THE TARHEEL KNIGHT IN THIS ISSUE. The Official Publication of the North Carolina Knights of Columbus VOLUME 39, ISSUE 1 JANUARY 2016

Transcription

1 THE TARHEEL KNIGHT The Official Publication of the North Carolina Knights of Columbus IN THIS ISSUE State Deputy State Secretary State Warden State Chancellor General Programs Family Life LAMB Family Social Event Membership Culture of Life Wounded Warrior VAVS Knights in Action Greetings to One and All from Fayetteville!! Gina and I truly hope that this day finds you and yours well and in good spirits. We hope you are recovering from a great Christmas and a new year that brings anticipation and excitement, with plenty of opportunities to make a difference to those who are less fortunate and need a little help to make their lives here on earth a bit more comfortable. As of writing this article, we truly are looking forward to seeing the council leadership at the state s mid-year meetings in both Mooresville and Fayetteville. It is always so nice to rekindle the relationships with the people that mean so much to us in running the Family Business. Did you catch it -- Family Business? With the Supreme Knights address to the state deputies at our mid-year meeting in San Antonio, he certainly set the tone for us to lead the way in getting back into the lives of our parishes and concentrating much of our efforts on Building the Domestic Church. I hope that each of you took a moment to read his address in the December edition of the THK, it really lays out the groundwork for where he wants to see the Order move. Mr. Anderson points out in his address that, The family as domestic church is central to both the work of the new evangelization and to the future sustainability of our parishes - as well as the future of the Order. But the Catholic family cannot perform this important mission on its own. Continued next page STATE OFFICERS State Deputy: Colin Jorsch Chaplain: Father Lesak Secretary: John Nussbaum Treasurer: Dan Lange Advocate: JC Reiher Warden: Chris Losack Immediate Past Deputy: Jack Murray Regional District Deputies #1: John Horvat #2: Tom Smith #3: Boyce Williams #4: Sergio Miranda #5 Richard Hamel #6: Wayne Kleven 1

2 STATE DEPUTY (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1) Brothers, this is where you come in. Please take a moment to reread the Supreme Knight s address. Find ways that you can institute programs and integrate with parish based initiatives. Support of our Pastors is so important and I believe that the local council of the Knights of Columbus is the answer to build strong bonds in the Domestic Church as well as our Parish Families. As we began the Year of Mercy on the 8th of December, I ask you to take a moment and remember those how are so much less fortunate in our world. We in western civilization (especially in the United States) are blessed to have our freedoms protected by law. In many countries this simply is not the truth. Hundreds of thousands of Christians are being persecuted every day in some regions of the world. Please pray with me this day the Supreme Council s Prayer for Persecuted Christians: O God of all the nations, the One God who is and was and always will be, in your providence you willed that your Church be united to the suffering of your Son. Look with mercy on your servants who are persecuted for their faith in you. Grant them perseverance and courage to be worthy imitators of Christ. Bring your wisdom upon leaders of nations to work for peace among all peoples. May your Spirit open conversion for those who contradict your will, that we may live in harmony. Give us the grace to be united in truth and freedom, and to always seek your will in our lives. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Our Lady, Queen of Peace, pray for us. Prayer composed by Archbishop William E. Lori, Supreme Chaplain May Christ s Peace be with each of you!! Colin Jorsch State Deputy 2

