Knightly News St. Joseph Council 8872 Inside this issue: Grand Knight s Corner, Sprague Lake & Planning Meeting Gregory Morrow Project Summer Leadership Meeting & Bishop White Seminary 2 3, 4 & 5 6 Mobile Food Bank 7 Patriot Award 8 Mentorship & Chairmanship 9 Gregory Morrow Project This past March Gregory Morrow, one of our Parish Altar Servers, was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor. He was operated on here in Spokane and then sent to Seattle for eight weeks of Proton and Chemo Therapy. Because of the long recovery road and the need for constant care, Susan, Gregory s mom, had to leave her job. As a result, it became necessary to sell the family home and move into smaller quarters using the proceeds of the sale to support the family. The family home, which had four children and a dog, required some sprucing up before being put on the market for sale. The Council put together a plan to help this family and try and get their lives back to as normal as possible considering the situation. The Plan was in three parts: (1) Renovate the home with Knight labor and ask for material donations from local retailers wherever possible. Realizing we could not expect 100% of material costs to be donated, the Council voted the use of Council funds that would be repaid utilizing the second part of the plan; (2) The Council would have a Pig Roast on the Church Grounds, selling tickets to Parishioners and Midway Elementary School families where Gregory went to school. We would also have a silent auction and again ask Parishioners and Knights to contribute items for the event. The funds from this event would first go to cover any outlays the Council had made on materials to fix the home, and the remainder would be given to the Morrow family; (3) In order to raise some additional funds, the Council would work some additional days at the Sprague Lake Rest Stop on Interstate 90 during July. More inside... BACK PAGE Calendar Over 300 people attended the Pig Roast held behind the Church.
Page Page 2 2 Grand Knight s Corner Corner Worthy Brothers, Reflecting back on my first year as Grand Knight, I can say with complete honesty that you guys are a fantastic group of Catholic men and I am honored that you have trusted me to lead you. We accomplished much last year and have a lot in store for the coming fraternal year. Thanks so much to all of you who helped throughout the year, especially my fellow officers and program directors. This past summer was busier than usual due to the Pig Roast and Auction we held in July for the benefit of Gregory Morrow and his family. There will be some slides at the September business meeting capturing some of the action. It was truly an awesome effort by our council. Besides the money raised at the event itself, the work done by the Knights in June to rehabilitate the Morrow house in advance of selling it was extraordinary, with almost no part of the house being left untouched. The Sprague Lake Rest Stop activity went well with a net collection of almost $3000. As always, thanks to all the Knights and wives who gave the time to drive an hour (each way) and serve a 4 hour shift helping travelers. Thanks also to all the cookie bakers. As always, we would love to have brothers step up and volunteer to lead a specific event (Chairman). We have several events without an assigned Chairman at this time, so please prayerfully consider whether God is calling you to help out council and parish in a focused manner. We have lots of support and resources available so that Chairmen are not left hanging out. The risk is low and the reward is great! Knightly News I can say with complete honesty that you guys are a fantastic group of Catholic men and I am honored that you have trusted me to lead you. Vivat Jesus - Mike Kerschen, Grand Knight Community Service - Sprague Lake Rest Stop In August, the Council once again assisted motorists on Interstate 90 by providing refreshments at the Sprague Lake Rest Stops, helping to keep them awake during their travels. Again, special thanks to the wives of the Knights who baked cookies and assisted taking shifts in the rest stop. The donations we received will go to fund other Community Service and Council activities. Thanks to all participants. Annual Planning Meeting In August, the Council held its Annual Planning Meeting to review what we have done in the past how we can make it better and what new things would we like to do. These ideas will be shared at the September 1 st Council meeting.
Page 3 Gregory Morrow Project (cont.) The Plan was very successful. Knights worked some 1,800 hours in sprucing up the home. This included new kitchen and bathroom floors, fresh paint on all the ceilings and walls, new carpeting and padding throughout the home, fresh paint on the exterior front of the house, fresh landscaping in the front yard, painting the fence and staining the deck in the backyard. We were successful in getting donations and discounted rates from some local retailers: Carpeting from Great Floors; Padding from Caruso s; Paint and Stain from Sherwin Williams. Also, a special thanks goes to Eric Hyman who utilized his team of experts to handle the more intricate work. serving motorists at the Sprague Lake Rest Stop on Interstate 90 was very successful and helped increase the funds we gave to the family. The Pig Roast had over three hundred people in attendance. The Holy Spirit was with us, as in the midst of several days of rain, we had a beautiful sun shiny afternoon and evening. The Silent Auction results were beyond our wildest dreams as we received 102 donated items and almost all of them sold at the Auction. In addition, the Donation Jar played a big part in the fantastic results we experienced. The couple of days Through all parts of the Project over 60 Knights participated in one way or another, something which the Council should be very proud. Once again the generosity of the St. Joseph Parish Family has risen to the occasion to help the Morrow family in their time of need.
