At the Seattle Elks Lodge #92 at 3014 3rd Ave. N, you can sing karaoke, order dinner, or settle in for a game night.
You can also help pay for a therapist to visit a child’s home somewhere in Washington.
That combination is how the lodge’s leadership describe the organization located in the building on the Ship Canal’s south bank, which is visible from Fremont: part neighborhood gathering spot, part quiet fundraising engine for a statewide charity that has run since 1954.
Lodge #92 Exalted Ruler John Fry, who oversees the lodge’s operations, has been an Elk for 27 years. He joined on a whim in 1999, walking into the Lake City Lodge #1800 he drove past on his commute. He didn’t know a single member.
“They did an excellent job that night. A gentleman was willing to put his beer down and show me around and explain the charity programs,” Fry said. “That’s really what got me, especially the therapy program for children.”
For more than 70 years, Washington Elks Therapy Program for Children has sent licensed therapists into homes across the state to provide occupational and physical therapy to children at no cost to their families.
It started with a single therapist and a car, who was guided by what is now Seattle Children’s.
Today it is the major project of the Washington State Elks Association. It includes a team of therapists who each cover a region of the state and handle a caseload of up to 25 children. Kids from birth to age 21 with developmental delays or physical disabilities qualify, and families don’t need a connection to the Elks to receive care.
The fundraising is where members and neighbors come in. Individual lodges, including #92, host events through the year to support the program. Donations are tax-deductible.
The therapy program is the lodge’s signature cause, but not its only one. The Elks also support veterans services, youth activities, Seattle Children’s Hospital, and other community programs.
“It’s not just about coming down and having a drink,” said Lodge #92 Secretary Brian Marshall. The stereotypical image of the Elks as a room of older men nursing drinks is one he said the lodge is steadily moving past.
The membership trends reflect this. The lodge’s average age is 59, but Marshall, who runs the lodge membership program, said they keep seeing new members in their 20s and 30s. They come from Fremont, Queen Anne, Magnolia, and farther out.
Keeping the lodge open takes work. They run a kitchen, a bar, and social events, and Fry is frank that those operations exist to cover the bills so more charitable money gets through to families.
It also runs on volunteers. Like many groups, it leans hard on a small core. The pitch to newcomers is modest: eight hours of volunteer time a year.
“It’s a good mix and a good vibe in the lodge,” Marshall said. “We don’t have drama. Well, we do have drama, but we deal with it. It’s a fun place to come.”
An open house earlier this year drew 15 new members, a turnout Marshall credited in part to a billboard near the Fremont Bridge.
The next Open House is set for Saturday, Oct. 17 noon to 3 p.m. The event is a low-key, family-friendly afternoon with snacks and no bar service, built for wandering the building, asking questions, and learning how to join and pitch in. Learn more at seattleelks.com.
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