3 STATE SECRETARY Lori and I trust that each of you have had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. It is great to have time to spend with family and friends. But most importantly, it is a time to remember the great gift that God gave to each of us. He gave us his son. In addition to his son, God gave each of us a very special gift. The special talent that God gave each of us is to be used to help complete God s plan is your Church and community. What is your special talent? Are you using it to help others or are you hiding it. With the new year, it is a great time to find new ways to put your special talent to work. There is always more to do than we can get done without your help. Your Council can use your talent. Like December, January is a very busy month for all of us. The following are some of the events that should be in your Fraternal Leader Success Planner. Mid-Year Meeting West (Mooresville) January 9 If you are attending, you should have registered on the State website by now. Food for lunch is being planned based on these registrations. Right to Life March (Charlotte) January 15 Prayer Breakfast for Life (Raleigh) - January 16 Love My Life Youth Rally (Raleigh) January 16 Right to Life March (Raleigh) January 16 Right to Life March (DC) January 22 Right to Life March (Jacksonville) January 23 Third Degree (9030 Laurinburg) January 23 Mid-Year Meeting East (Fayetteville) - January 30 If you are attending, you should have registered on the State website by now. Food for lunch is being planned based on these registrations. Survey of Fraternal Activity (1728) Due before January 31 Special Olympics Partnership (4584) Due before January 31 Council Free Throw Contest In January Poster and Essay Contest - In January Get started on your Council audit Due before February 15. At the State Mid-Year meetings, we will be handing out the Countdown to Convention check list. This checklist will help your Council get all the requirements due for Convention completed on time. For those that will not be able to attend it will be on the State website. This Countdown to Convention will help your Council get the recognition it deserves for the great work you are doing for your parish and community. If I can ever serve you in any way, please let me know. I am here to serve you. Fraternally yours in Christ, John Nussbaum State Secretary 3

4 STATE WARDEN Brothers All, Vivat Jesus! Happy New Year to each of you and your families. A tradition in the US at the start of each year is to make a list of things that we plan to accomplish in the new year. Many times we do not end up keeping these resolutions for a variety of reasons. Sometimes we just get caught up in our daily routines and forget them. Sometimes we feel that they are not really as important as we thought they were when we first made them, then give up. And sometimes they are just unrealistic from the beginning and we cannot achieve them. I hope that each of you have set a list of goals (resolutions) for your Council and one of them should be achieving STAR Council. For most Councils in this state this is not an unrealistic goal. Let s refresh ourselves on what it takes to achieve STAR Council. First, the Council must achieve its membership and insurance quotas. As stated, this is not an unrealistic goal for most Councils. For those Councils that believe it is too lofty of a goal, work with your District Deputy and Field Agent and they will make it become more realistic and achievable. Another criteria is to conduct service programs in each of the program areas. Again, this is likely something that you are already doing, you just need to report them in June on the Form SP7. The Council must also remain in good standing with Supreme requiring payment of dues assessments and submitting Council audits. Again, this is something that the Council does as a matter of course in doing Council business. Easy so far, right? Well the final requirements are the ones that typically fall into the first two categories of why we don t keep our resolutions. We don t think they are important then get caught up in our daily activities and forget about them. These requirements are the reporting requirements. As already mentioned, you must report your service program activity on the Form SP7 due in June, you must submit the service personnel information on Form 365 due last July, and you must submit the Survey of Fraternal Activity on Form 1728 due on January 31st. This is the reason that I spend so much time talking about the importance of submitting your forms. Not to harass you, but to make sure that an oversight does not prevent your Council from being recognized for all the hard work that it does. It is always a shame when a Council has done all the work necessary to achieve STAR status, but fails to earn their award due to the lack of submitting a form. That said, there are two forms due on January 31st. These are the Survey of Fraternal Activity Form 1728 and the Report of Special Olympics Form Each Council should fill out the Form 4584 even if they do not participate in a Special Olympics program. I am hopeful that every Council has some type of support for such a worthy cause, but please complete the form anyway. The Supreme Council reimburses the State Council based upon the number of submissions and that money is donated to the Special Olympics NC each summer at their Summer Games. Where else can you earn money for our special needs athletes simply by filling out a form? Both of these forms are typically collected at the Mid-Year Meetings and sent in bulk to Supreme. Since the Mid-Year Meeting for the East is on the weekend that they are due, I asked each of you last month to make sure that you turn them in to your District Deputy in advance. I ve already received several submissions and look forward to receiving more in the coming weeks. Please bring a copy of these forms with you to the Mid-Year anyway so that we can ensure that North Carolina achieves 100% compliance as we have done in the past. Once again, I want to wish you a Happy New Year and I look forward to seeing you at the Mid-Year Meetings. If there is anything that I can do to assist you in any manner, please do not hesitate to reach out. That is what I am here for, to help you in any possible way. Vivat Jesus, Chris Losack State Warden 4

