Rules – 1. The contest is open to all 6th, 7th, & 8th grade students. Participants must write their essay themselves, but they may get help from teachers, parents, or friends in the form of ideas. 2. Length: No longer than 250 words. 3. Paper size: 8 1/2 x 11 inch. 4. Text: Typed, computer generated text, hand written or hand printed.
Judging will be based on the following: 1. Closeness to the theme 2. Neatness 3. Originality 4. Correct grammatical structure
Each entry must have the following information on the back of the essay: 1. Student’s full name 2. School, location, grade 3. Elks lodge name 4. Must also be accompanied by Hold Harmless agreement
Due date: Essays are due by the end of January.
Winners: Your local Elks lodge will select the top essays, using the criteria listed above. The lodge will notify winners. Winning essays will be forwarded to District Competition. District winners will be forwarded to State Level Competition. All winning entries become the sole property of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and may not be returned.
National recognition: Each State Drug Awareness Chairman will choose one overall winner. This winning essay will be submitted for entry into the National contest and may be featured on the www.elkskidszone.org website and/or in ENF or DAP publications. Elks Drug Awareness Poster Contest END 1
B – Elks Drug Awareness Video Contest
The theme for the 2024-2025 contest is: “Throw Away Drugs – Not Your Future”
Rules 1. The contest is open to two age groups: Pre-High School & High School 2. Participants: May be an individual or group 3. Length: 2 to 5 minutes in length 4. Format: Flash Drive or similar “mobile” media in readable format
Judging will be based on the following: 1. Closeness to the theme 2. Neatness 3. Originality 4. Age and Language appropriate 5. Positive message 6. Quality of video
Each entry must include the following information: 1. Student or Group’s full name 2. School, location, grade 3. Elks lodge name 4. Must also be accompanied by Hold Harmless agreement 5. If minors an additional release form is required
Due date: Essays are due by the end of January.
Winners: Your local Elks lodge will select the top videos, using the criteria listed above. The lodge will notify winners. Winning videos will be forwarded to District Competition. District winners will be forwarded to State Level Competition. All winning entries become the sole property of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and may not be returned.
National recognition: Each State Drug Awareness Chairman will choose one overall winner. This winning video will be submitted for entry into the National contest and may be featured on the www.elkskidszone.org website and/or in ENF or DAP publications.
C – Elks Drug Awareness Video Contest
The theme for the 2024-2025 contest is: “Throw Away Drugs – Not Your Future”
Rules 1. The contest is open to two age groups: Pre-High School & High School 2. Participants: May be an individual or group 3. Length: 2 to 5 minutes in length 4. Format: Flash Drive or similar “mobile” media in readable format
Judging will be based on the following: 1. Closeness to the theme 2. Neatness 3. Originality 4. Age and Language appropriate 5. Positive message 6. Quality of video
Each entry must include the following information: 1. Student or Group’s full name 2. School, location, grade
Elks lodge name 3. Must also be accompanied by Hold Harmless agreement 4. If minors an additional release form is required
Due date: Essays are due by the end of January.
Winners: Your local Elks lodge will select the top videos, using the criteria listed above. The lodge will notify winners. Winning videos will be forwarded to District Competition. District winners will be forwarded to State Level Competition. All winning entries become the sole property of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and may not be returned.
National recognition: Each State Drug Awareness Chairman will choose one overall winner. This winning video will be submitted for entry into the National contest and may be featured on the www.elkskidszone.org website and/or in ENF or DAP publications.
2024
BPOE’s National Drug Awareness Speaker Ray Lozano returns to Missouri for 4th consecutive year
His website . . . Ray Lozano – Speaker for Drug & Alcohol Prevention
While in Missouri Ray spoke at Arcadia Valley Middle School (Healthy Choices – Addition, 330 students), Arcadia High School (Vaping – 310 students), Saint Louis Elks Lodge #9 (Let’s Taco about Drugs – 30 members + 5 students), Jackson Junior High School (Healthy Choices – Addition, TBA # of students), Jackson Junior High School (Vaping – TBA # of students), Saxony Lutheran High School (Drunk Driving – TBA # of students), Alpa Academy Hight School (Marijuana – 25 students), Brentwood High School (Marijuana – 210 students), and Crestview Middle School (Vaping – 1600 students).
Note: Ray gave presentations at Arcadia Valley High School and Arcadia Valley Middle School October 29th, 2024
Note: Ray gave presentations at Suxony High School and Jackson Junior High School October 28th, 2024
Pictured are Ray Lozano, Jackson Lodge 2652 PER and Trustee Kim Anello, PER and Jackson Drug Awareness Chairman Alicha Young, retired teacher and member of the Jackson Lodge Greg Clippard, Dexter Lodge 2439 Drug Awareness Chairman Terry Carmack, State Secretary Bud Clarkson, and PER and Trustee from Dexter Lodge Dennis Carmack.
