President Geoff Robinson plans to better promote organization
By STU CLAMPITT
On June 4, Noblesville’s own Geoff Robinson was sworn in as President of the Indiana Elks Association. The Reporter spoke to Robinson about his new role and the personal reason behind one of his goals for the organization.
“As president I am the face of the association,” Robinson said. “With the Noblesville Elks, I am the secretary, so I can stay in the office. I have a behind-the-scenes role at the lodge. I have been the secretary for Noblesville for about 28 years now.”
Robinson told the Reporter he did not seek the office, but rather other people wanted him to take a leadership role.
“The way the Elks works is you get nominated and proposed by your district,” Robinson said. “I had represented the lodge in the district for several years doing different things and they asked me to run. I ran and won an election in the West-Central Indiana District, which includes Crawfordsville, Greencastle, Terre Haute, Noblesville and Lebanon. Once you are elected as a vice president of your district, you go through about five years of experience until you are state president.”
The Elks provide scholarships, work with the Boys and Girls Club, and fund cancer research. Robinson will continue to promote all those projects, but he has a personal goal of raising money for the American Heart Association.
“About five or six years ago, I was running in a 4th of July race and I had a heart attack,” Robinson said. “I died for eight minutes. Luckily, I had some good Samaritans on the Monon who came back and saved my life. The reason I know all this is there was a camera that was behind me, and I have seen the replay of where everyone was rushing to get me and when the EMTs got there. So, my personal goal with the Elks is to raise money for the American Heart Association.”
Photo provided
Robinson plans to raise at least $2,500. You can help at this link.
He has a list of goals he would like to accomplish as president, one of which is doing a better job of promoting the organization.
“I think our state does not do a good job of promoting Elkdom,” Robinson said. “Our lodges don’t promote what they are doing in the communities. We are trying to get the word out and get young members. I have told people this before: I want to run the Elks like a business. I have been a manager for my whole career in my personal life. I want to run it like a business and get the word out about Elks and what we do. We are the best-kept secret in a lot of the communities in the state. We do a lot of good things, but people just don’t know about us.”
The Indiana Elks Association is comprised of over 14,000 members belonging to 55 lodges within the six districts in Indiana.
Indiana Elks Charities, Inc. was formed in the mid-1940s to administer the state major project: to fight cancer, which strikes hundreds in Indiana each year. Indiana has two major cancer research facilities, one at Purdue University and one at Indiana University. Both institutions have become the recipients of Indiana Elkdom’s generous fundraising efforts.
At the State Convention this month, the Indiana Elks Cancer Research Program at Purdue University was presented a check for $130,000.
At the same Convention the Indiana Elks Cancer Research Program at Indiana University was also presented a check for $130,000.
Combined contributions to both institutions total in excess of $9 million.