5 STATE CHANCELLOR Annette and I wish all a very Blessed, Healthy and Happy New Year to you and your family. Our first six months of the fraternal year has shown we are doing very well with what our councils and our State are supposed to accomplish. Please continue on the track you have started and we should conclude our fraternal year in great shape. After the first of the year I will be contacting Grand Knights and District Deputies to update them on what they should be doing to continue and/or improve their council performances. We are now six months into our year and some districts do not have a district warden. I will be addressing this problem during January. Again, HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL. Vince Cerullo State Chancellor 5

6 GENERAL PROGRAMS DIRECTOR Brothers All, I hope that everyone enjoyed a very blessed Christmas with your family and that you also took the time to remember the reason for this blessed season and spent some personal time giving thanks to our Lord for all that he has done for us this past year. While it may always a mystery what God has in store for us to accomplish, he always provides us with the strength to do what he asked us to do if we listen to him. We are now half way through the fraternal year and things are not slowing down any. There were many of you that hosted multiple events through December and January is already full of charitable events. Many of the Right to Life events are scheduled for this month and I ask that all of you support these events. For us Knights, our Culture of Life programs should be a high priority, not only as Catholics and other Christians, but to those that rely upon our generosity to support many of these programs. We can and do make a difference in what we say and do. Please consider attending at least one of the Culture of Life programs that will take place this month and let our State Director know what you have done. His address is: cultureoflife@kofcnc.org Many of your Councils supported some type of event that fell under the Community program this past month. Many Councils cooked lunch or dinner for the homeless, held special events for the homeless and supported families that could not afford to have a Christmas without our charity. All of these events are what Fr. McGivney had in mind when he instituted the Knights. As winter strengthens here in the state, please remember those that do not have enough funds to keep warm and look to see how your Council can participate in programs that will assist those in need. Our Community programs provides you with many different types of events that your Council can do to help the Community. For information on these programs please contact our Community Director at: communitydirector@kofcnc.org Food drives continue to be amazing as to the number of Councils that are participating and the amount of food items that are being collected. If you are holding these drives please let our Family Director know what your council is doing. His contact is: familydirector@kofcnc.org The Solidary Cross program is progressing and we are interested in having a collage made of all councils that have ordered these crosses. Please take a photograph of your council officers with their crosses and send to me at: awards@kofcnc.org The State Officers and other local Knights gave out approximately 360 coats for kids in Charlotte last month. If your council also held such an event please let our Youth Director know what your council did as a project. His address is: youthdirector@kofcnc.org 6

7 GENERAL PROGRAMS DIRECTOR (CONTINUED) As you go about your daily activities, and especially while attending church activities, look around you and take notice of those who are actively participating in these events. Many may be Knights but those that are not please spend a few minutes with them and ask them to become a Knight. What a great way to recruit new members and you also know that they will help with the many projects that we have. If you have any questions please contact our Membership Director at: membershipdirector@kofcnc.org By now some of you have had the opportunity to be at a meeting where the traveling gavel is presented. When the gavel is presented to the Grand Knight for a meeting and then it is passed to the next Council within the District please consider going to the Council that will receive the gavel. You will enjoy the fraternity that is associated with this event and also get to know and spend some time with other Catholic men doing our charitable work. For information on this program please contact our Council Director at: councildirector@kofcnc.org The mid-year meetings are coming up on January 9 in Mooresville and January 30 in Fayetteville. Please plan on attending one of these meetings. As part of the day s events, the State Directors and I will be giving out the awards related to the programs that you submitted from the first half of the year. I am always amazed at the number of projects that we as a state do towards helping our families, our youth, and those less fortunate than us. It is truly an honor to be able to process these events and send them on to the Directors for judging. All you Grand Knights please be present to accept your award and share them with your Council. The Councils that host these events have worked hard to make sure that you enjoy yourself from when you arrive until the last event of the day. There will be agenda for the women to participate in so bring your wife and let her enjoy the day also. Just make sure that the host council knows that she is comings by noting that on the registration form. The host council will also be raffling off several baskets and other gifts. Please support these efforts to keep the cost of these events down. One such gift from the west is a Keg-a-nator. For those of you that like a cold refreshment could really use this for their enjoyment. For those of you that continue to utilize your Fraternal Planner, you can look at where the Council is in achieving Star Council, which is what every Council should strive to attain. This resource assist you in many ways, upcoming events, current events and facts related to that event, and information related to attaining Star Council is just part of this tool that is available for you to utilize. Please continue to use this as a planning tool. Also if your Council completed any event during the time frame of October 1st, 2015 and now, please submit the program for the second half of the year. The end of this reporting period will be March 31st. There will be more information on that at the mid-year meetings in January. As always thank you for all you do and if you have any questions please just let me know and I will assist you in any way. My contact information is: awards@kofcnc.org. Vivat Jesus Paul Spire General Programs Director 7

