Harry Anna Trust Fund
The History
The Florida Elks Children's Hospital was conceived in 1931 by the imaginative minds of the late David Sholtz, Past Grand Exalted Ruler, and Harry R.P. Miller, a retired financier of Eustis, FL. Through the generosity of Harry and Anna Miller, the idea became reality, when their compassion and love for handicapped children led them to offer to the Florida State Elks Association, Inc., a three-story hotel and several orange groves in Umatilla, Florida. The Elks accepted, and the Harry-Anna Home for crippled children was born.
In the late sixties the home took on the status of a special pediatric orthopedic hospital and became the Florida Elks Harry-Anna Crippled Children's Hospital. Over the years, the hospital occupied three different buildings, all in Lake County, but the same loving, quality care has been rendered in each. On July 30, 1977 the hospital took up residence at it's final location constructed at a cost of $2,146,000. The Elks take great pride in the fact that these funds came entirely from the private sector (no federal or state funding), primarily through the generosity of Florida Elks and their ladies.
During the 1985 Annual Elks Convention the hospital was renamed The Florida Elks Children's Hospital which continued providing invaluable services to children through the rest of the eighties and throughout the nineties. In the later end of the 1990's it had become apparent that rehabilitation time was greatly reduced because of modern medical technology and treatment and patients wished not to be so far from home.
Economically, it was no longer feasible to run the hospital. The 100-bed hospital sometimes had as few as 12 patients, yet costs for staff, maintenance and operations continued. It was a very, very tormenting decision to close the hospital, made with many a tear in the eye.
Even though the Florida Elks Children's Hospital is closed the Harry-Anna Trust Fund continues to fund the two main charity projects of Florida Elks. The Florida Elks Children's Therapy Services and the Florida Elks Youth Camp.
Florida Elks Childrens Therapy Services - (Information on how to request services)
Comments From Parents of Children Receiving Therapy.
Donation Form Available Here.
The Florida Elks Children's Therapy Services is a project of the Florida State Elks Association that offers free in-home occupational and physical therapy to Florida children in need. In home treatments are provided to patients who would otherwise not receive necessary care due to unavailability of local service providers or the patient's infirmity requires such treatment. Priority is given to children who do not have ready access to therapy do to limited financial resources. Approximately twenty state licensed therapists are employed to provide state wide coverage. They are equipped with special vans to transport rehabilitation equipment to the patients home.
In 2006, Florida Elks therapists treated approximately 450 very grateful children.
Youth Camp Pictures and Information.
Take a virtual tour of the camp. (When the visitor map opens, click on the red circles to see a virtual tour of that area of the map.)
The Florida Elks Youth Camp is situated on 400 acres in central Florida near the Ocala National Forrest. It is available year round for young people to come and enjoy nature and experience beautiful rural Florida with others like themselves. The youth camp has an Olympic size swimming pool, challenge ropes course, tennis courts, fishing ponds, a "state of the art" gymnasium, and many more recreational amenities available to the campers.
The camp currently hosts approximately 20,000 campers a year. The safe camping experience made available by the Florida Elks Youth Camp has an extremely positive impact on the campers; many of whom would never have had such an opportunity.
The 2007 annual budgets for these worthy charities was approximately $2,000,000.00 each. Your generous donations are necessary to fund these very charitable causes!! Please consider making a donation today!
Click here for donation form.