
will be a large envelope at each table for those donations:
cash or check (made out to Gold Key
Scholarship Fund).
Let’s set some kind of record for ladies’
donations that day…the challenge is on gals!
Always,
Greer, MEA First Lady 2011/2012
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A bit of
information about Bay Cliff Health Camp in the U.P.
July 29 and 30 this year are the dates for the
trip to Bay Cliff.
This is a wonderful, moving, and very
enjoyable weekend trip.
Did you realize that any Elk and spouse are
welcome to join us??
Well, it’s true.....we all stay at the same
motel in Marquette, make a bit of a party out of it.
On Friday evening, we all go to Marquette
Lodge for a great dinner and some ‘catching up’ with old friends....AND
we meet new ones every time we go!
We all take a gift valued at about $20,
unwrapped, to drop off at Marquette Lodge when we meet there again on
Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m. for coffee and delicious pastries.
The gifts will be gathered up and taken
with us all to Bay Cliff Camp that morning, and they will be passed out
by the Camp staff for their year-end Christmas in July.
It’s a good thing!
We leave in caravan fashion from Marquette Lodge
around 9:30 or 10:00 and head for Bay Cliff.
Once there, we are offered tours in groups
of the Camp and the facilities, given by staff who have previously been
campers...they are GREAT!
Around 11:30, we line up for our lunch with
the kids, and that’s a thrill as well.
After lunch, we head to the hall where the
kids put on their ‘talent’ shows, and several of them and their
therapists show us all what they have accomplished during the Summer at
Bay Cliff.
Puts smiles on our faces and some tears in
our eyes....it’s a good thing!
After Bay Cliff, we all head to Negaunee Lodge,
where we are fed absolutely great U.P. lunch and drink.
We visit for as long as we like and then
head to Ishpeming Lodge for more friendship and fun. Then, late
afternoon/early evening, we head back to our motel and have MORE fun
there amongst ourselves!
As you can tell, it’s a great weekend, and a good
thing!
Once you go, you will want to return the
following year.
If any of you are interested in going for
the first time, you can call the Brentwood Motel in Marquette for room
reservations, as that’s on your own to do, but that’s the only
reservation you need to make.....the rest just happens!
Until next time......
Greer
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To All My Ladies:
Voila.......we
now have a ‘special’ tab on the Michigan Elks website for First Lady
Notes; Bruce you are a genius!
For one of my first ‘Notes’, I
want to tell you about my First Lady pin.
The idea came to me about using two puzzle
pieces because I think of Elkdom as a very large puzzle made up of many,
many important and essential pieces that need to fit together seamlessly
in order for the Elks as a whole to remain vital.
For the Michigan Ladies, the
significance of my pin is to show that each one of you, Elk or not, is
essential in the success of Elkdom in our State.
Without you and the contributions you make
throughout each Elk year, the ‘puzzle’ just could not be complete and
things would not run smoothly.
The Elk fire is kept burning with your
willingness to help, your dedication, and your caring and pride in the
Elks organization; and, so, the puzzle remains intact.
You are all very special to me,
always have been.
So, if I have not had the privilege yet of
giving you one of my pins for this year, please, next time we
meet.......ask me: “hey, where’s my First Lady’s pin?!”
You’re all essential pieces of my puzzle!
In an “oh, by the way”, Bruce
Stark told me I need to supply him with a better picture, one in which I
am smiling and one in which it doesn’t look like I am standing in a dust
storm!!
So, there soon will be a better picture on
“my page”.
We’ll talk later, as I’ll have things to tell you
about our visit to the Indiana State Elks Convention this past
weekend....great time, great people!
Always,
Greer
Elks Care and
Elks Share.