8 FAMILY LIFE DIRECTOR Tempis Fugit At the next officers meeting, ask the F/S to look up everyone s birth year and calculate an average age. Look around and guess the average age of the active members. How old have the new members brought into the council been? And I strongly encourage the Assemblies to do this exercise, too. What do you get? Low 50 s to mid 60 s for most councils? What does that tell us? Are we aging out? In a few years those in our Order will be able to do far less than we can do now. We will become irrelevant? Unless we begin to act now! In the next FIVE YEARS we need to recruit younger brother knights and get them fitted and trained for the burden they must assume. It was requested each state program director come up with a new project this year. I am striving to develop three in concert with my brother directors: Families for Life, the Silver Rose for the Squires and families in parades with the Fourth Degree. Still more are proposed informally as opportunities arise. These are aimed at the families of non-members by inviting them to participate in an event. Once involved, they can see the value of our Order and as my former council s founder said, Once you win over the wife, you ve got the man! Where does he get all this from? Well you might ask! The raw ideas may come from a casual statement of fact or opinion. My Food for Families Chairman suggested the kids have a food drive of their own. Council s GK speculated it would be nice to have a float for kids behind the Fourth Degree in the local Christmas Parade s DD read that the Squires started the Silver Rose in 1960 and lamented he didn t have them in their Silver Rose prayer service. OK.. Let me work with that! Maybe we can build on it. News of successful programs comes from Councils. Some never report those successes they re just out there doing their own thing and we hear about them through word of mouth or a visit to the council and there are probably some we ve still never heard about! But we already have a mechanism in place to share word of these successes: the Council Service Program Awards! Yes, they re about honoring your council s people for a job well done but it s also about inspiring other councils to build on what you did and take it to another level by developing ideas of their own. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. And, yes, it s about giving us, the program directors, ideas that work! Horsewhip me if I didn t also mention Family of the Month submittals. Those three new projects are being devised to attract. families. You recruit them in hopes of revitalizing your council, now honor those who have won the race and challenge the others to follow in their footsteps! It s easy - a lot easier than trying to keep folks motivated without recognition. And it builds a TEAM! Now.. Get out of that chair! Go out there! And Make a Difference! Viva Cristo Rey! Fred Burton NC Family Director and NC Silver Rose Chair 8

9 LAMB Brothers All, I am writing this before we have the final figures in for December, hoping for a deposit in the final few days as we will need it to get close to our 2014 total deposit across the State. If you have not gotten your year-end income report in as yet, please do as soon as possible. Also if possible the disbursement request as well, as the groups that depend on us need our help as soon as possible. Deposits made after 12/31/15 will count towards Remember the Mid-Year Meetings in January (January 9th in Mooresville and January 30th in Fayetteville), as these are an important kick-off to the New Year. All LAMB Directors should try and attend if at all possible, as the more input we have; the more ideas come forward on how to improve the LAMB program. Lastly, as I did last month, I would like to conclude with an excerpt from a letter we received from Holy Angels in Belmont which is another regional charity where a portion the 15% the state deducts from collections is used. On behalf of the residents, families and staff of Holy Angels I send our warmest season s greetings to you and all the Knights of Columbus throughout North Carolina. During this celebration of Christmas, I wish to thank you for continuing to keep our mission close to your hearts and in prayer. I understand the challenges you face raising funds to support some of God s most special children and adults and applaud the tireless efforts of the Knights of Columbus to support our mission. We are indeed honored and blessed by your generous gift and promise to be good stewards of this gift. The funds generated from your many fundraising efforts will be used to purchase adaptive physical therapy equipment. Adaptive equipment plays a vital role in treatment and is imperative to the quality of care our residents receive. A new supine stander will give our residents the ability to see their environment from a standing position while building strong bones in weight bearing exercises. Much needed wheelchair revisions can now be a with your funds and new abductions wedges and tumble chairs will allow our residents to be repositioned safely and comfortably during the day. Regina P. Moody, M.Ed., President/CEO Happy New Year! Vivat Jesus Richard M. White, State LAMB Director 9