Page 4 Gregory Morrow Project Photos Pig off the Barbeque Ready to be pulled apart for eating. Painting the Ceilings Painting the Walls and Everything Else Deck Getting Top Coat of Stain The Landscapers stop to admire their beautiful work. The Head Mover Loads Up the Moving Van
Page 5 More Gregory Morrow Project Photos Tom Bulking Up Before Tackling The 3 Gallons In Front Of Him Prepping the Walls for Paint The Finished Product with Fresh Paint, New Roof and Clean Landscaping
Page 6 Summer Leadership Meeting - Building the Domestic Church In July the Council was represented at the State Summer Leadership Meeting by Deputy Grand Knight and Program Director Chuck Meeks and Trustee Art Smalley. This year s focus from Supreme was the theme Building the Domestic Church. This was the follow up from Supreme Knight Carl Anderson s message to the State Deputy s in November and his article in the Columbia magazine in December. The Supreme Knight emphasized the importance for all Councils to assist in integrating their programs so as to build a closer bond between the Knights and their Parishes, thereby making their Parishes stronger. This in turn will allow each Council to grow along with its Parish, and at the same time enjoy the side benefit of building a better relationship with their Pastor. There were several guest speakers at the meeting. Of most importance was our own Bishop Daily who spoke about what the Knights can do to help the Church. We also heard from the President of Washington State Special Olympics. He thanked the Knights for all that they do and then told us about the upcoming World Games for Special Olympians next summer in Seattle. A lot to do and a really big need for Knights of Columbus support. More to come in the next few months. Our final speaker was the grandson of entertainer Jerry Lewis, Matt, who is the V.P. of Marketing for the Global Wheelchair Mission. This is the same organization that supplies wheelchairs to our Council. The remainder of the meeting was spent with presentations on the Featured Eight Programs from Supreme. We as a Council currently do seven of the eight so there was not a lot new for us in this area. Of course, no State meeting would be complete without a push to garner new members. Certainly an important activity for the life of any Council, as well as the P a r i s h. U n f o r t u n a t e l y, Washington State finished 64 th out of 74 Jurisdictions in its membership goals for the past Council year. A Jurisdiction in K of C vernacular is a specific area of governance. For example, each state in the U.S. is a Jurisdiction, Canada has 3 Jurisdictions, Mexico has approximately 6 Jurisdictions, and the remainder are one per Country for the other 15 Countries where the Knights have a presence. Bishop White Seminary Clean-up In August, seven members of the Council spent the better part of a Saturday cleaning-up the Bishop White Seminary in preparation for the arrival of the Seminarians to start the Fall Semester. Father Dan Barnett, the Rector of the Seminary, was very pleased with the work we were able to accomplish which included: power washing the exterior of the building, cleaning the gutters and roof drains on the flat part of the roof, weeding the exterior, cleaning and reorganizing the garage, hanging two new white boards, and changing and cleaning light bulbs in the Chapel and the Gathering Space. Father Barnett is starting his second year as Rector and has increased the number of Seminarians that will be attending Bishop White this year. He has also done a great job in improving the landscape to make the Seminary as welcoming as possible. Father Barnett will be here to celebrate Mass in October when we do our Seminarian Breakfast. Many thanks to the seven Knights that made this possible: Jim Kestell; Felix Roman; Chuck Meeks; Don Patchett; Bill Steffens; Mike Kerschen; and Art Smalley. Please consider becoming involved in this activity next time we are asked.
