7 Years after Heart Attack, Elk Now Leads, Makes a Difference

Geoff Robinson has learned that “life can be short.” So he takes every day as a blessing. And he makes a point to make a difference.

Coming up on the seventh anniversary of his heart attack — on July 4, 2015, while participating in Carmel’s 4.5-mile Freedom Run & Walk, during which he collapsed, his heart stopped and he was given CPR — Robinson, 69, Noblesville, said, “It’s bittersweet.”

The anniversary of surviving his near-death experience seven years ago, he said, gave him an opportunity to lead this state and make a difference in the lives of others.

How so, you may ask? By now, word has likely spread that Robinson is the new state president for Indiana Elks Association, which has 14,334 members in the state. He was sworn in on June 4 at the state Elks Convention in Fort Wayne.

Being that his heart attack anniversary is July 4 and the Elks National Convention is always during the July 4 week (this year July 3-6 in Atlanta, Ga.), he said, “is like having a birthday in July.” Although, he won’t be participating in the Freedom Run again until 2023, after he leaves Elks state office at the end of his one-year term.

Robinson is only the second Indiana Elks president from Noblesville, the first being Paul Manship, 1961-62.

So how has being the Elks state president already changed his life?

“I feel a little weight on my shoulders to be the face of the Elks and to ensure I spread the word of what a great organization the Elks is and how we support the communities clearly across the State of Indiana,” he said.  “I have always felt that way for Hamilton County but my responsibilities (now) outreach my home and where I live and play.”

Robinson is an East Texas native who came to Indiana to attend Purdue University, where he met his wife, Lisa, and then, after moving to Noblesville, he joined the Noblesville Elks so he could “bowl, play Poker and drink a little beer.”

He said, “It became clear that the Elks did a lot more than what I thought until I joined and saw all the good work we do.”

Robinson said, “We have raised over $5.1 million over the past 122 years that we have put back into the community to help our youth, veterans, cancer research and residents who go to bed at night hungry.”

In the Noblesville Elks, he was asked to be an Inner Guard, then jumped to Leading Knight and then took over as Exalted Ruler (president) when the lodge’s ER resigned. After a year’s vacation, he became Lodge treasurer and then secretary for the past 27 years.

Robinson said, “I wanted to be a part of this organization, with the idea that I could make a difference.”

He was chosen as president, he said, he believes because of his “dedication to Elkdom that was seen throughout the West Central District,” he said. “As a longtime member (32 years), I have been a resource for other lodges in our district, chairman of several District Chairs (scholarship, Elks National Foundation, orientation, membership) which provided me with a wealth of knowledge to support our major programs. I was nominated for vice president by our Noblesville Lodge which I then won the election of all lodges in our District. Once a VP of your district, progression leads to eventually six years later of becoming State President.”

His goals this year, he said in an acceptance speech: to have a positive increase in membership in all districts, no reduction in lodges unless it makes sense, 100 percent participation in all programs, such as Hoop Shoot; Top 10 recognition 4 Star or 5 Star for the State Association Bulletin; increase communication in all lodges.

He has a personal goal to raise $2,500 this year for the American Heart Association, a charity that has been close to his heart since his heart attack seven years ago. He also invites everyone to join him on Oct. 1 as an Elks Team for a 5K Walk starting at Victory Field in Indianapolis.

Robinson said in a letter to Elks brothers and sisters, “I hope to serve members of this great organization with humility in re-dedicating ourselves and our state once again to continue to serve our communities and to bring together people of goodwill and brotherhood and sisterhood under the lofty standards of Elkdom.”

He said, “My motto is LIFE (Living In Full Elkdom). What do we need to do in our communities to grow our membership and make a difference? The answer is simple: Volunteering is a way to help others in need, to build community, and, most importantly, to remind ourselves that we are all part of a bigger society. The ways that we can volunteer our time and skills are manifold, ranging from assisting our veterans, keeping our children from going home hungry, keeping our youth drug free by educating and mentoring our youth.”

Robinson said, “At the core of volunteerism is the idea of giving back — recognizing that for our society to thrive, we all need to do our part. As a bonus, volunteering benefits the volunteers themselves, too. In addition to reducing stress, volunteering increases feelings of joy and gratitude, which in turn improve our mood, sense of optimism, and immune system. In other words, as the idiom goes, ‘You get what you give.’ ‘Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.’”

What attribute makes Robinson a good state president? “I hope I will be able to answer this question with results next year at this time,” he said.  However, saying that, Robinson has 32 years experience in Elkdom, more than 40 years of management experience in his personal career so he knows how to manage teams and get results, to turn around departments that are not performing to the organization’s expectations and to develop staff to help them succeed. 

He said, “I think these experiences will help me run the Indiana Elks Association like a business and meet the needs of our individual lodges that may need help and not get in the way of the lodges that are doing well.”

Robinson said, “When I joined the Elks in the fall of 1990, my only goal was to meet new folks in a new community into which I had just moved,” he said. “Like a lot of you, it became a calling, and I am proud of my contributions to this great order.”

– Contact Betsy Reason at betsy@thetimes24-7.com.