10 FAMILY/COUNCIL/ASSEMBLY SOCIAL EVENT Let me stick my neck out and present something a bit different an opera! This will be convenient to those of you in the Charlotte-Gastonia area and might provide a unique night out for a married couple.. Or perhaps take it one step further and make it a Council or Assembly social event! Winthrop University is presenting Francis Poulenc s opera, Dialogues of the Carmelites on the weekend of February 26th through 28th with performances at 7:30pm Friday and Saturday and 3:00pm on Sunday in Tillman Auditorium on their Rock Hill, SC campus. Admission is only $15 and you may contact them at for tickets and information. So why am I promoting an opera at an out-of-state public venue? Because this is a skillful dramatization of how a community of Carmelite nuns was caught up in the furor of the French Revolution. You remember the musical, Les Miserables - that was a big hit, right? Think of Dialogues of the Carmelites as being equally compelling but set in an earlier era with a powerful statement about Faith. As has happened in many political upheavals since then, new laws forbade the practice of Christianity and sought to prohibit its public devotion by believers. The nuns courageously chose to continue following the vows they had taken rather than the laws of the new regime. There were consequences. which they unanimously accepted in Faith. Spoiler Alert? I ll just say this has what has been termed the most soul-searing conclusion in all of opera. Should you plan to attend, know that Rock Hill s restored downtown is about a mile away and has a collection of trendy restaurants and bistros that will nicely complement an evening or afternoon at the opera. I shall leave it to you to check those out. And, yes, I plan to go! Fred Burton, NC Family Director 10

11 MEMBERSHIP Membership Greetings Fellow Knights from your 2015 Membership Team. Bob Hack Membership Director Peter Devlin Membership Chairman Dave Benes Retention Chairman Open Recruiting East Chairman, Harry Fear Recruiting West Chairman Rick Scherer New Council Development Chair Bill Atwood Council Retention Chairman Chris Sprissler College Council Coordinator Jack Dambaugh Supreme Advertising Coordinator Bob Hall Round Table Chairman Contact us at any time you have a question or need assistance. Brothers. We are on the right track, Through Dec the 18th we are at 50% of our goal. All we have to do is keep it going. DD s, There are 30 Councils that have not installed a single new brother this year. How can we help you?? Regional membership training has been completed by Regions 1,2 and 6. We are awaiting contact from Regions 3, 4 & 5. Please contact the Membership Director to schedule your session. I sent out an reminder in December to the RMPCs that details what to expect. With all the changes in the Retention cycle this year it will be best to complete the training by March 15th, before your councils get too far into the retention process. Round Tables are still an issue if we are to attain Circle of Honor Status. If you need help or just have some questions contact Bob Hall the Round Table Chairman. Again, our goals for Circle of Honor for are 900 New brothers We need brothers net of drops We need new brothers net of all losses and gains We need Star Councils (11/1) 12 councils have their Recruiting, 8 have Insurance. 2 Have both 1 new council per Diocese. A total of 2 in the works now 2 reactivations. Kinston is getting close 30 Round Tables Need 13 more We have achieved all these totals before and we are well ahead of last year at this time. Our Goals are readily attainable if we work together using the power of UNITY. We recruit new members to Grow The Order. Growing the order enables us to do more good and make a difference in our Church, Family, Community our Brothers and Ourselves. Reminder Our suggestions for the next two months recruiting is to get your Pastors approval and make a presentation to the RCIA class. A parish Super Bowl Party can double as a fund raiser and a recruiting program while being a lot of fun. The straw man letter I promised last month to allow you to make selective contact is on the web Site. Go get those prime movers in the parish. Also, it s not too early to review your Spring Blitz check list and select your leader and team. Let s keep the momentum going. Make a plan, Staff the plan, Work the plan and enjoy the outcome. Let s make 2016 Colin s Year the Year of North Carolina at Supreme. One New Member Per Council Per Month VIVAT JESUS! Bob Hack

