There have been one hundred thirty five plus years of history and character behind our Elks Lodge. The Order of Elks was formally organized on February 16, 1868 in the City of New York. Its full corporate name is Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE) of the United States of America.

Since Aprill 24^th, 1901 the members of the BPOE Lodge #693 have been dedicated to assisting the physically challenged, less fortunate, youth and veterans of our community.

The Elks lodges of Wisconsin team up with the Easter seals to assist at Camp Wawbeek a camp for physically challenged children located in Wisconsin Dells, WI. The camp offers a fun camping experience for the children while offering a much needed break for the care giving parents. The week that a child spends at camp may be the only time that other children in the family get to spend one-on-one time with their parents.

Youth activities, drug awareness, and scholarships are also important lodge functions. The Hoop Shoot and Soccer Shoot are activities designed to get youth involved in sports and award them for their accomplishments. Local, district, state, and regional contests are held with scholarships awarded to winners in addition to the national level for the Hoop Shoot.

Drug awareness is aimed at all levels of youth. Early grade school students may see coloring books and posters aimed at informing this age group about the dangers of drugs. Older students may see brochures aimed at informing them about the characteristics of each drug, the dangers of them, and how to spot possible users.


Scholarships are awarded not only for Hoop Shoot but also for Most Valuable Students and Elks Legacy. The Most Valuable Students is open to all high school seniors. The criteria are: activities, leadership, volunteerism, scholastic accomplishment, and need. The Elks Legacy scholarship is open only to high school seniors that are children or grand-children of Elk members.

Elks are patriotic people that tie their identity to the identity of the United States. The Elks have a motto that says that as long asthere are veterans, the Elks will be there to offer assistance. Several visits are made each year to the King, WI veteran’s home for bowling and bingo with the veterans. Books, playing cards, and toiletries are donated by Elks members to the veterans. Patriotism has continued with the formal celebration of Flag Day, which the Elks helped establish as June 14 each year. The local veterans groups assist the Lodge officers in conducting a Flag Day ceremony at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Wisconsin Rapids.

Our members also assist the less fortunate of our communities. The Wisconsin Rapids Elks distribute Christmas trees, donated by an area tree farm, and Christmas baskets to the less fortunate of our area. The Christmas baskets contain several types of food as well as gifts for the children.