Council 10208 recently sent a $2,640 check to their brother knights in West TX to help those in need. The donation consisted of $1,640 from individual knight contributions and $1,000 from a contingency fund.
The members of the Knights of Columbus Council 2305 in West, Texas are among those helping to run the distribution site and organizing the volunteer activities. They have a strong presence in the town. Although West has fewer than 3000 residents, the Council counts more than 500 members.
The members of the Knights of Columbus Council 2305 in West, Texas are among those helping to run the distribution site and organizing the volunteer activities. They have a strong presence in the town. Although West has fewer than 3000 residents, the Council counts more than 500 members.
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| 2013 May Ed Miller Cheese |
Cheese sales for 2012-2013 started in October with the Wisconsin picnic with Kraemer's donating $200 in cheese products that were given out as door prizes. Order forms were also distributed and accepted. At the picnic next fall, there will be an extra supply of cheese that can be purchased on site in addition to submitting orders.
Through the rather lengthy sales season, there were eight deliveries from Watertown WI, four by UPS and four in person by a member of the Kraemer family. Products could also be shipped directly to clients. One Village visitor purchased $125 worth of product and paid $21 to have it shipped to Omaha NE.
With each delivery, extra cheese was ordered and sold at Knights' events, including parishioner breakfasts. Timely announcements by Father Bill helped sales as well. High pressure sales tactics were not needed as the products sold themselves with many repeat orders.
In addition to Ed Miller and his wife Mary Ann, the sales team consisted of John Meyers and Wayne Winters. Ron Cuba, Bill Gribbon, Steve Fetcko, Mike Frantz, and Steve Schramer assisted with distribution.
Ed states, "I wish that I had every knight selling cheese, because I know there are a lot of people we could get to buy our products. I still run into knights who ask me if their non-catholic friends can buy cheese. YES, they can. Sell some to them."
Sales will commence again when the weather gets cooler. Some intersting facts about the Kraemers is that all of the men are knights. The four children and families work at their store. They make all the cheese spreads at their factory and other products are purchased from vendors.
The Opening Ceremonies began Thursday, May 23rd at 7:30 PM. Athletes from 17 areas of Arkansas were led into the Harding University stadium by twelve Honor Guard members consisting of 4 from Mountain Home Assembly 2060, 5 from Hot Springs Village Assembly 2316, and 3 from Heber Springs Assembly 2919. The Honor Guard was well regimented and did an outstanding and impressive job presenting the Colors. The Knights of Columbus Olympic Town was very successful, with nearly 1200 athletes plus other attendees visiting our games. We had 56 volunteers, consisting of 23 Knights of Columbus members, 19 spouses, and 13 others compiling a total of 1829 hours. The Friday night meal catered by Golden Corral served KofC volunteers, spouses, 3 members of the Arkansas State Special Olympics Board, and Bruce Kelley from the Batesville Council. Bruce is responsible for our receiving a prime and large location with the extra tents, tables and chairs needed for Olympic Town. We are also grateful to other councils who provided game prizes, beads, and Tootsie Rolls. Next year, we hope to add another tent and at least two more games to accommodate the large numbers who visit, participate, and enjoy Olympic Town, fondly called "the happenin' place" by the athletes. We are growing, and it is wonderful to bring joy to these athletes. The response from our volunteers was that this is a truly special and heart-warming experience.
See pictures in the Photo Gallery. |
The Council has once a
gain received several awards earned during the 2012-2013 fraternal year. As in 2011-2012, it was awarded a plaque for having the highest percentage of member donors for a large council in the Just Ask Campaign. This was also the second year in a row to win the Campaign for People with Intellectual Disabilities (CPID), because it had the greatest net profit ($13,307) for a large council. In earning the Church award, the Council was recognized for the best activity in the state for its Seminarian House of Formation Fundraiser ($3,060).
The Council was represented at the State Convention by State and Council Chaplain Father Bill Elser, Grand Knight Bill Roe, Community Director Milt Spaniel, Advocate Dick Breckon, and State Special Olympics Director Dub Green. Geri Green and Janice Spaniel were also in attendance.
Check more pictures in PHOTOS.
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| Grand Knight Bill Roe (l) and Community Director Milt Spaniel display the three plaques awarded to the Council. |
The Council was represented at the State Convention by State and Council Chaplain Father Bill Elser, Grand Knight Bill Roe, Community Director Milt Spaniel, Advocate Dick Breckon, and State Special Olympics Director Dub Green. Geri Green and Janice Spaniel were also in attendance.
Check more pictures in PHOTOS.
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| Concelebrating Mass (l-r): Father Quinteros, Msgr Malone, Father Elser, and Msgr Oswald |
The Arkansas Knights of Columbus donated the Chapel and Sacred Heart of Jesus financed the the dining room. Council 10208 furnished the dining room from its fundraiser.
