Sheri Samson
Hawthorne’s local 1704 Elks Lodge recently presented new Mineral County School District superintendent Karen Watson a $2,000 check for its Angel Fund program.

A $2,000 check was handed to the Mineral County School District’s new superintendent, Karen Watson and Fiscal Reporting Data Manager Spring Blazewick. Earmarked for the district’s Angel Fund, this money came from a grant-funded Elks Lodge program entitled Gratitude Grants. Hawthorne’s local 1704 Elks Lodge had Leading Knight Kent Wofford, Earnie Wood and Ben Miller on hand to deliver the funds.

The Angel Fund was established to address the beneficial needs of students who may struggle with meal programs and other specific areas, whereas the Gratitude Grant comes from the Elks National Foundation and was established to promote a positive method of energizing communities through charitable activities and assisting with community services. Lodges are only eligible for this grant if a per-member giving was met by the criteria set forth in the prior year.

“This may be a drop in the bucket toward the overall need, but pretty soon that bucket is full enough because of these drops,” Miller shared.

In appreciation to this donation, Watson invited these representatives to become part of a Community Coalition she is developing.

“This will be designed to bring many entities together, and will include those working with kids, supporting the local endeavors for our students and those that desire the development of a collaboration toward the success of our youth. I will host a quarterly luncheon here and create a roundtable for exchanging ideas and networking our capabilities.”