All American Lodge

2022

March

January 2022 Newsletter Article – Contest A : Go at Throttle Up

With three months to go in the fiscal 2022 All American Lodge competition the Saint Louis #9 Rocketship has propulsion at Max-Q.

“It’s a term, ‘Max Q,’ that’s about achieving a certain level of performance. It’s really based on us, not on the opponent, of us reaching the highest level of competence and execution. We talk to our guys about it all the time, and I think we came pretty close to it today.” – Mike Martz, 2000.

• Achieving the Impact Grant was a 50 point pickup. The 14 other winning lodges are from California (2), Idaho, Iowa, Maine, New Jersey (3), New York, Tennessee, Rhode Island, Washington, Wyoming, and Missouri (us). Neither of the other two All American Division III winners (1st: Casa Grande Valley, AR #1957, 3rd Place: Vestal, NY #2508) earned the grant which has us racing in clean air with our flanks guarded.
• Beth has already achieved 90 of the 100 points available within the ENF Challenge.
• After reviewing the current contest, of the 1,217 possible points I estimate we’ll earn between 1025 and 1045 which’ll leave between 172 and 192 on the table. Last year our 827 total earned a 2nd Place so it’s feasible we’ll defend and may achieve a 1st which will take us from a Top 12 to a Top 6 lodge. To be surpassed a competitor must be doing everything we’re doing and have less than 5% non-payments (annual membership), fund raise up to $5,000 dedicated to Dictionaries, have an Antler program, and compete in Ritual (requiring conducting the Initiation Ritual without visual aids).

“Let’s face it, we have so many playmakers, this is an offense that makes you just shake your head. Maybe there’s some team out there that can shut all of us down, but we don’t think there is such a defense. We have too many weapons.” – Torry Holt, 2001

Godspeed,
Timothy Regan Luby – Quest to maintain All American

November 2021- Winning Badge Selected

August 2021 – Newsletter Announcement

Below is All American Lodge (pursuit of) Chairman PER Luby writing about the achievement in the August Newsletter.

“Greed Works – During the July BPOE Annual Convention it was announced that the lodge achieved coveted All American Lodge status. Per the Grand Lodge, “All-American Lodge Contest-A is the most prestigious of the Grand Lodge Awards, for it recognizes those Lodges best exemplifying that Elks Care – Elks Share.” Note, the Grand Lodge awards 18 winners (a 1st, 2nd, & 3rd place) among 6 divisions (D1 = 300 members or fewer, D2 = 301-500 members, D3 = 501-700 members, D4 = 701-1,100 members, and D5 = 1,500 members or more). Of the current 1882 Lodges (down from 1884 last year) we achieved 2nd Place of Division 3 so one could reasonably argue we’re the top lodge of our size in the District, State, ‘Area 5’ (Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, & Wisconsin), and in all of the flyover. The only other winner in the ecliptic is Fayetteville-Springdale Arkansas #1987 who are 333 miles to to the southwest (3rd Place in Division IV) 4) and the only other non-boarder/coastal winner is from Utah (St. George Dixie #2534) which leaves the rest from Arizona, California, Florida, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. Statewide, I’ve been notified that only six (the Grand Lodge has yet to confirm) other Missouri lodges have earned the accreditation (Chillicothe #656, Columbia #594, Grandview-Hickman Mills #2088, Mineral Area Community #2583, Osage Community #2705, and Poplar Bluff #2452) since the contest began in 1982. Considering where the lodge was in 2014 (treading water with 210 members) this is unprecedented as we’ve leapfrogged every weak, average, and top performing lodge, regardless of size within 333 miles in every direction. Back in the summer of 2018 I wrote in this very newsletter how cool it would be to someday hit MAX Q which has happened if you factor in the new Club Room, this Certification, membership up-kick, unity, enthusiasm, leadership, tight compliance, site strategy committee working towards a smoking solution, and website. How I wish Pete (rest in peace) was here to be a part of this.

The quest to achieve All American status takes a mammoth buyin from the Board of Directors and Committee heads as the Grand Lodge judges ENF, membership, delinquents, grants, most valuable students, scholarships, recognizing Scouts, drug awareness program, hoops/soccer shoots, youth activities, organ donations, veterans programs, americanism, essay contest, Flag rituals, internal awards, earning citations, charity reporting, current bylaws, newsletter, website, indoctrination of incoming members, earned media (local & national), social media, and additional rituals. Simply put, the Grand Lodge produced a list of 47 activities and up to 1217 points and St. Louis #9 earned a higher score than at least 1870 of the 1882 lodges on the planet. This is a rare-air, Jordan’esk, podium achievement that we must not only maintain but use as a springboard to pursue a 1st Place in fiscal 2022 as the contest resets every fiscal year.

In closing, I’d like everyone to get GREEDY about St. Louis #9 and this certification going forward. To motivate, I offer a Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) quote from Wall Street (1987), “Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will save that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA.”

Quest for AAL
PER Luby, Chair – AAL Pursuit

July 2021

The rumors are true, during the 2021 BPOE Natation Convention it was announced that St. Louis Lodge #9 achieved All American Lodge Status. The lodge will soon announce a logo creation contact followed by swag commemorating the achievement. Expect this to be well covered in the August Lodge Magazine.

2020

Per the Grand Lodge, All-American Lodge Contest-A is, “This is the most prestigious of the Grand Lodge Awards, for it recognizes those Lodges best exemplifying that Elks Care – Elks Share. You must, however, enter in order to have a chance to win.”

The entre form for the fiscal 2021 contest was published in September 2020 which has been a labor of love of P.E.R. Luby’s since. Per Grand Lodge guidelines, our four page Activities and Points entre forms (see below) were provided to our District Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler in late March 2021.

Winners will be announced during day two of the general session of the Elks National Convention Tuesday 6 being held in Tampa Florida.

Grand Lodge Press Release announcing the contest in September 2020.