Lodge men give to Salvation Army’s Haiti fund

The Haiti relief fund has been given another monetary injection thanks to the Charles Duncan O’neal Lodge (CDOLodge) in Barbados.  Ian Griffith, exulted ruler of the CDOLodge, presented the cheque for $525 to the Salvation Army’s Divisional Secretary, Captain Robert Pile, at the Salvation Army headquarters last Friday.Griffith said his organisation had worked with the Salvation Army on several other occasions and even though the Haiti earthquake occurred in January, they remained committed to help. Pile said: “The work [in Haiti] has moved from relief to recovery. We are trying to get the people into permanent homes, the basic needs have been met, such as food, clothing and water.”He said that they were in the process of constructing prefabricated homes which were reasonably priced but strong. The biggest challenge was the acquisition of land, which was proving to be a lengthy process, Pile said.The CDOLodge is a derivative of the Improved Benevolent and Protection Order of Elks of the World (IBPOWofW).The 111-year-old IBPOWofW was founded to develop and help black people in education, health and human rights and has been in Barbadosfor 50 years.The IBPOWofW donates to charitable causes and most of its charity goes to education and youth programmes.  The CDOLodge has funded the Olton Springer Memorial Scholarship for the last ten years. The $2 000 scholarship is offered to one student studying law or education. (LK)