Elks Club 25th Anniversary 9/11 Ceremony

The big memorial unveiling on Marco Island was not the only 9/11 commemoration in the area. At Elks Lodge 2010 on the East Trail in Naples, members of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE) gathered to remember the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, pay tribute to the victims, and particularly to the first responders who answered the call for help and paid the ultimate price.

The event was enhanced by the presence of the Lely High School JROTC honor guard, who presented the colors. The members of the squad, primarily high school juniors and sophomores, were not born until about a decade after the day being remembered – an odd thought for those of us who have vivid recollections of just where we were that morning.

Even after a quarter century, memories of that day in September 2001 remain fresh for all those who lived through it and were old enough to understand on some level that our country and the world had changed in a profound way.

The proceedings were conducted by Past Exalted Ruler Paul Martello, in the absence of Bob Costello, the current exalted ruler of the lodge. As he led the ceremony, Martello was compelled to “tap dance” a little, as recorded musical segments encountered repeated technical difficulties.

As the ceremony unfolded in the Elks’ meeting room, Angie Davis kept dabbing her eyes. The former East Naples fire commissioner remembered her husband Leo Davis, who was operations chief for what was then the East Naples Fire Dept., and passed away two years ago.

“It opens up wounds that haven’t healed,” said Angie. “He called me up that day to make sure I was safe and told me to get my ass home. We didn’t know what might come next” after the initial 9/11 attacks. “I can’t quit crying once I start.” During the ceremony, Davis teared up, but then she cheered up and was smiling when a reporter accosted her in the dining room afterward.

The club put an Elks spin on the remembrances, with four speakers reflecting on 9/11 from each of four cardinal principles of the BPOE: charity, justice, brotherly love, and fidelity. Most of those in the room were old enough that they had been well into adulthood on 9/11/2001, but Esteemed Loyal Knight Nicole Clifford, 31, who spoke on “justice,” remembered being sent home that day from her elementary school in Connecticut. “It was so close,” she said. “Everything was unknown.”

Esteemed Lecturing Knight Lisa Frey, who spoke on “brotherly love,” puts that love into action through her work. She is the principal of Got Your Six Service Dogs, whose mission is “to provide highly trained service dogs to veterans at no cost.” Frey came to the event with Rodeo, her personal pet dog, who is a 145 lb. male Great Dane, along with Augusta, his puppy, who is one of a litter of pups being trained as service dogs for a veteran who needs the assistance.

The event was a fundraiser to benefit the Got Your Six service dog program, which is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. They can use the assistance; Frey estimated it costs from $40,000 to $65,000 to fully train each service dog. Her organization continues to provide food, gear, and medical care for the dogs even after they are paired with a veteran. Got Your Six specializes in dogs for vets with PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, or mobility issues.

“I love our country and our veterans,” said Frey, who is also the newly appointed chair of the lodge’s veterans committee. “There is so much need for programs to help those who sacrificed for us.”

As part of giving back from the Elks Club, first responders were invited to the ceremony and the luau, featuring a pig roast, that followed it, free of charge.

In addition to their work with veterans, some of the lodge’s charitable efforts are directed toward Manatee Middle School. In November, the lodge will participate in the “Hurricane Harvest,” feeding dinner to approximately 300, said lodge representative Brian Kamp. In all, he said, the lodge donated over $160,000 last year, including gear for law enforcement officers and their dogs, headsets for students and other school supplies, and teacher appreciation gifts.