The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Elks Club donates to Oneida Fire Department
$2,500 to help buy safety equipment
ONEIDA, N.Y. » Taking the elk by the horns, the Oneida Elks Lodge continues its investments in the community.
A part of the Elks National Lodge Anniversary Grant, the Oneida Elks Lodge approached the Oneida Fire Department and presented the $2,500 grant on Aug. 2. With it, the Oneida Fire Department is looking to buy new equipment.
The Oneida Elks Lodge recently presented a grant to Karing Kitchen in Oneida for $1,500 to help feed families in the local communities. Last year, the Oneida Elks Lodge donated $1,000 each to the Oneida City Police Department and the City of Oneida Parks and Recreations Department.
Elks Lodge Esteemed Lead- ing Knight Bruce Burke said he was happy with the direction the lodge was taking and that for years, it had talked about securing grants for various parts of the community. He credited the new direction to Oneida Elks Exalted Ruler Matt Malinowski.
“Matt has really taken the bull by the horns and gotten active in soliciting the grants and getting the grants. I think it’s a great thing for our lodge and the city of Oneida,” Burke said. “It was a first to donate the grants to the city of Oneida and the police department, and that was shortly after Matt took over. And I think he’s continued the fine performance. We always knew the grants were available, but no one really pursued them.”
“The Oneida Elks Lodge figured what better way to get our name and show we’re doing well than to give back to the community,” Malinowski said. “Wewant to be perceived as going forward and not on our death bed.”
Malinowski said Lt. Raey Walker, a member of the Oneida Elks Lodge, helped make this grant available to the Oneida Fire Department.
“I want people to under- stand that if you’re a member and you’re passionate about something, you can put in for these grants for whatever cause you have,” Malinowski said.
Walker said it was a collaborative effort and the Oneida Elks Lodge did most of the leg work. Walker presented the check to Fire Chief Dennis Fields Jr.
Thanks to the grant, Fields said he can go ahead purchasing a new set of turn- out gear. Fields said he is looking to hire two more people to the Oneida Fire Department; and that means more turn-out gear.
Turn-out gear is expensive and consists of specially made trousers, boots, jackets and other protective equipment that serves as the first line of defense for a firefighter.
Grants like the one the Elks Lodge has donated are important to emergency service, because maintaining a budget can be a difficult process.
“Some of our current turn- out gear is going to expire within the next year or two. In the past, we were able to get a grant form Senator David Valesky, D-53, for around 15 sets of turn- out gear. This grant will help us outfit one more,” Fields said. “When the Oneida Fire Department was approached, we anticipated $2,000 from the grant and we would kick in the additional $500. But with this, we can buy one complete set. And we’re thankful for that.”
“A budget is not static, it’s not immovable and it’s not a block of concrete. It’s a live document and sometimes live documents have to be altered,” Burke said.
“In the fire and police service, unexpected things happen. A large fire or multiple calls can consume our overtime,” Fields said.
Elks Lodge Secretary George Winne said the grants that went to the Oneida Fire Department and Karing Kitchen are special grants the Elks National Foundation authorized last year and this year to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Elks National Foundation.
Anyone with questions regarding the Oneida Fire Department can call at 315363-1910.
The Elks National Foundation is the charitable giving arm of The Elks, with a mission to help Elks build stronger communities by investing where Elks live and work.
For more information on Elks National Foundation, visit www.elks.org/enf
For those interested in becoming a member of the Oneida Elks Lodge, call 315-363-2370.