Page 7 Mobile Food Bank In August, the Council sponsored its third Mobile Food Bank at the North County Food Pantry. This particular truck-load of food totaled 9,676 pounds and was comprised of Watermelons, Cantaloupes, Apricots, Apples, Banana s, Bakery Products, and Chopped Meat. Fourteen members of the Council distributed the food to some 70 families. The remainder of the food was stored in the Food Pantry for distribution to its normal Client Base during the ensuing weeks. The Council will be hosting another Mobile Food Bank on August 30 th at the House of Charity and at Father Bach Haven. Many hands make light work, so we strongly encourage all to join. Knights Packaging Food for Distribution Knights Distributing Food to N.C.F.P Clients
Page 8 To Be A Patriot Award Since 1985, the Fourth Degree recognizes three Assemblies who have had the best Patriotic Program in the World during the past year. Our Assembly s submittal was for our joint Assembly/Council efforts in the performance of Once Upon A Mattress to provided 66 beds and bedding for the 40 Apartment Units at Fort Walla Walla which will be used to house homeless Veterans and their Families at St. Michael the Archangel Haven. It is with great pride that our efforts were recognized in the top three. Congratulations to all that made this effort so special for our Veterans. Refurbished Officers Quarters to House Homeless Veterans and Their Families Knights join Rob McCann at Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at Fort Walla Walla The Apartments Look Out On the Parade Grounds at Fort Walla Walla Kitchen for One of the Three Bedroom Apartments at Fort Walla Walla Presentation of the Play Proceeds Check of $13,000 to Rob McCann, the Executive Director of Catholic Charities
Page 9 Mentorship Program This year the Council will be restoring our Mentorship Program under the leadership of Chancellor Mike Schmidt. The purpose of the program is to better inject our new Brother Knights into the workings of our Council and help them start building personal relationships with their new Brother Knights. In turn, this will lead to more involvement and increase the number of active Knights at both meetings and service activities. If you are asked to be a mentor, please step-up to the challenge. This is another important step in helping us continue to build a strong Council and maintaining the many works that being a Knight of Columbus is all about. Responsibilities of the Mentor: Become a friend to the new Knight. Call him before each meeting and invite him to attend. Make note of his reasons for non-attendance. Call and invite him to attend our service programs. Make note of his reasons for nonattendance. Meet with the Chancellor quarterly for a brief and quick overview of how the new Knight is blending into the activities of the Council. If the report is fairly negative it will be the Grand Knights and Chancellors responsibility to speak with the new Knight. This responsibility should last no longer than a year for any individual. Chairmanships At our first meeting of the Council Year on September 1 st, we will be looking to fill the many Chairmanships necessary to make our Programs Go. As you know, we have seven Directors. One for each of the six Service Areas and one for Membership. They need our help in executing the specific programs that we do each year. This is an opportunity for each of us as Knights to step up and lead a particular project or event. The one thing that makes the Knights of Columbus at St. Joseph Parish so great is there are plenty of Brother Knights that have one another s back. The expectation that there is always plenty of help is always fulfilled. Each Director has in their possession an Operations Manual which contains the Action Items for each of the projects or events we undertake. With this, the Chairman s job becomes as easy as following directions and assigning tasks. Our next major event coming up in September is our Coats for Kids Campaign. Jason Malone has stepped up to be the Chairman of this event. So please give it some thought as to a particular project or event that you might be the Chairman for. For further information, please see our Deputy Grand Knight & Program Director Chuck Meeks.
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS COUNCIL 8872 Sept 1 September 2016 Calendar Council Dinner Meeting @ 6:30 PM 3720 E. Colbert Road Colbert, WA 99005 Phone: 509-466-4991 Officers Mike Kerschen - Grand Knight Chuck Meeks - Deputy GK Al McCarty - Financial Secretary Mark Sievertson - Treasurer Michael Bender - Warden Michael Schmidt - Chancellor Pete Lineberger - Advocate David Gay - Recorder Frank Ascolese - Outside Guard Greg Woodard - Inside Guard Unassigned - Lecturer Michael Chorvat - Trustee Art Smalley - Trustee Michael Cahill - Trustee Directors Chuck Meeks - Programs Chuck Meeks - Church Scott Charleboix - Community Charles Porter - Culture of Life Unassigned - Council Unassigned - Family Don Baldwin - Youth Dwane Berens - Membership Newsletter Contributor - Art Smalley Editor - Al McCarty Sept 3&4 Sept 8 Sept 10&11 Sept 15 Sept 17&18 Sept 18 Sept 23-25 Sept 29 Food Sunday Weekend Fourth Degree Meeting @ 6:30 PM Coats for Kids Collection Weekend First Degree Exemplification @ 7:30 PM Coats for Kids Collection Weekend Coats for Kids Breakfast Tootsie Roll Campaign Officers & Directors Meeting @ 7:00 PM kofc8872@gmail.com