From left, Orange Elks Lodge 135 members Frank Grasso, Rich Reinhart, Matt Mulligan and Jim Bowman stand in the newly refurbished bar and lounge on Veterans Day, Saturday, Nov. 11. The lodge is known for helping children and honoring veterans and it proved that once again on Veterans Day by hosting the local installment of the national youth hoops basketball tournament at Park Avenue School in the morning, followed by a dinner for veterans in the banquet hall that night.
ORANGE, NJ — The members of Orange Elks Lodge 135 celebrated Veterans Day on Saturday, Nov. 11, by helping children and honoring veterans.
“The Elks motto is: As long as there are veterans, the Elks can never forget them,” said Orange Elks Lodge 135 member Rich Reinhart on Saturday, Nov. 11. “But today we just happened to be together because we ran our Hoops Contest. The parade is tomorrow and we will be marching in the parade, representing the Orange Elks and honoring veterans. It doesn’t matter what day you honor veterans. Veterans should be honored and respected every day.”
Current Elks Lodge 135 Treasurer Matt Mulligan agreed with Reinhart. His father, Matt Mulligan Sr., is a Korean War veteran who is very proud of the time he spent serving his country and continues serving the community as an Elk.
“Today, Richie, who’s the district chairman of the Hoops Shoot Contest for the Elks organization, had the local competition and, from here, the winners move on … to the districts and, if they win, if they’re good, if they can go 20 out of 20, then they’re going to make it to the top and then, someday, maybe to Chicago. If they win it, they get their name on a plaque in the National Basketball Hall of Fame. It’s a big deal,” said Mulligan on Saturday, Nov. 11.
“Tomorrow is Veterans Day and we have our veterans. My father’s a vet, a Korean War vet. He just turned 84 and we’re going to try to get him out later. I don’t know. It’s a little cold at 84, but we’ll get him out here tomorrow and he’ll be a part of all of our Veterans Day services.”
Mulligan said veterans are always welcome to participate in the Elks annual Veterans Day events and services, as are children. The Elks have been sponsoring Little League and Babe Ruth youth baseball teams, as well as other youth athletics, sports and recreation activities in Orange for years.
“You got the kids, special needs children, and youth of the community, but it doesn’t stop there. Senior citizens, veterans and pretty much anyone in the community that we can assist in different ways,” Mulligan said. “The Hoops Shoot Contest is a huge competition. It’s great for the kids, for sports, for them to learn how to be teammates.”
Frank Grasso loves Bob Marley and reggae music, and he was also one of the Elks from Lodge 135 who came to Park Avenue School on Saturday, Nov. 11, to help with the Hoops Shoot Contest and to witness the talent of Orange’s youth firsthand. According to Reinhart, the winners of the local contest, which was broken into age-specific brackets, were: Erica Lawson for girls 8 to 9 years old, and Jahlia Wood for boys 8 to 9 years old; Jah’mir Graves for boys 10 to 11 years old, no girls; Prophet Lafleur for boys 12 to 13 years old, and Satia Wall for girls 12 to 13 years old..
“We had a good turnout. The kids were great and we had a few kids that were really, really good. And that’s it. Happy Veterans Day,” said Grasso on Saturday, Nov. 11. “I wasn’t a vet myself, because I was in between everything, but if it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be here today. And mark my words: One day, Prophet Lafleur is going to be in the NBA. He made 19 out of 25 shots straight. He was phenomenal. A great talent.”
Reinhart said he couldn’t think of a better way to spend Veterans Day than by serving children and veterans.
“The Hoops Shoot is an Elks National Foundation thing. We had five winners in the three brackets. Keith Pressey hooked us up and they had a basketball clinic today. We had about 25 children participate,” Reinhart said. “It’s a countrywide competition. We do it locally and the winners advance to the district finals, which is Dec. 10 in Nutley Lodge. If you win the districts, you go to the states. From the states, you go to a regional, which is in Wilkesboro, N.C., and from the regionals, you go to the national finals in Chicago.”
Reinhart agreed with Grasso that Lafleur does have a chance to make it to the Hoops Shoot finals in Chicago, and added that the Elks are about more than just youth sports competitions.
“The Elks is a grown organization. We try to be charitable,” said Reinhart. “If there’s anything we can do for people in the community, stop by and let us know. We’re always here and we’re glad to help.”
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