23 Sep Elks Partnership Expands Home Service Vehicle Fleet

Posted at 16:04h in Uncategorized by

More vehicles are on the move for Home Service Programs throughout our CP State association. The 2025–2026 Elks Major Projects grant year helped provide three new vehicles for ADAPT Community Network, Racker, and Queens Centers for Progress.

In 1964, the New York State Elks Association and CP State established the Home Service Program. This joint venture was designed to benefit children and adults with disabilities and their families. The New York State Elks adopted the Home Service Program as an Elks Major Project and have generously funded it to this day, including providing new vehicles to transport directors and individuals annually.

“When I look back at the history of the New York State Elks Major Projects program and our partnership with CP State, I’m struck by how much our vehicle program has grown since it began in 1964,” said Jamie Peace, CP State board member and Chairman/CEO of NY Elks Major Projects.

Peace leads the grant programs that the Elks have provided to CP State Affiliates for over 60 years. Beyond just the vehicles, their generous support has led to contributions of nearly $35 million to our association.

The Elks vehicle initiative to benefit Home Service Programs has left a significant imprint statewide for decades, and it continues to have touchpoints in all regions of New York State, including New York City.

“The vehicle has significantly strengthened the Children’s Health Home Care Management Program by enhancing our ability to deliver services directly

Five people, including individuals in the program and staff members, standing and sitting in a wheelchair together next to a white SUV featuring the Elks emblem on the driver's side door.

Courtesy of ADAPT Community Network

 within the community. The Sr. Coordinator regularly utilizes the vehicle to provide in-person supervision and support to care management staff, ensuring high-quality, consistent services across multiple locations,” said Julia Zakin, Director of Program Support and Fleet Management at ADAPT Community Network.

“Overall, the vehicle has made a meaningful impact by improving access to care, strengthening community partnerships, and helping ensure that vulnerable children and their families receive timely, coordinated, and compassionate services. We are grateful to the Elks for helping make this work possible,” Zakin said.

In other boroughs of the Big Apple, the Elks vehicles are also making an impact.

A group of six adults stands and sits near a white Ford passenger van from Queens Centers for Progress, featuring an Elks logo on the side, in a parking lot.

Courtesy of Queens Centers for Progress

“The QCP Day Habilitation Program located in Bellerose serves adults with developmental disabilities. We have an operating certificate for 150 individuals and require ambulatory and non-ambulatory vans for our individuals. As part of daily programming, individuals participate in community trips, volunteer sites, and community inclusion. Our individuals make choices to participate in meaningful activities so that they can have an enriched, person-centered, and individualized experience,” said Bonnie Ng, CFO of Queens Centers for Progress.

The assistance of Elks vehicles reaches to the Southern Tier, particularly at Racker Community Supports in the Ithaca area.

Lyndsey Paulin, Racker’s Home Service Director, is most grateful for what the vehicle will provide to individuals in this program:

A white Jeep Renegade parked outside a Racker facility, featuring the Racker name and an Elks emblem on the front door.

Courtesy of Racker

“The vehicle will help expand opportunities for community engagement. Racker plans to use the car to transport materials for pop-up sensory spaces at local parks, museums, and community events. These sensory-friendly experiences, in collaboration with Racker’s Lending Library, will provide opportunities—at no cost to families—to experience sensory tools and adaptive items while increasing awareness of available services throughout our region. This gift from the New York State Elks Association is not simply a vehicle; it is a resource that will help strengthen connections and allow Racker to continue its mission of supporting people with developmental disabilities and building inclusive communities for many years to come,” Paulin said.

Even 2024–2025 recipient Wraparound Services of the Hudson Valley shared the importance of receiving their vehicle last year. They expressed how their Community Habilitation program now has access to a wheelchair-accessible van, allowing individuals who previously couldn’t participate in many activities to join without transportation barriers.

“What makes this program special is that it has always been about people. The vehicles are tools that enable Home Service directors and affiliates to

A smiling woman in a purple wheelchair next to an accessible white minivan with its ramp deployed, owned by Wraparound Services of the Hudson Valley.

Courtesy of Wraparound Services of the Hudson Valley

 reach individuals and families and make a positive difference in their lives,” Peace said. “The partnership between New York State Elks Major Projects and CP State has been tremendous.”

There is no question that the support of the NYS Elks has put wheels in motion to provide greater access for individuals and their support professionals to participate in their communities. These are the partnerships that strengthen the CP State family, making the NYS Elks a true vehicle for inclusion statewide.

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