Pictured L to R – Joy Clarkson (Southeast District DA Chairman) , Stephanie Ledure (Cape Girardeau DA Chairman), Paul Ledure (Southeast District Vice President). Chris and Ray Lozano-Ray and his wife Chris travel worldwide to educate youth on the dangers of drug abuse, and Beth Schnettler-Metro East District Drug Awareness Chairman. This was a great opportunity for the youth of Southeast Missouri.”
Pictured L to R – PSP Larry Robinson (Past State President + Grand Lodge Esquire – Festus Crystal City #1721), Robert Dixon (Saint Louis #9 – PER), Kurt Eggerding (Saint Louis #9 – PER), Jim Ross (State President – Festus Crystal City #1721), Ray Lozano, Beth Schnettler (PER + Drug Awareness Chair – Saint Louis #9), Ryan Jennings (Exalted Ruler – Saint Louis #9)
Table or Treat
2023
BPOE’s National Drug Awareness Speaker Ray Lozano returns to Missouri for 3rd consecutive year
In total Ray spoke to over 3100 students. Elk Lodge involvement included attending the presentations, helping arrange the presentations and helping provide meals while Ray was in the St. Louis area. In Ray Lozano’s report to the Grand Lodge, he stated “This had been an excellent tour because there were so many different Elk Lodges involved.” The cooperation between lodges and districts helps make our organization more dynamic and represents how one lodge helping another lodge can strengthen our visibility in the Drug Awareness Commission and the message to Live Drug Free to our youth.
You might ask what topics are discussed during these presentations. Some schools re quested Ray speak on alcohol to student leaders to help them set an example for other students at their schools. Vaping was requested by almost every school as this is a problem beginning in the middle schools and progressing through the high schools. One high school principal was concerned Ray may not be able to hold the student’s attention for 45 minutes, but after the presentation he came to Ray to say thank you as he was so totally impressed by the way the information was presented and how it reached the students. Before reaching the next school, that principal had sent a request for Ray to come again next year. This was a message received over and over. Principals and teachers are impressed with the energy Ray brings to the presentations which allows Ray to hold the attention of the students. Have you ever been in a middle school with over 800 silent students as they listen to a story? Students write on Ray’s websites how much they learned from the presentations. This is the important work we can accomplish by working together.
If you see representatives from the following lodges, please say thank you for their participation in this visit: St. Louis #9, Affton Lodge #2635, Troy Lodge #2805, Warrenton Lodge #2662, and Mineral Area Lodge #2583. St. Louis #9 is holding October 28 – November 1, 2024, for Ray Lozano to be in the area again. If your lodge would like to be in volved, please contact Beth Schnettler at St. Louis #9, [email protected]) to see how you can get involved.
2022
BPOE’s National Drug Awareness Speaker Ray Lozano returns to Missouri for 2nd consecutive year
His website . . . https://raylozano.com
2021
BPOE’s National Drug Awareness Speaker Ray Lozano makes historic visit to Missouri to educate on Drug Awareness
PHILOSOPHY
“I truly believe young people have amazing potential. With the right tools and direction, that potential can be realized and even soar. My mission is to make a difference in the lives of young people and teach them to do the same in others.”
BIOGRAPHY
Since 1986, Ray Lozano has educated and entertained thousands of students in hundreds of middle schools and high schools from Alaska to Florida, and internationally in the Cayman Islands and Bermuda. Ray has a talent and gift for conveying what could be construed as boring drug and alcohol prevention information in such a fun and humorous way that his audiences come away informed and entertained. The best analogy would be giving your kids medicine in a spoon-full of sugar. There’s a good reason that Ray’s audiences feel like they just came back from the Improv rather than from a “lecture.” Ray has performed stand-up comedy at the Improv in Hollywood and Ontario, CA. It is his background in comedy that keeps his audiences coming back time and time again. The fact that he has been asked to return to many of the same schools across the nation, some for as long as 15 years, speaks to Ray’s ability to keep his information updated, fresh and relevant.
Ray’s varied experience professionally has equipped him to become the unique speaker that he is today. His career started out in the Teen Challenge Ministry Institute, where he saw firsthand the ravages of drug use in young adults. Having not used drugs or alcohol, this was an eye-opening experience to see firsthand the deleterious effects that drugs have on a young person. He saw how drugs stripped away a person’s chance for an extraordinary life. From working with people fighting their way back from addiction, he realized he wanted to work with kids before they got involved in drugs and alcohol, which led him to his work in prevention.
As a Vice Principal for a private elementary school, he launched an after-school program with an emphasis on promoting a family-oriented, drug-free philosophy. This gave him an understanding from an educator’s perspective that schools are looking for the best for their students.
Ray Lozano was the Program Specialist for a very successful youth prevention program at an internationally known, Level-A teaching hospital. The youth program provides drug and alcohol education for youth ages 14-18. Through the program, Ray increased the adolescent’s knowledge of the effects of drugs and alcohol on the body, the addictive process, consequences of risky behaviors, alternative choices and the ability to make positive life decisions.
Ray holds a current certification as Prevention Specialist from the state of California as a drug and alcohol counselor.
