Beach’s Moose Lodge donates 1,000 stuffed Tommy Moose toys
Moose Lodge 964, based on Estero Island, has teamed up with Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida for the second year in a row to donate 1,000 stuffed “Tommy Moose” toys to the Hospital for kids in need.
“It’s our second year raising donations to get the children some stuffed animals, and I think it’s a great thing. Moose members get very excited about giving back to the community, and there aren’t many causes better than the Golisano Hospital,” said Ed Conners, administrator of Moose Lodge 964.
Pulling up in several vehicles filled to the brim with boxes of stuffed moose, they also pulled along a 10-foot inflatable moose for the kids to see.
Volunteers and workers from the Moose and the hospital carried the thousand stuffed critters into the museum to give out in anything they could get their hands on: Little red wagons, box movers, dollies.
“I think this kind of event is amazing for the kids. I’m so thankful to the Moose Lodge for giving them this awesome gift,” Armando Llechu, head administrator for the Golisano Children’s Hospital, said.
The “Tommy Moose” that the Lodge gave was originally a community service project in Connecticut, but has since spread internationally. The Moose Lodge has, to date, given out more than100,000 of these to various children’s organizations.
“We try to do our best in the community, especially with veterans and children. We focus on local charities for each Lodge, but there are some national ones we support as a whole,” Conners said.
Gabriel House, a local not-for-profit dedicated to helping children in need with no place to go, or caretakers, is one of the local efforts Ed Conners says they are dedicated to.
The Susan G. Komen is one of the larger national efforts outside of the Moose that they support.
Mooseheart and Moosehaven are two of the Lodge’s primary charity functions as well.
Mooseheart is a primary childcare, housing, and education center dedicated to kids below the age of 18.
They’re a refuge for children in dangerous homes, or no home at all, based outside of Chicago. It gives children with no other place to turn to a reliable, safe place to grow up and go to school. Ninety percent of the children that go into the program get into college with full scholarships, according to the Moose’s internal reports.
Moosehaven is another one of the bigger efforts. The private retirement community operated by the Moose is located in Orange Park on the banks of the St. Johns River. If you’ve been a member of the Lodge for at least 15 years and are over 60, they’ll house you and take care of you through your twilight years. This gives a lot of members peace of mind, as sometimes they have little to no family to rely on, so this sense of community is invaluable, officials said.
“This is the work we do, at the end of the day, along with all of our events at the Lodge, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Giving back helps us do better,” said Char Conners, assistant admin for Lodge 964 of the donation of 1,000 stuffed “Tommy Moose” toys to the hospital.
Beach’s Moose Lodge donates 1,000 stuffed Tommy Moose toys
Moose Lodge 964, based on Estero Island, has teamed up with Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida for the second year in a row to donate 1,000 stuffed “Tommy Moose” toys to the Hospital for kids in need.
“It’s our second year raising donations to get the children some stuffed animals, and I think it’s a great thing. Moose members get very excited about giving back to the community, and there aren’t many causes better than the Golisano Hospital,” said Ed Conners, administrator of Moose Lodge 964.
Pulling up in several vehicles filled to the brim with boxes of stuffed moose, they also pulled along a 10-foot inflatable moose for the kids to see.
Volunteers and workers from the Moose and the hospital carried the thousand stuffed critters into the museum to give out in anything they could get their hands on: Little red wagons, box movers, dollies.
“I think this kind of event is amazing for the kids. I’m so thankful to the Moose Lodge for giving them this awesome gift,” Armando Llechu, head administrator for the Golisano Children’s Hospital, said.
The “Tommy Moose” that the Lodge gave was originally a community service project in Connecticut, but has since spread internationally. The Moose Lodge has, to date, given out more than100,000 of these to various children’s organizations.
“We try to do our best in the community, especially with veterans and children. We focus on local charities for each Lodge, but there are some national ones we support as a whole,” Conners said.
Gabriel House, a local not-for-profit dedicated to helping children in need with no place to go, or caretakers, is one of the local efforts Ed Conners says they are dedicated to.
The Susan G. Komen is one of the larger national efforts outside of the Moose that they support.
Mooseheart and Moosehaven are two of the Lodge’s primary charity functions as well.
Mooseheart is a primary childcare, housing, and education center dedicated to kids below the age of 18.
They’re a refuge for children in dangerous homes, or no home at all, based outside of Chicago. It gives children with no other place to turn to a reliable, safe place to grow up and go to school. Ninety percent of the children that go into the program get into college with full scholarships, according to the Moose’s internal reports.
Moosehaven is another one of the bigger efforts. The private retirement community operated by the Moose is located in Orange Park on the banks of the St. Johns River. If you’ve been a member of the Lodge for at least 15 years and are over 60, they’ll house you and take care of you through your twilight years. This gives a lot of members peace of mind, as sometimes they have little to no family to rely on, so this sense of community is invaluable, officials said.
“This is the work we do, at the end of the day, along with all of our events at the Lodge, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Giving back helps us do better,” said Char Conners, assistant admin for Lodge 964 of the donation of 1,000 stuffed “Tommy Moose” toys to the hospital.