KOFC – Council 11091 Newsletter
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From the Grand Knight’s Desk:
This winter season has certainly been a challenge. We have experienced it all from pouring rain in December, to multiple heavy snowstorms in January, and as I write this, a forecasted high of 15 with wind chills of -55 tomorrow. Still, God is Great and our good works continue onward.
Our calendar does lighten up a bit in the months of January and February. We did hold the Council level of the Free Throw Championship mid-month. My thanks to Nick Wake and the volunteers that helped him with this event. This year our council has been designated to also host the District level of the competition. We will need a few hands to work the event that brings in the top shooters from each of our neighboring councils. Plan to come out and join us on Saturday, February 9th to see the best compete with hopes of advancing to the Regional level of competition. A truly special event was held two weeks later on the 26th. Our council partners with the St. Vincent de Paul Society to arrange for a free Italian Pasta Dinner for local families in need. This is made possible by the support of our members and parishioners through their generous donations towards the meal. With the lessons learned from last year’s event, the bar was set higher and I have to say that the team nailed it. The room was beautifully decorated, the pasta and gravy delicious, the dessert donations plentiful, and the volunteers showed up in force. The menu was augmented this year to include tableside dinner preparation from not one but two Iron Chefs, who brought the show right to you. There are too many people call out individually to thank for their efforts, but a shout out to co-chairs Greg Haluczak and Greg Freund for hosting a spectacular dinner. January is also the month when the Supreme Council requires us to submit our local council totals for volunteer hours and charitable donations. As we tally these numbers, it serves as a reminder to me of why I joined the Knights. We are a wonderful organization for those that believe in stewardship through the sharing of time, talent, and treasure.
Please see the Help Wanted section of the newsletter for some positions that need leadership. We are a dynamic group, that requires continuous influx of new men willing to step up, to allow the current chairmen to develop new events. This flow helps our council vitality and keeps our events interesting and inspirational to all. Along this line, Welcome to Joe Uehline who is taking over from John Wolak as the chairman for our Military Support efforts. Thanks for your service John and Joe! Finally, it has been noted that requests for payment of expenses, or event cash advances, have been coming into the Treasurer at the last minute, sometimes as late as in the middle of our council meetings. Please note the following process for check requests:
- Events need to have a budget approved before any check request can be submitted.
- Check request forms (and receipts) should be emailed to the Treasurer at least a day or two ahead of the general council meeting. Contact our Treasurer GeorgeKurkowski@hotmail.com with any questions.
- Charitable donation requests that are raised and paid at the same meeting have a $500 limit
- Requests for charitable donations above $500 must be discussed and approved at the council meeting, with payment issued at the next scheduled general council meeting
An early heads up: The date of our April general council meeting will be moving to the following week. Thursday April 4th is the Sacrament of Confirmation at St. Margaret Mary, so our meeting will be moved to the 11th. I hope to see you at our meeting on February 7th. Before the meeting begins, John Frazier will be presenting checks from the proceeds of our September LD-ID (Tootsie Roll) drive to Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association (NISRA) and the Barrington School for ID. It is always a rewarding experience to see the end result of our efforts as we hand over checks to deserving organizations.
Vivat Jesus!
Dan Kotleba