12 CULTURE OF LIFE Wilson NC: 16 December 2015 The Wilson Pregnancy Resource Center became the recipient of a beautiful State of the Art Ultrasound Machine from donations received from the local Knights of Columbus Council 4660 Bishop McGuinness Council led by Past Grand Knight Frank Lahnstein. Brother Knights it is very important to get out and support the Marches for Life this Month beginning with the Charlotte March on January 15th, The Raleigh March for Life and the Love My Life Rally on January 16th. The National March in Washington DC on 22 January and then there is the Jacksonville, NC March on the 23rd of January. Support and visibility are two of the main ingredients along with Prayer that will bring the end to Abortion not only in the U.S. but World Wide. Lew MCCLOUD CULTURE OF LIFE DIRECTOR KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS STATE COUNCIL NORTH CAROLINA 12

13 WOUNDED WARRIOR PROGRAM My Brother Knights and Sir Knights, First of all I want to thank all of you for the great job on the Wounded Warrior Program for WE raised a total of $64,149, all from North Carolina except for a donation from the People of Parrish, Florida. This year we sent home 59 Wounded Warriors. Thanks to the many people who donated, these Warriors were able to have a joyous Christmas with their Families and friends. The largest part of these donations were from the North, East and West of North Carolina, parishes and Councils. This shows how Patriotic the Knights of Columbus is. We not only claim to be Patriotic, we exhibit our patriotism when the need arises. I ask each of the Councils and Assemblies who participated, to Thank their parishes for their continued support for these Warriors. Robert J. Singer, PSD,FDM, FVSM 2506 Canal Drive Wilson, NC rjskofc@nc.rr.com 13

14 VAVS - VETERANS AFFAIR VOLUNTARY SERVICES Greetings Brother Knights and Grand Knights, Vivat Jesus! I hope your Christmas was filled with joy for you and your family. As we enter the New Year, 2016, I wish you and your Council much success. My challenge to each Brother Knight for the coming year is to increase your volunteerism in support of our men and women Veterans and the VA Medical Centers that provide help to our Veterans. I thank you for your time, talent and treasures this past year. REPORTS: Reporting of Activities in support of our Veterans is CRITICAL, in maintaining our status with the I.R.S. The GK and FN, by now should have completed Form 1728, for the year I NOW need you as GK to COMPLETE the Activities Report (attached) showing your support for Veterans. The Vice-Supreme Master has required the VAVS Representative for the District to obtain information from all Assemblies, Councils, Auxiliaries, and individuals that donate items or funds to a VA Hospitals, Clinics and State Veterans Retirement/Nursing Homes, etc, within the District. He must complete a spreadsheet showing an annual report of all donations to the VAVS National Representative in Supreme, the Supreme Master, Vice-Supreme Master and District Master. It will show everyone that the Fourth Degree DOES CARE for its Veterans and takes the Principle of Patriotism seriously. Not just in words but in Actions, however, there are Veterans who have needs in the VA facilities for such items as personal hygiene products, underwear, socks, long distance calling cards, gift cards, etc They served us. Now it s our turn to serve them. Thank you for your assistance and cooperation! I need your assistance in completing the above report. (This report is in addition to the Form 1728). GK, please see the attached Reporting Form. This Form can be found on the State website under Forms and in the Fourth Degree section under VAVS. THIS REPORT IS DUE NO LATER THAN JANUARY 31, Questions, please contact me at twdupree@aol.com Leadership: VAVS (Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service) Representative and Deputy Representative are needed for the following VA Medical Centers: 1. Fayetteville 2. Salisbury 3. Asheville Duties of these Representatives is to communicate between Assemblies, Councils, Columbiettes and the District VAVS Representative for the purposes of providing assistances in procuring donations and volunteerism in support of our Veterans. If interested, please contact me and I will arrange to meet with you to discuss a more detailed requirements. 14

