The Newburgh Elks Lodge # 247 and the Walden Humane Society (WHS) teamed up for a luau themed raffle party at lodge headquarters on 356 Washington St. in Newburgh last Saturday.

The afternoon served as a fundraiser for WHS with monies going to adoption drives medical bills and other expenses crucial to the operation. Tickets were $50 which got you food, drinks for two and a chance to win cash prizes.

Jean Buckley, president of the Walden Humane Society, was on hand and was extremely encouraged by the turnout of approximately 200 people.

“This is our fourth time doing this,” Buckley said. “We raise approximately $7,000 with this event and that number makes us very happy.”

The money goes a long way.

“We adopted over 600 cats and dogs in 2018, which is a great number for a small agency,” Buckley added.

The fundraiser was aided by numerous donations on items like prizes and food which helped keep costs down, as well as a staff that was 100 percent volunteer based. “We have people from everywhere they help with this,” Buckley said. “The Elks club, cadets from West Point, Eagle Scouts and Vet Schools to name a few.”

The Newburgh Elks club, which is now in its 127 year, making it one of the oldest in the country, worked heavily behind the scenes to raise money for this and several other charities.

“We have a gaming license, so we are able to do gaming related things as long as the money goes to charity,” Len Shustack an Elks member said. “Elks is the second largest provider of scholarships behind the federal government in the US,” Shustack added.

In addition, the Newburgh Elks, which consists of approximately 250 members takes veterans to baseball games, and focuses heavily on Cerebral Palsy research. New members donate $100 to join, which is the money that in turn funds the trust that produces the scholarship money.