The Supreme Emblem Club of the United States of America is the unofficial auxiliary of the
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City.
History
The Elks began in 1868 as a soci ...
.
History
The order was organized during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
by a group of female relatives of the Elks who met to wrap bandages to send to wounded soldiers overseas. The group eventually decided to turn their circle into a regular club, and were incorporated in the
State of Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...
, "charted" on April 27, 1926 and "filed in the office of the
Secretary of State" the following May 3. During the first year nine affiliates, known as Emblem Clubs, were formed in Rhode Island,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
,
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...
, and
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
.
The original articles of incorporation stated that the Emblem Clubs' goals were to "unite under one head, all existing and future Clubs commonly known as Elks' Ladies clubs, Committees or groups...promote sociability among members of Elks', share community welfare work...assist with social affairs...
ndpromote better understanding and further the ideals and purposes for which each organization was established." Religious and political subjects were banned from discussion at Club meetings.
Organization
Local units are called Emblem Clubs and state groups, like in the BPOE, are called "State Associations". In 1979 there were 500 local Clubs and 11 State Associations. The national structure is called the "Supreme Emblem Club". In 1979 the group did not appear to have a headquarters ''per se'', but was run by a Supreme Executive Secretary in
Rutherford, New Jersey
Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the borough's population was 18,834.
Rutherford was formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on September 21, 1881, fr ...
. Today there are 16 State Associations (though three have jurisdiction over more than one state the California Hawaii Nevada State Association, the Ohio/West Virginia State Association and the Wisconsin-Illinois-Indiana-Michigan State Association).
Membership
Membership is open to everyone, men and women, age 16 years and older. In earlier years, membership was limited to the wives, mothers, sisters, daughters, stepdaughters and widows of members of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. In 1979 there were 40,000 members, the same as a decade previously. There were 41,000 members in 1989. Currently, in 2018, the Supreme Emblem Club of the United States of America is facing a rapidly declining membership. The biggest reason for declining numbers of members is death or serious illness. The overall decline in Americans joining service organizations, as well as lack of available time due to working families has contributed to the decline in new membership applications. The majority of members are, now, senior citizens. A lack of new incoming members is an ongoing concern.
In 2018, there are a lot of individual Emblem Clubs that make up the Supreme Emblem Club. The clubs are scattered all over the United States, east coast to west coast. The individual clubs range in size from very small to large. For example, Hartford Emblem Club # 150 from Hartford, VT has just twenty members, whereas Billerica, Massachusetts has over 200 members.
Ritual
The ritual of the Emblem Club was not considered secret, but neither was it really public. It was written by a member of the Elks, and included a
nondenominational
A non-denominational person or organization is one that does not follow (or is not restricted to) any particular or specific religious denomination.
Overview
The term has been used in the context of various faiths including Jainism, Baháʼí Fait ...
prayer and a salute to the American flag.
Philanthropy and activities
The Emblem Club has adopted a formal program to support
Americanism, and sets aside one week in June each year as "Americanism week". Prompted by the
1964 Alaska earthquake
The 1964 Alaskan earthquake, also known as the Great Alaskan earthquake and Good Friday earthquake, occurred at 5:36 PM AKST on Good Friday, March 27. , the Emblem Club created a national disaster fund. The Clubs also sponsor scholarships and supports the
Elks National Home in
Bedford, Virginia
Bedford is an incorporated town and former independent city located within Bedford County in the U.S. state of Virginia. It serves as the county seat of Bedford County. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,657. It is part of the Lynchbur ...
[Schmidt p.109] Emblem clubs nationwide on the club level, as well as The national Organization, has given out over $2,000,000 in scholarships to students in the United States. Their unending efforts and work to support our American Veterans are phenomenal, as is their work with adults & children with Literacy projects and Drug Awareness projects.
References
External links
Supreme Emblem Club websiteSupreme Emblem Club of the United States of Americafrom the Rhode Island State Archives
{{Authority control
Organizations established in 1926
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
Women's organizations based in the United States