The Fort Pierce Elks Lodge celebrated its 100th anniversary this week, marking a century of service to the community and recognizing the organization's longstanding commitment to veterans, youth and charitable programs.
The Fort Pierce City Commission recognized the milestone during its July 6 meeting, where Ronald Weeden reflected on the lodge's history and its role in the city.
"Thank you for honoring our legacy and recognizing the impact of Elks and Fort Pierce. We are proud to stand with you today and proud to continue serving the city we call home as we honor the past while inspiring the future," Weeden said.
Founded in 1926, Fort Pierce Lodge No. 1520 has spent the past century supporting local residents through volunteer work, charitable giving and community outreach.
"For the complete century, our lodge has stood very proudly in the heart of Fort Pierce, serving the community through charity, fellowship, dedication to those that are in need," he said.
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks has lodges across the country. Weeden said the Fort Pierce chapter remains focused on helping veterans, children and families through both local and statewide initiatives.
"We never forget veterans and we certainly support children. We hold ourselves out to do that in multiple ways. We contribute here locally to our state projects, one of which is a children's youth camp up in Umatilla," he said. "In addition to that, we have a free children's therapy service. We have like 31 vans that travel the entire state of Florida, of which one of them, the Fort Pierce Lodge, contributed money to purchase a van and we have therapists that are actually helping children."
Weeden said some of the lodge's most memorable moments have come from meeting veterans whose lives span generations of American history.
"One thing we do on an annual basis is we have a veterans luncheon and we've had veterans that come in that are the oldest one I think was 103 years old. That truly stood out. One that was 101 years old, he served in two different branches of the military and was actually a POW for a while," he said. "Those things, they just really get to you."
While celebrating its past, the organization is also working to attract new members to ensure its mission continues.
"We have a membership committee and they're tasked with the responsibility of reaching out. And of course, every member is a member of the membership committee because we ask during their orientation that they reach out to family members, friends, neighbors, et cetera, because there's strength in numbers and the lodge can only grow if we keep bringing in people," he said.
Looking ahead, Weeden said he hopes future generations will continue building on the lodge's legacy of service.
"Hopefully it continues to grow at a pace where the membership numbers grow exponentially and that the leadership that we have there continues to do the things that we've already been doing. I mean, there's a complete legacy, if you will, of those who have stood by the city of Fort Pierce. They've done these things to again, support veterans, strengthen families and invest in youth," he said.
The Fort Pierce lodge supports veterans and other community groups through a variety of programs. Among its initiatives is Operation Desert Elk, a nationally recognized effort that sends care packages to deployed U.S. troops in Afghanistan.