Knights of Columbus Council 3175

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS COUNCIL 3175, ST MARY’S PARISH
SELECTED ACTIVITIES OF MONEY, TIME, AND TALENT (during 2023)

• Sponsor breakfasts for school and youth trips (total over $2,800.00 to date)
• Provide funds for hurricane relief to two parishes in Ft Myers area ($2,000.00 total)
• Sponsor for St Mary’s School Gala ($1,500.00)
• Sponsor for St Mary’s Parish ($1,500.00)
• Provide funds for other worthy needs, as budget allows.
• Serve in many capacities in parish: Extraordinary Ministers of Communion, ushers, sacristans, cantor, clean-up day volunteers, St Vincent de Paul Society food bank volunteers, youth religious education,…
• Paint school rooms and other parish facilities as needed—pay for paint.
• Refurbish priest’s rooms in rectory
• Help new pastor move into rectory
• Stain/maintain structure in upper playground (major wooden structure built with Army Engineers blueprints in 1993)
• Operate American Grill booth at Fall Festival
• Cook spaghetti dinner at Fall Festival (75 gallons of spaghetti sauce—plus pasta, bread, salads)
• Sponsor the Emory Valley Annual Fundraiser Dinner (area nonprofit serving those with special needs)
  (Done for 10 years running. Formerly bought all food, cooked, and served dinner to 272.  This year member paid caterer but bought desserts, salmon, beer, and wine.  This year members grilled 35 lbs. salmon, provided 12 volunteers to serve catered meal, and hosted the wine/beer bar.  The meal had no cost to Emory Valley Center and raised $22,000 net.  Sponsorships and “raise the paddle” donations raised over $60,000 more.  This event started at St Mary’s gym when the Emory Valley Center asked the Council to sponsor a meal.)
• Over the next six months (July to December 2023), the Council plans to distribute over $24,000 to the parish, school, and various charities.
  • Working concessions at the UT football games in 2022 raised these funds—the Council will not do so this year.
  • Almost $7,000 will be given to enable purchase of for a new DC-70 ultrasound imaging machine (with matching funds from another charitable organization and then matched by a grant from Knights of Columbus Supreme.
• Sponsor monthly breakfasts ($6.00 per head, $20.00 per family) at minimal cost to promote parish social interactions.
• Sponsor Friday night Lenten dinners after the Stations of the Cross.
• Note: Pay the maintenance expenses for the Knights of Columbus house, which included replacing the roof at a cost of over $9,800.00 in CY2022.

The council stepped up to do a good exterior cleaning to the Convent for our cherished Sisters. Four Knights were there spend several hours on Saturday morning to brighten up the building: Ray Audet, Michael Barnes, Larry Carignan and Dave Zakrzwski.