President James F. Strojny, Jr.'s Acceptance Speech

Grand Esteemed Lecturing Knight the Honorable Edward P. Volta, Special Deputy Mike Zellen,  distinguished members on both sides of the head table, members and friends, I stand before you today very proud of the honor you have bestowed upon me to serve as your State President for the year 2009 - 2010. I extend my sincere gratitude to outgoing State President Bill Reilly and his wife Bette for the year that they have had representing our Association. And to all of the state officers, state chairpersons and district chairpersons, and to all of the lodge officers and members for helping to make our lodges a vital force in their respective communities.

Once again, I would also like to thank Joseph P. Silvia, Jr, PGLIG and PSP, for his efforts on my behalf and for installing me here today. It was an honor to have a Past State President from my own lodge in Taunton, able to conduct my Installation.  And to Danny DeGregorio PSP, for his work as Master of Ceremonies tonight. 

And over the years, to have the both of you, to turn to for guidance and to have your friendship, through good times and some trying times, have helped me gain the confidence needed to reach this day.

 I also want to express my heartiest congratulations to all of you who were Installed tonight, as it is your night as well as mine and I wish you all the very best throughout the coming year

I would now like to introduce my family who are here with me today to you all.

Unfortunately both my older children could not be here tonight.  My daughter Erin, whose husband Ryan is an E-6 in the United States Coast Guard, along with my grandson Bryson, just reported to his new assignment on Fire Island, Long Island, New York this past week, after two years of being stationed down in Key West, Florida. 

And my oldest son Zachary, who also could not be here today, as he is a Lance Corporal in the United States Marine Corps and had to report back to Camp Lejeune, after completing his first tour in Iraq, as many of you know.

They both are always close to my heart and I couldn’t be prouder as a father, of their sacrifices for the safety of our country.

I do have here with me today my youngest son, Tyler, who keeps me on my toes and who brings a refreshing innocence to my daily life.  There is nothing like seeing things through the eyes of a 6 year old.

Also here tonight, I have my Mother-in-law, Cathy Megna, along with my Brother-in-law and Sister-in-law Larry and Joan McLaughlin and their daughter and my niece Chrissie.  By the way, Larry is a member of the Franklin Lodge of Elks.  And both Cathy and Joanie are dedicated Wednesday Night Bingo players at the Franklin Lodge.

And tonight a very special couple is at my family table, My Best Man, Bob and Alice Hinton.  It is truly a wonderful to have Bob here, after all he has been through the past 5 months, but it was his goal to be here tonight to see me installed.  And as you can see, miracles do happen.  Thank you Alice for getting Bob here this weekend, as he only got home this past week.  Also at the table is one of my Exalted Rulers, when I was District Deputy, Charlie Topping of the Falmouth Lodge.

And last but not least, want to introduce to you the First Lady of the Massachusetts Elks Association, my lovely wife, Mary, who has supported me on my journey through the chairs of our Association, not an easy thing to do with a little one at home and has kept me humble, all at the same time.

Tonight, I wish to present a challenge to each and every Elk in Massachusetts and this challenge is to turn around our Membership decline.  I truly believe we can. We have a wonderful history that each and every one of you should be proud of and not to be afraid to publicize; to not only to our current members, but the thousands of potential members in our State.

I would like to bring up a couple of examples, to remind us all, of what the history of our Order has done and continues to do.

As the MA Elks State E-Mail Editor for the past several years I have found that the majority of Lodge bulletins or Lodge websites focus primarily on activities for those members who are able to frequent the Lodge. Not enough bulletins display a photo of a child, or a veteran being assisted by our members. With the new techniques now available to us through the use of computers and internet, a simple photo speaks a thousand words and those members who don’t come down to our Lodges on a regular basis, need to see the many good things their respective Lodges are doing.

"Pride is Contagious!" and a well-prepared Lodge bulletin and a hard working Public Relations Committee, can help stimulate pride in being a member.  And just maybe keep many members from failing to pay their dues. 

Before mailing your lodge bulletin or putting together a Lodge Webpage, ask yourself if anything in that publication would stimulate you to continue paying dues, if you were not able to come down to your Lodge on a regular basis.  If you need any help with your Public Relations, please don’t hesitate to contact our State Chairman on Public Relations Bill Minichello or his committee, who have some great ideas on how to get the right message out to your members or to those in your community.

Another example is this; a vast majority of citizens of Massachusetts do not know that the Elks War Relief Commission established July 11, 1917, constructed the Elks Reconstruction Hospital in Boston, a 700 bed facility which provided care to thousands of our veterans returning home from the First World War.

This was the first V.A. Hospital!

It's a shame that many of our veterans, despite a successful tour in the military, return home to find their war experiences make adjustment to civilian life so difficult.

On any given night, hundreds of homeless veterans are sleeping on the streets in Massachusetts. Our veterans’ whether hospitalized or homeless, need us, and I am very proud of what we, the Massachusetts Elks, under the leadership of our State Director Charlie Kay, continue provide for our Veterans.

These are just a few examples of what we can do to promote membership in our Order.  We all joined the Elks for various reasons, but once we came to know what Elkdom was really all about, each of us has remained an Elk because we want to make a positive difference in the lives of others less fortunate or maybe to invest in our future through the many youth programs and scholarships we have.

You and I can do just so much as individuals, but by working together we are able to pool our resources and accomplish so much more.

My motto for this year is a very simple one. It is this:

“Those who can, do.

Those who can do more, are called Elks”

Think about that for a minute.  Be proud of what you do as an Elk and don’t be afraid to tell the stories of what services we as Elks provide, tell it to your friends, to your neighbors or to your communities.

We need to get more people to join our ranks and I am confident that we can have a membership gain this year, if we just get out the word about the great services that we as Elks continue to provide for our youth, our veterans and to our communities. 

To accomplish this, each and every one in our Association, has to want to take on this challenge, each and every day, with every possible opportunity we have to talk to people who are not yet members of our Order.

I again thank each and every one of you for your support and confidence. I am looking forward to seeing you and visiting your lodges throughout the state this coming year and continuing the goals of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.

God bless you and all our members of our Association, God bless our troops and veterans, and God bless America!!!