Neepawa Elks Lodge Highlights Need for Social Contact for Seniors

Neepawa’s oldest service club, the Elks Lodge, was originally established in 1926, though the economic depression of the 1930s meant that the club folded for almost two decades before being revived in the 1950s. Nationally, the Elks are even older, forming in 1912 under a special charter by the Dominion of Canada. The club has been continuously operating in Neepawa since 1955, seeing many changes along the way.

Starting with 23 members, at its peak in the 1960s the organisation reached membership numbers of over a hundred. Like many service organisations, until 1998 it was exclusively for men with the spouses of members forming the Royal Purple. Neepawa’s Royal Purple disbanded in 2005 with remaining members joining the Elks lodge.

These days the Elks are known for their contributions to children’s charities. Locally, that has included a donation to the new nursery school as well as individual contributions such as to a young person who lost her belongings in the recent Mill Street Fire.

When talking with three current members of the club, all of whom have been involved since the ‘60s, they note that one of the most significant places they see the decline in membership is people from Neepawa’s outlying municipalities who no longer travel into town to participate. Where once service and fraternal organisations were a hub of a community’s social activities, that is something that has changed over the years.

One of the barriers to recruiting new members is that these types of organisations aren’t seen as a social activity for young people anymore, despite the fact that Elks members need only be 16 years of age to join. Most of the increases in membership these days are through acquiring members when other local lodges close. That social aspect has remained firmly in place for older members, though, and is one of the driving forces behind Neepawa’s Elks Manor.

Completed in 1993, Elks Manor is a 50-suite retirement home with 35 life-lease units and 15 units controlled by Manitoba Housing. While not exclusively for occupancy by the Elks, members get first preference for available rooms in the facility, and there are currently 8 retired members living in the facility. The club recognised that their membership was aging, and made a large investment in the facility to ensure that they could maintain those social relationships into late retirement. As well, they saw the need for supporting social activities for seniors in general, which the Elks Manor both organises and hosts.

The twice-montly meetings of the Neepawa Elks Lodge are now held at Elks Manor. Current members indicate they would love to see more young people joining again, and hope that their activities with youth and children will encourage young families to see the organisation as a place they can become involved in their community.