Elks elect Pat Trask new exalted ruler
According to newly elected Exalted Ruler Pat Trask, island Elks Club officers serve a one-year term. They are elected to the position, which previous Exalted Ruler Judy Hopkins held for three years.
“The Elks is a national organization with 5,000 lodges in the United States,” said Trask. “It’s an American institution, not an international one. The Greater Pine Island Elks has about 350 members. Many of them do not live in Florida. They come and visit for several months a year and the membership elects the officers.”
Although Trask feels the title is not something she would elect to call herself, she accepts the title of exalted ruler, as it comes with her position, for which she feels a tremendous responsibility. For many, she says, the Elks Club is a place for members to eat, play cards and socialize. The lodge side of the club, she explained, is where meetings are held in order to discuss business issues.
“Recently I’ve had conversations with two of the gentlemen that started this Elks Club in the 1980s,” said Trask. “At that time there were not a lot of services for children on the island, so they really wanted to fill that gap. They focused on their community efforts in dealing with children and also with veterans. That’s been the focus of this Elks Lodge.”
At the state and national levels, Trask said the Elks are interested in youth, with the lodge able to send youth to camp free of charge, with the exception of getting to camp and any needed incidentals. The Florida Elks Children Therapy Services is an Elks member-supported organization for the utilization of children with special needs, such as autism, or in need of physical or occupational therapy.
“Babies, children and even teenagers are able to get one hour a week for 26 weeks of in home therapy,” said Trask. “They work with the whole family, but specifically the child.
“As the new exalted ruler I was obligated to go to officer training where we learned a lot about this program,” she continued. “This therapy program was particularly interesting to me, not only because they go into the homes, and these are homes where they maybe don’t qualify for the best services or they don’t have insurance, but if that home has two or three kids that need services, even though it may not be exactly the same service, it isn’t one hour per family, per week for 26 weeks, it’s one hour per child. It’s an amazing service, provided through the benevolence of the Elks members.”
Her duties as administrator of the lodge, Trask said, includes running meetings, and general oversight of the property and activities, which, she admits, can be challenging. Thankfully, she said, many good people have stepped in to lend a hand at keeping things running.
Having only been a member of the Elks for a little over a year made her jump to the role as exalted ruler a very rapid one, however Trask credits the role, in part, to her experience working with non-profit organizations.
“I was a non-profit legal attorney,” said Trask. “I understand charity, I understand benevolence — all the things that the Elks stand for. I didn’t grow up thinking someday I’d be the exalted ruler of the Elks … I never even had that on my radar.”
Trask said shortly after becoming a member, she was recruited to run for the position and accepted the challenge. After the past three years, which she describes as solid leadership, she says it is always difficult to follow a new leader.
“It was a challenge I was willing to accept,” said Trask. “It is a transition year and there is a fair amount of ‘That’s not the way we always did it,’ but when we pull together as Elks and we remember that the Elks are actually about sharing and caring, helping children, remembering veterans and bringing forth patriotic activities, we move forward as a lodge.
“We are the Greater Pine Island Elks. We’re here for you, to work with you and beside you.”