Rochester Elks donate $1,500 to the Pease Greeters

From left, Matthew Sanborn, Rochester Elks; Ken Brown, Pease Greeters Rep/Dover Elks #184; Peter Tiews, Pease Greeters Vice Chair and Board Member; Larry Larkin, Board Member, Pease Greeters and Norman Gervais, Rochester Elks (Courtesy photo)

ROCHESTER - Representatives from the Rochester, NH Elks #1393 presented a check in the amount of $1,500 to the Pease Greeters Organization on Wednesday. The event was held at the Rochester Lodge on Columbus Avenue. This donation was made possible by a Gratitude Grant provided by the Elks National Foundation.

Making the donation from the Lodge was Exalted Ruler Matthew Sanborn and Past Exalted Ruler, Lodge Secretary and ENF Chair Norman Gervais. Accepting the check on behalf of the Pease Greeters were Peter Tiews, Pease Greeters Vice Chair and Board Member; Larry Larkin, Board Member and Ken Brown, Board Member and Sergeant At Arms. Brown is also a Past Exalted Ruler and a current Officer of the Dover Lodge of Elks #184.

The Pease Greeters started in 2005 when an unexpected troop flight landed at the Portsmouth International Airport, formerly the Pease Air Force Base in Newington. Airport management and their employees gathered to greet the military personnel and bought them coffee and doughnuts before their flight had to leave for an overseas deployment.

Si thenn the volunteer group has greeted and provided refreshments to military personnel on 2,161 flights. Flights are inbound and outbound and they land at all hours of the day and night. Personnel are from the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard. The greeters also have a care package program and have shipped over 1,100 boxes, weighing over 7,624 pounds in the last three years. The Pease Greeters provide our Troops with a touch of home when they land on incoming and outgoing flights. The excellent efforts of the Greeters have been recognized at the local, state and federal levels over the years and their motto is "Thanking our Troops, one Flight at a Time - With Love, Honor and Respect."

Gratitude Grants are made possible by the Elks National Foundation. Grants are awarded to Lodges that meet or exceed the National President's Per Capita Goal for giving to the ENF. Grants must be used to support local charitable endeavors. For more information about the Elks and the Pease Greeters, please visit the following websites: www.elks.org and www.peasegreeters.org