15 VAVS - VETERANS AFFAIR VOLUNTARY SERVICES CON(((CONTINUT Needs of VA Medical Centers in Support of Our Veterans: Fayetteville VA Medical Center: body wash and sweat pants: 2 XL, 3XL & 4XL Salisbury VA Medical Center: sweat pants: L, XL & 2XL for men, female: sweats: M & L Asheville VA Medical Center: sweats could use M and L in pants only. SPECIAL NEEDS: CRAFT SUPPLIES-they cannot have enough of them. We have multi groups doing Crafts through Recreational Therapy. They LOVE the model kits: cars, ships, planes etc. Our HUD/VASH Program is also looking for cleaning supplies and towels. Recognition: Rev. Robert T. Lawson Assembly, #2826, Southport. FN SK David C. Poeppelmeiser and his Brother Sir Knights provided assistance to the Wilmington Health Care Center by providing gifts for the Veterans in the Mental Health Intensive Care Management Program (MHICM) and their children during their Holiday Party the first of December. These Veterans are all dealing with significant chronic mental health issues. Some of them live alone in very humble living conditions with little family support. This event was so helpful in their recovery by learning more effective ways to communicate and manage their mental health symptoms. This has really help me get in the Holiday Spirit. The food and the gifts were special. Holy Cross, Kernersville, Council No. 8509, Kernersville, NC SPONSOR: SK Henry Affeldt, SK Bob Yuzuik, SK Rick Fletcher & Sisters Denys Davis & Terry Yuzuik Activity: Christmas Gifts to our Veterans at the VQR in Asheville, NC Total Hours Reported: 12 hours Dates 11/17/ /14/2015 Item QTY Value Undershirts $342 Underwear $252 Socks 277 pairs + 10 $415 T-Shirts(color) 9 $63 Sweat shirts 7 $84 Welch s Fruit Snacks.9 oz packs $440 Dove Men Body Wash 3 oz. 96 bottles $144 The Red Bulletin Magazine 4 one year subscription + 15 $24 Lowe s Foods Gift Card 2 $1, SK Thomas W. (Tom) DuPree Jr. PGK, PFN, VAVS Representative Durham VA North Carolina District VAVS Representative VA, North Carolina State Council Veterans Affairs and VAVS Chairman 15

16 VAVS- Veterans Affair Voluntary Service - NC Annual Activity Report Time Period: January 1, 20 - December, 31, 20 Due by January 31 st. (Choose one category.) EACH COUNCIL AND ASSEMBLY MUST SUBMIT A REPORT. Assembly/Council: Location: City/Town, NC Include Council/Assembly number. Please type or print eligible. Use black ink. Complete numerical data from right to left. Include financial contributions and hours of community service from all related programs. Make a photo copy of survey report for your Council/Assembly file. YES NO 1.Number of meetings held during the year 2. MEMBERSHIP: (COUNT) 3. BUDGET: CHECK ONE Regular Social Special 4. BUDGET FOR VETERANS AFFAIRS/MILITARY/VAVS $ 5. DO YOU DISTRIBUTE THE TAR HEEL KNIGHT? DO YOU DISTRIBUTE THE GOLDEN PLUME? YES NO YES NO 6. WHICH V A MEDICAL CENTER DO YOU SUPPORT? DURHAM V A MEDICAL CENTER ASHEVILLE V A MEDICAL CENTER FAYETTEVILLE V A MEDICAL CENTER SALISBURY V A MEDICAL CENTER NONE 7 DO YOU SUPPORT USO? YES NO (PROVIDE DETAIL INFORMATION) 8. PROGRAMS: NATIONAL WHEEL CHAIR GAMES GOLDEN AGE GAMES NEW COATS FOR VETERANS WOUNDED WARRIOR PROGRAM- M.O.P.H. GIFT CARDS SWEAT SHIRTS/PANTS VETERANS RESTORATION QUARTERS Brother Participation: Hours NO VETERAN DIES ALONE Brother Participation: Hours: Sponsors Sporting Events, Picnics etc Visitation with Veterans Include hours OTHER: YES NO AMOUNT Nursing H. Retirement Community Medical Center Signature of FN/GK Date Send to: SK Thomas W. DuPree, Jr. NC District VAVS Representative 2419 Hidden Meadow Dr. NC State Veteran Affairs & VAVS, Chairman Fuquay-Varina, NC twdupree@aol.com (cell) 16

17 VOLUME 39, ISSUE 1 JANUARY 2016 KNIGHTS IN ACTION COUNCIL PARISH HOLIDAY LUNCHEON Council sponsored the Holiday Luncheon for the St. John the Evangelist and Immaculate Conception Parishes 17