GRANITE CITY – The Granite City Elks Lodge No. 1063 is no stranger in the community. They have orchestrated countless fundraisers and have supported many worthy causes to include area food banks, the USO and citizens with disabilities. This year, the Granite City Elks proudly received a$2,500 grant from the Elks National Foundation to be used at their discretion.
Respected Elks Member, Sonny Ambuehl, championed the effort to choose a worthy benefactor of the grant. He consulted Niedringhaus United Methodist Church, where he is a parishioner. Together, the two groups unanimously chose the Riverbend Head Start, Granite City South Center. Karen Ambuehl, Sonny’s wife, said, “It was an easy decision. The mission of the Elks organization and of our church match that of Riverbend Head Start & Family Services. We are all committed to assisting people in need.” She added, “We knew that by helping the children enrolled at the Granite City Head Start Center, we’d be helping the kids right here, in our own neighborhoods.”
Sonny reached out to the Payless Shoes store in the Nameoki Commons in Granite City. Store Manager, Karlie, assisted Sonny and his group of fellow Elks and church members in coordinating a New Shoe Day for the Head Start students. Karlie also connected Sonny with a corporate representative from Payless Shoes who allowed the group generous store discounts, stretching the grant money as far as possible.
In all, 101 Head Start students received new footwear and, thanks to the Payless Shoes discounts, many were able to acquire several pairs of new socks too. Families were assigned time slots to shop and to meet the Elks and Niedringhaus Church Members on August 18 th . Paw Patrol, Ninja Turtles and Disney Princess character shoes, particularly ones that light up, were the favorite choices; but several families opted to buy warm boots in preparation for the upcoming winter months.
“Thanks so much for this, it’s a big help,” one mom said as she shook the hand of every Elk and Church member present for the event. When asked if he liked his new shoes, her son exclaimed, “Yep! I’m going to run fast in these!”
“Seeing the kids’ excitement and the gratitude of the parents makes my day” Store Manager, Karlie, stated with a smile. “We are just really happy to partner with the local Elks and help the great people in our community. This has been a wonderful experience,” added her co-worker, Sara.
Present for the event were Elks Lodge 1063 Members, Sonny Ambuehl, Al Leavell, Ron Smith and Ron’s wife Carolyn. They were joined by Karen Ambuehl, Clancy Ellebracht, Stan Myers and Louise Ware of Niedringhaus United Methodist Church.
Riverbend Head Start & Family Services’ PR Director, Heather Hope, thanked the Elks for their generosity. “Community support like this is so important to our families and helps us achieve our goal to prepare at-risk children for success in kindergarten,” she said. “Having shoes that fit comfortably makes a big difference in a child’s ability to learn.”
Grant money remaining after New Shoe Day was used to purchase 35 school supply filled backpacks that were raffled off to Head Start students at the Back-to- School Bash at the Granite City South Head Start Center on August 22nd .
Riverbend Head Start & Family Services currently operates six centers in Madison County and serves 800 impoverished and at-risk children, ages birth to five. The organization’s mission is to empower children and their families to develop positive skills to meet life’s challenges.
For more information on the Granite City Elks Lodge 1063, Niedringhaus United Methodist Church or
Riverbend Head Start & Family Services, please visit their websites at www.gcelks.org, www.numchc.org or www.riverbendfamilies.org.
