
Follow us on Social Media :
On Sunday February 28th the Oakland Park Elks Lodge #2407 had their first Focus Grant BBQ Dinner in honor of all Veterans. Thanks to all the volunteers and Elks, it went off without a hitch! While this was the first Focus Grant BBQ, it was one of the many events that the Elks puts on in order to give back to the community.
In order to make the BBQ Dinner happen Doug Satran, ER (Lodge President) drafted a grant. The lodge was awarded the grant and with the monies received they were able to host the event. All funding was provided entirely by the grant we received with the stipulation to spend it all on our Veterans.
The total amount of the focus grant was $10,000. $2000 worth of Publix food cards were purchased, $2500 was used to cater the event and $5500 was used for purchasing essential items.
So, early in 2020 the Elks began planning efforts to host a “giving back” dinner. The idea was to have a free dinner with all drinks included. They had raised $23,500.00for charities through grants. Their efforts were unparalleled by any other lodge in their district. This feat lead them to dub themselves “The Little Lodge that Could”. Lodge member Michelle Renee, shares ” We are humbly proud of what we have done in such a short amount of time to put ourselves on the map“.
While the focus of their efforts were the veterans, all were welcome to the Elks free dinner. The catering for the BBQ was provided by Hunny’z Kitchen, LLC . Chef Anthony was the BBQ extraordinaire. His wife and CEO, Dawn, kept everything organized and food flowing!
Three Boy Scouts from CP Pack 179 were on site to help pick up with cleanup efforts. According to Renee “They were awesome and the Veterans loved seeing them in their uniforms and took pictures with them and Thank you to their Mom’s for sharing them with us for the day. We also thank Hunny’z Kitchen, LLC for all their help in making our BBQ for Veterans a huge success”.
The Elks are looking forward to more events this coming year. So stay tuned for information about their An Annual Luau in June and possible Chili Cook Off for Children’s Therapy Services in September. Next month, on April 9th, they will host a Pan Asian Night. Oakland Park Mayor, Jane Bolin, will be there and will be serving up Korean BBQ and Elk’s Esquire Arnicua Cuarenta will be making Lumpia! So stop the Lodge, you never know the fun that awaits you at the Little Lodge That Could and Did!
EDITOR, PUBLISHER, WRITER, PHOTOGRAPHER, REALTOR®
Désirée Ávila has called Oakland Park her home for over 33 years. In addition to publishing LivingInOaklandPark.com, Désirée has been featured in print publications, locally and abroad. Désirée was an award winning teacher for 10 years and has a doctoral level education in Educational Technology. She is currently a licensed Florida Realtor® and is committed to a high-level of professionalism.
Désirée consistently professionally develops herself and has earned several different professional designations and certifications in real estate including the PSA, e-Pro, AHWD, SRS, ABR, and SFR. She was also awarded the C2EX, Commitment to Excellence award by the National Association for Realtors (NAR). This award is given to Realtors® that distinguish themselves for their commitment to excellence in the real estate industry.
She is esteemed by her real estate colleagues and has consistently received 5 star reviews from her clients. Her philosophy about real estate is that being a Realtor® is a way of teaching and helping people, and in the process a real estate transaction may occur, that is to say her foremost priority is and has always been about helping others.
She is dedicated to her hometown of Oakland Park and works consistently on building and fostering a strong community. She is passionate about photography and loves to read books about history ; the more detail the better! In addition to English, Désirée is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, French and Italian.
Check out her real estate websites:
DesireeAvila.com
OaklandParkRealEstateAgent.com
Search for New Construction Homes with Désirée : www.IWantToBuyNewConstruction.com
Visit her real estate blog at www.DesireeRealtor.com
© 2019 LivingInOaklandPark.com is published by The Pink Pineapple Creative Company LLC. The Pink Pineapple Creative Company LLC is owned by Desiree Avila, M.A., P.A. Realtor®, C2EX, PSA®, SRS®, SFR®, ABR®, GRI, e-Pro, and AHDWD. Desiree Avila is licensed Florida Realtor® with Charles Rutenberg Realty in Fort Lauderdale. For information about real estate in the area go to www.desireeavilarealtor.com
LivingInOaklandPark.com is an independent publication not affiliated with the City of Oakland Park.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE : Content may not be copied, reproduced, transmitted, distributed, downloaded or transferred in any form or by any means without LivingInOaklandPark.com’s prior written consent, and with express attribution to LivingInOaklandPark.com. Copyright infringement is a violation of federal law subject to criminal and civil penalties.
You must be logged in to post a comment.