Parishioner Diego Micelli prepared an Italian menu for the evening.
View pictures in the Photo Gallery.
In his May 5 Church Bulletin's Message from the Pastor, Father Bill mentioned the following: "We celebrated Mass in the chapel that was sponsored by the State Knights of Columbus. We then shared a meal prepared by Diego Micelli of our parish in the dining room that was paid for by a donation from our parish. The furnishings for the dining room were purchased using the money that was raised last year at our Lasagna Fundraiser that was spearheaded by our local Knights of Columbus Council 10208.
I continually give thanks to God for those who are committed to supporting the men who are being formed for the priesthood for our wonderful diocese. We will all have a chance to join in this ongoing effort when we have our next fundraising dinner for the House of Formation this July at our second fundraiser. The exact date of this event and more details will be anounced in the near future."
March 12 was the first day
of the 2013 Sacred Heart of Jesus' Habitat for Humanity Apostle Build. It started with a naked slab of concrete and ended at noon with two walls standing. The Habitat supervisor was very impressed with the work.
On Tuesday, April 9, sixteen parishioners performed various functions. One of the first jobs was sweeping out the house interior and removing trash so that all studs could be marked on the floor. This is needed for dry wallers and trim workers later in the build. Roof decking was installed on the shed, and it was covered with roofing felt. Gutter soffit was installed on the house. Some volunteers worked to separate and organize nails, screws, and roofing clips for future use.
Besides Sacred Heart and Knight coordinator Dave Witchger, there have been eight knights working on this project to date. They include Ron Barta, Bob Bowman, Mike Frantz, Mike Kerwin, Mike Miller, Pat Perilloux, Milt Spaniel, and Tom Thornton. Spouses of knights, Ruth Kerwin, Pat Miller, and Rosemary Monarque, have also been involved.
Click on the Photo button for pictures of activity on both days.
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| 2013 Mar Apostle Build Resized 16 |
On Tuesday, April 9, sixteen parishioners performed various functions. One of the first jobs was sweeping out the house interior and removing trash so that all studs could be marked on the floor. This is needed for dry wallers and trim workers later in the build. Roof decking was installed on the shed, and it was covered with roofing felt. Gutter soffit was installed on the house. Some volunteers worked to separate and organize nails, screws, and roofing clips for future use.
Besides Sacred Heart and Knight coordinator Dave Witchger, there have been eight knights working on this project to date. They include Ron Barta, Bob Bowman, Mike Frantz, Mike Kerwin, Mike Miller, Pat Perilloux, Milt Spaniel, and Tom Thornton. Spouses of knights, Ruth Kerwin, Pat Miller, and Rosemary Monarque, have also been involved.
Click on the Photo button for pictures of activity on both days.
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| 2013 April 2nd 3rd Exemp |
Special thanks to Deputy Grand Knight Bill Nosek for personally calling most of the thirty-two 1st degree knights in our council and for arranging the transportation to Conway. Thanks also to Scott Krantz for the photo.
Note the photo: in the back row is the supporting cast (l-r): Tony Cifelli, Bill Nosek, Scott Krantz, Dan Murphy, and Bill Ligon. In the front row are the new 3rd degree knights (l-r): Jack Eatinger, Ken Buch, Gordon Wilson, Fred Jungers, Roger Witcraft, Bud Campbell, and Dennis Sisson (new knights in italics).
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| Executive Director and CEO of Special Olympics - Arkansas Terri Weir addressing the knights |
Knights of Columbus State Director Dub Green introduced Terri Weir, the new Executive Director and CEO of Special Olympics of Arkansas. She was accompanied by Rex French and Sawyer Ramsey, two young men who had just started in their positions with the organization. Terri emphasized that Special Olympics is not just important to the athletes, but to the families and communities as well. "Community building is the pillar of Special Olympics."
Each year there is a theme for the event. Terri chose the 2013 theme as Revealing the Champion. It is important to note that the champions are not only the athletes, but all the people involved, because they are all affected in a good and positive manner by the experience.
Responding to a question from a knight, Terri stated that it is "hard to describe the impact of the Knights of Columbus upon Special Olympics - Akansas, because it is so significant." Another question had to do with expenses for the athletes with the response that all expenses for the athletes in all competitions are covered, including international travel. Expenses for families are covered in local competitons with other situations examined on a case-by-case basis.
Arkansas Law Enforcement is involved with bringing the Flame(s) of Hope from the four corners of the state to the Capitol, where one is taken to Harding University. Last year it arrived by helicopter. The officers are also involved in presenting the awards.
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| New knights pictured following their exemplifcation (l-r): Dennis Sissan, Ken Buch, Gordon Wilson, Bud Campbell, and Roger Witcraft. |
Participation by bikers is a recent devlopment, and it totaled 267 last year. "Olympians love the bikes." Arkansas' first lady, Mrs. Beebe, may lead the the bikers this year, if security can be properly implemented.
