Illinois Elks Association
Illinois Elks Association
Greg Verdun - DDGER 2010-2011 - Pontiac #1019
Greg Verdun is a champion of charitable causes. He is easily able to reel off the many programs assisted by the Pontiac Elks Lodge, of which he has been a member for more than two decades.
Verdun has devoted many years and countless hours to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks organization at both the local and state level. He has been an officer in the Pontiac Elks for 26 years and served as exalted ruler, the equivalent of president, from 1992-93. He has served as secretary of the local lodge since then. And he is now in the midst of fulfilling a one-year term at the national level.
Verdun was elected as a representative for the National Elks organization July 8 and in that capacity oversees nine Elks lodges in the northeast and central part of Illinois. Those lodges include Pontiac, Watseka, Kankakee, Streator, Ottawa, Dolton-Lynwood, Joliet, and the Chicago suburbs of Midlothian and Oak Lawn.
“There are 3,500 members amongst all nine and I think I could walk into any of those lodges and know the faces of the members I meet,” Verdun said. As a national representative, Verdun is required to visit each lodge, inspect all buildings for safety, inspect each lodge’s financials, and deliver “motivational speeches.”
Prior to this position, Verdun spent six years as a district officer with the Illinois Elks Association, following in the footsteps of other Pontiac lodge members Chuck Pearson and Bob Eckhoff. Verdun said one thing he has learned is that Pontiac has gone against the trend of shrinking memberships.
“I moved to Pontiac in 1976 and at that time there was the Moose Lodge that had more than 2,000 members and a busy hall. It’s now gone,” he said. “The Knights of Columbus had a large membership and flourishing nightclub. That’s now gone. The American Legion had a very popular restaurant. It’s gone, too. “But since 1993, the Pontiac Elks Lodge went from 690 to 950 members today,” he said. “A major reason our membership increased was Chuck Patterson. Chuck was our membership chairman during those years and he brought in more than 50 new members. We now have a membership drive in his memory, Chuck 1019. Our lodge number is #1019 and in Chuck’s honor we want to increase our membership to that number. We have about 70 to go,” he stated. “I’ve been very excited about our own membership and the number of women joining,” Verdun added. He praised newly elected Exalted Ruler Kristi Wykes and noted at last September’s initiation of 14 new members, eight were women.
A fraternal organization, members are invited to join. To be a member of the Elks, a candidate must be at least 21 years of age, profess a belief in God and be sponsored by a current member. Candidates must then be approved by an investigatory committee and then approved by two-thirds of the members present and voting.
“A lot of people may think it’s because of the golf course, but only about 200 members are also members of the golf club. Most members belong because of the social interaction and fraternal activities,” he said. “There are great family moments that children look forward to such as Easter, Fourth of July, the All-American Family Picnic and Christmas party. There is a great family atmosphere and the lodge becomes generational. We try very hard to get young ones involved and Pontiac has had some of the youngest officers in the district.”
In addition to his official Elks positions, Verdun is a full-time fourth grade teacher at Washington School and an unofficial ambassador of the Elks organization. “There are more than 900,000 Elks members in the United States with lodges spread from New York to California. Whenever my wife, Susan, and I go somewhere, we always visit the nearby lodges. It’s a great way to meet interesting people and know you have the Elks friendship connection.”
The Elks has remained strong in Pontiac through its members and its commitment to youth activities, Verdun said. “We now sponsor every athletic banquet held through Pontiac Township High School. For 40 years and counting we’ve sponsored a Little League team,” he said. “We sponsor post-prom parties at Prairie Central and Flanagan and Operation Graduation at Pontiac Township High School. “We have also provided cash donations to all the area fire departments and to the Randy Spires Memorial Children's Fund.
“The Elks organization is the second largest provider of scholarships in the United States,” Verdun said proudly. “We’re second only behind the U.S. government.” In addition to his duties to the national organization, Verdun is also one of four members of the Illinois Elks Association Scholarship Commission. He said the commission recently assigned $120,000 in scholarship funds to 20 lodges across the state in February through the Most Valuable Student program. In the past eight years, the commission has awarded more than $1 million in scholarships. “Scholarships are determined through academic achievement and volunteerism efforts. The top prize is $15,000 a year for college for four years, and there are lesser awards that several area students have received.
“We also have an emergency scholarship program and right now there are five students in the Pontiac Elks Lodge who are receiving scholarship funds as a parent member has died,” he said. In addition, the local lodge also awards 10 scholarships annually in May through a fund created in 1979 in memory of member Roger Edwards.
“Each year, members donate to this fund and we are able to supply the scholarships through the interest, without touching the principle,” Verdun said. “Recently, member Dan Rork passed away and his family designated the Edwards Scholarship Fund for memorial donations and there was a huge response.”
While he has enjoyed this past year, Verdun’s duties to the national organization will end in July. “I have a friend that was just elected to the national organization’s Judiciary Committee and another friend was elected as state president. I’m hoping to continue to serve locally as secretary and help the others in whatever way I can,” he said.
“The Elks, on the local, state and national levels, do so many things for communities, whether through youth activities, scholarships or veterans assistance — but nobody knows about it. We definitely don’t do a good job in publicizing what we do — but what we do makes a difference.”
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