Twitter

By Paul Chasko

Last month, Knights of Columbus Council 13832 of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Finleyville donated $500 to the local food bank. Managers Rose and Ron Monich were on hand after the food distribution on March 12 to accept the check from Grand Knight Frank Kovscek and Council Financial Secretary Bob Keeney.

Pictured are (l-r): Rose Monich, Ron Monich, Frank Kovscek and Bob Keeney.

Folks often ask, “What is the Knights of Columbus and what do they do?” In a nut shell, the K of C is a worldwide organization of Catholic men dedicated to charity and service to those in need regardless to race, creed or color. It’s a fraternal organization founded in 1882 in the US originally to assist brother members in financial need, but it has since grown to become a worldwide charitable and service organization.

Those two words, charity and service, pretty much defines the Knights. Last year, the Knights set a new record in charitable giving. The increased their worldwide charitable giving by $ 3.4 million to a new record amount of $ 173,550,680 - coupled with 71,560,617 service hours. The funds go where most needed – disaster relief, food for families, habitats for the needy, Christian relief worldwide, educational assistance here and abroad, hospitals, community projects – the list goes on and on.

Special projects are often on the Knights’ plate as well. This past summer the Knights sponsored the 2015 Special Olympics – a $14 million sponsorship. Since 2009, the Knights have partnered with the Global Wheelchair Mission distributing 6,885 wheelchairs worldwide bringing the past six year total to almost 50,000 wheelchairs. The Knights also provided $400,000 in relief aid for those suffering from man-made tragedies in the Ukraine and the Middle East.

Want to do something worthwhile? Call Frank Kovscek 724-348-6537 or Keith Folz 724-348-0504 about membership.