ROCKLAND -- On May 6, 2006, the Maine Elks Association (MEA) honored several youths from across the State of Maine as part of their 77th Annual State Convention held in Rockland. The youths were recognized as state winners of contests sponsored by the association. The awards were presented at a special banquet, attended by over 300 members, guests, and families of the recipients.
The first awards presented were for the Elks Americanism Essay Contest. This contest was open to 5th through 8th Graders who wrote a 200 word essay on "What I Feel When I Look up at the American Flag." The Elks nationwide promote this contest to encourage our nations youth to share in the love for our country by showing and promoting the ideals that make this country great. Presenting the awards were MEA Americanism Director Richie Philbrick and MEA State President Elmer Berry.
Over several hundred students participated in the program across the State of Maine. The state winners were Alyson Roy (Biddeford-Saco Elks), Elizabeth Tangncy (Biddeford-Saco Elks), Bryant Perkins (Sanford Elks), and Kyle Kohler (Lewiston Elks). Those in attendance had the opportunity to hear the inspirational message of each winner when they read their essay. The state winners each received a plaque with their essay engraved upon it, along with a monetary award.
Next were the awards for the Elks Drug Awareness contests. There were three different contests-a coloring contest open to 3rd Graders, a poster contest open to 4th Graders, and an essay contest open to 5th Graders. The overall theme for each contest this year was "Why Illegal Drugs Can Ruin Your Life." The Elks Drug Awareness contests are used to help educate parents, and to encourage the youth of our country to take a stand against the dangers of drugs, alcohol, and smoking. Presenting the awards was MEA Drug Awareness Director Frank Ricker.
The winners of the coloring contest were: Rachel Martin (Old Town Elks), Bailey Dyer (Rumford Elks Lodge). The poster contest winners were: Courtney Blouin (Rumford Elks Lodge) and Liam Robertson (Skowhegan-Madison Elks Lodge), and the winners of the essay contest were: Shyla Cyr (Millinocket Elks Lodge) and Ben Clement (Skowhegan-Madison Elks Lodge).
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| Americanism Essay Winners: L-R: Maine Elks Americanism Director Richie Philbrick of the Rumford Elks Lodge, Elizabeth Tangncy, Bryant Perkins, Kyle Kohler, Alyson Roy, and Maine Elks State President Elmer Berry of the Lewiston Elks Lodge. |
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| Drug Awareness Winners: (L-R): Maine Elks State President Elmer Berry of the Lewiston Elks Lodge, Shyla Cyr, Ben Clement, Liam Robertson, Bailey Dyer, and Rachel Martin. |
The Maine Elks Association is a non-profit organization consisting of 22 Lodges and over 11,000 members in the State of Maine. The association provides support programs in areas such as Americanism, Scholarships, Drug Awareness, and Veterans/National Service. For more information on the Elks, visit www.elks.org, or visit your local Elks Lodge.
