The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE) will be celebrating their 150th anniversary on February 16, 2018. This celebration will attract more than two million Members, families and community partners around the nation.

The BPOE is one of the premiere Charitable and Patriotic organizations in the United States.

The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks has made more than $6 billion dollars in donations since first starting 149 years ago. Last year alone, the Elks donated approximately $323 million in cash, gifts and time to make our communities better places to live.

There are more than 1,900 Elks Lodges across the country with a total membership of nearing 800,000. Elks' members must be American citizens who are at least 21 years of age and must believe in God.

With over 170 lodges in the state of California and Hawaii, the California-Hawaii Elks Association has raised over $116 million dollars to address the unmet needs of children with disabilities through the "Purple Pig" project. To learn more about the Purple Pig project, please visit https://chea-elks.org/major-project/purple-pig.

There are over 300 members at the local Culver City Lodge. To get more information about joining call 310/839-1917 or email Ted at ElksLodge1917@gmail.com.

Fun facts about the year the Elks were started (1868):

The element helium was discovered
The House of Representatives votes to impeach President Andrew Jackson
The Territory of Wyoming was created
and Congress passes an 8 hour work day law for federal employees