COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – The Elks Lodge in Coldwater and the national fraternal Order of Elks are stepping up their support of veterans. The local BPOE Lodge #1023 in Coldwater was in the spotlight yesterday for a meeting of the Coldwater Noon Rotary Club, which gathers weekly at the Elks Lodge.
Kathy Modert, in her second year as the Exalted Ruler of the local Elks chapter, spoke Tuesday to Rotarians and began her address by saluting about a dozen veterans who are members of the Noon Rotary Club, thanking them, in her words, “for their valor and for stepping up when their country called”. According to Modert, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks will never forget a veteran.
She said the Coldwater Elks Lodge has begun having a picnic for veterans and nearly one hundred vets attended the picnic at the Branch County Fairgrounds, where they received a t-shirt and a $25 gift card. The event is held on the second Saturday of July.
Coming up next month, there will be a dinner for veterans at the Lodge Monday November 6. Nationally, the Elks has joined with the Department of Veterans Affairs to start a test program in several larger cities to provide housing for homeless veterans.