A 1st Degree Exemplification was conducted for seven candidates with two from Hot Springs and five from Hot Spring Village. Council 10208 welcomed Ken Buch, Bud Campbell, Dennis Sisson, Gordon Wilson, and Roger Witcraft. The exemplification team consisted of Roy Anderele (Mena), Bill Patterson, Tom Yerina, Gerald Krawczynski, Mike Kerwin, Mike Frantz, and Buddy Dixon. Following the meeting, Deputy Grand Knight Bill Nosek was making arrangements for the new knights to attend a 2nd/3rd Exemplification in Conway on Sunday.
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| 2013 Montserrat Retreat Resized |
This year the Retreat Director was Father John Payne assisted by Father Edd Salazar. There were five prayer conferences with time between sessions for private prayer, meditation, and private conferences. Two masses, including a healing mass, stations of the cross, and a reconciliation service were also an integral part of the retreat.
There were 29 knights in attendance, including: Jim Anderson, John Bodensteiner, Bob Bowman, Bob Brandt, Jaime Cardenas, Ed Doyle, Jim Dyar, Bill Hartnett, Bob Honzik, Ken Huber, Wayne Kapple, Mike Kerwin, Bob Kindelsperger, Scott Krantz, Gerald Krawczynski, Al Kuhn, Chuck MacDonald, Bill Maher, Mike Miller, Art Morissette, Dan Murphy, Bill Nosek, Milt Spaniel, Phil Stephenson, Carl Suttor, Tom Thornton, Mike Welsh, Tom Yerina, and Marvin Young.
In addition to the knights, there were Sacred Heart of Jesus parishioners Bud Campbell, Terry Geske, and Don Ritter. Other retreatants were Tom Kochtanek (Bob Brandt's son in law) from Columbia MO, Bob Earhart and Stan Wang from Texas, and Gary Johnson from Illinois.
The food was plentiful, but in contrast to previous years, the weather was a bit chilly and kept the retreatants inside most of the time.
First Step in Hot Springs has
been an annual recipient of funds raised in Council 10208's Campaign for People with Intellectual Disabilities. At the March 5 membership meeting, Ann Baxter addressed the knights to update them on the services of their beneficiary which received $2,650from the 2012 Campaign.
While First Step occupies two square blocks in Hot Springs with its main office located at 407 Carson Street, it also has facilities in six other Arkansas communities, including Malvern, Fordyce, Glenwood, Mt. Ida, Sparkman, and Hamburg.
Having started in 1958 as the Garland County Association for Retarded Children with one teacher and seven students, First Step offers "multiple programs and services for children and adults with developmental disabilities. Early intervention is its forte! On the recommendation from a physician, the staff can evaluate and advise a course of action to help achieve the best possible results." Services include school (preschool and regular), therapy, adult, and supported living (personal care, home care, and case management).
With a staff of 1,000 full- and part-time employees, it serves 1,900 clients from a 27-county area. It is a private, non-profit organization that does not receive any state or federal support. However, many of the clients do receive state and federal financial assistance to pay First Step for its services.
First Step "rewards individuals for reaching their goals. That's why First Step rings with shouts of laughter of kids playing, discovering, and growing...it is a world of adults, who, like other adults, are learning life skills necessary for productive and independent living."
Pam Bland, Executive Director of First Step states, "We are committed to helping ordinary families faced with extraordinary circumstances get the help they need."
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| In December, Grand Knight Bill Roe (l) and CPID Co-Chair Milt Spaniel presented Namcy Baxter with a check from the 2012 Campaign for People with Intellectual Disabilities. |
While First Step occupies two square blocks in Hot Springs with its main office located at 407 Carson Street, it also has facilities in six other Arkansas communities, including Malvern, Fordyce, Glenwood, Mt. Ida, Sparkman, and Hamburg.
Having started in 1958 as the Garland County Association for Retarded Children with one teacher and seven students, First Step offers "multiple programs and services for children and adults with developmental disabilities. Early intervention is its forte! On the recommendation from a physician, the staff can evaluate and advise a course of action to help achieve the best possible results." Services include school (preschool and regular), therapy, adult, and supported living (personal care, home care, and case management).
With a staff of 1,000 full- and part-time employees, it serves 1,900 clients from a 27-county area. It is a private, non-profit organization that does not receive any state or federal support. However, many of the clients do receive state and federal financial assistance to pay First Step for its services.
First Step "rewards individuals for reaching their goals. That's why First Step rings with shouts of laughter of kids playing, discovering, and growing...it is a world of adults, who, like other adults, are learning life skills necessary for productive and independent living."
Pam Bland, Executive Director of First Step states, "We are committed to helping ordinary families faced with extraordinary circumstances get the help they need."