- Details
- Category: Current Issue
caption:
Presentation
Left to right: Susan Desrosiers, Arc executive director; Jeff Rawson, VP of Board of Directors and Elk Lysa Molnar. Courtesy photo.
PUTNAM --- After meeting per-member donation goals set by the Elks National Foundation, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Putnam Lodge #574, was awarded a $2,000 Gratitude Grant. Gratitude Grants offer opportunities for Elks to serve their community and are typically used to support local, charitable activities. In May 2013, a Gratitude Grant from the Elks National Foundation allowed the Putnam Elks to purchase dictionaries for Putnam 8th-graders.
Earlier this month, Esteemed Leading Knight and Officer of the Year Lysa Molnar presented representatives from The Arc of Quinebaug Valley with the grant funds, for The Arc’s still-new “Kids on the Block” puppet program.
Molnar explained why the “Kids on the Block” puppet program was chosen to be the recipient of the grant funds:
“This will enable [The Arc] to purchase more puppets for skits that explain an intellectual disability, physical impairment or unconventional family situation,” she said in an email. The program, performed at local schools, teaches children how to accept differences and diversity, according to The Arc. Children are encouraged to ask questions so that they can come together in knowledge and understanding.
Later this year, the Elks plan to host a ‘Family Night’ at the Lodge that will include the educational puppets.