ESTEVAN, Sask. — Kari Senko is impressed with the work of the Estevan Elks Lodge.
Senko, who is in her second year as the national grand exalted ruler of Elks of Canada, was in Estevan Oct. 17 for the Saskatchewan Elks Association's walkathon and associated provincial meetings. She came away impressed with the Elks' building and people.
"They put on a fantastic event," said Senko. "And the community, I was so impressed with, the fact that they were so open to our rituals. We went and attended at the cenotaph, and people were great along the route. People's cars even stopped to allow us to do our march to there, and with the walk-a-thon, so many people along the way were cheering the people on and really celebrating the Elks for what they were doing."
Members were warm and welcoming, and Senko said she didn't feel like an outsider; she felt like she was part of the Estevan lodge and the provincial association.
Prior to visiting Estevan, Senko knew some of the Estevan lodge's history and how the group has supported the national charity. She had seen photos of the building. But she was looking forward to talking to the members and executive to learn their story. Upon arrival, she found out the local Elks had sold their building but were looking forward to continuing to serve Estevan.
A highlight from the weekend for Senko came when a family from Melville shared their story about how the Elks have supported them through the Saskatchewan Pediatric Auditory Rehabilitation Centre and hearing campaigns.
Senko is from Mission, B.C. She has been on her local, provincial and now national executives. She has been an Elk for nine years.
"Which, generally, is a shorter-term Elk member. We have a lot of Elks that have been members for 25, 30, 40 years," she said.
Senko joined the organization once she learned about what the Elks do within her community. As she became more involved, she found out more about what they do provincially and nationally.
"I saw all the families' lives that the Elks affected, and it was just something I knew I needed to be a part of," she said.
Visiting lodges, meeting members and seeing the "great work" of members have been enjoyable parts of her time as an Elk. She is glad to positively impact families' lives, whether they are children with hearing and speech issues or families in the community that need support and assistance.
Fellowship is also a big part of being an Elk.
Senko noted the national role is typically for one year, but she was elected for a second term.
"It's been really a whirlwind, because we do get the opportunity to travel across the country, and so I get to meet so many different members and go into so many different communities, it's just been an absolute honour and it's been so much fun."
Her visit to Estevan was part of a few weeks in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. After a week in B.C., she'll have a few weeks in Alberta. She hopes to visit 60 lodges across the country this year.
As grand exalted ruler, she is also tasked with supporting lodges along with the executive, promoting the Elks and letting people know about what they do.
She has enjoyed working with lodges that were struggling and at risk of closing. Elks of Canada saw an increase in membership in 2025-26, and it now has just over 7,000 members across the country.
