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GRAND KNIGHT'S MESSAGE
Brother Knights,
Council 577 has three upcoming events in the next month and a half that we are needing plenty of volunteers to assist with including volunteering at the Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Picnic, the 2022 Soccer Challenge and the 2022 Tootsie Roll Drive.
Volunteers are needed for the Our Lady of Lourdes Annual Parish Potluck Picnic scheduled for Sunday, August 14 at 12:30pm. The event is free and open to everyone. Council 577 has made a $1,000 donation towards the cost of the picnic and would also like to assist by asking Council members to help volunteer before, during and after the picnic. You do not need to be a parishioner at Our Lady of Lourdes to volunteer or attend. A signup sheet can be found by clicking on the button below this section of the newsletter.
Council 577 will be hosting the Soccer Challenge this year on September 3. The Soccer Challenge is a great way for councils to engage in their communities with an athletic event for youth that encourages the values of sportsmanship and healthy competition. Children demonstrate the most important skill in soccer – shooting accuracy on the penalty kick – and compete to reach the international level of competition. The program is also a way to introduce the Order to our community and recruit faithful family men of service. All boys and girls ages 9 to 14 are invited to participate in the local level of competition held on Saturday, September 3, 2022 at 9:00am at the Our Lady of Lourdes North Soccer Field. Signup sheets for both participants and volunteers can be found by clicking on the buttons below. The Rules and Regulations for the Soccer Challenge can also be found by clicking on the button below. Please pass this information along to anyone you know that may be interested in participating or volunteering.
The 52nd Annual Tootsie Roll Drive will be held September 16-18, 2022. Please add this weekend to your calendars. We need every member to sign up for at least one two hour shift to collect donations in locations around Decatur. The Tootsie Roll Drive is one of the most recognizable activities that the Knights of Columbus does. The funds generated from this drive are used to support local programs which help people with special learning and life needs. Sign-up sheets will be available next week once locations and times are finalized. We will be collecting donations at Walmart North, four Circle K locations, the St. Teresa football game versus Meridian and after all weekend Masses at Our Lady of Lourdes, St. James, St. Patrick and St. Thomas. You may also make a personal donation by sending in or dropping off a check payable to Knights of Columbus Council 577 (memo: Tootsie Roll Drive) to The Hall at Five-Twenty (520 E. North St., Decatur, IL 62523). You may also make a donation with a credit or debit card with PayPal by clicking here. This event has historically been one of our best opportunities to publicly show our community support and we need everyone who is able to to sign up for at least one two hour shift.
At the July Membership Meeting, the Council approved a donation to increase the amount to $2,000 for each Catholic Grade School for our Catholic Education Fund through the Community Foundation. Last week, the Council made a public announcement with the Beck Family and the Community Foundation about the recently established Scholarship Fund to support Catholic Education in Decatur. This fund was established by the Council in November 2021 as an initial $3,000 investment was made that will be split evenly among Our Lady of Lourdes School, St. Patrick School and Holy Family School. This amount will be matched by the Beck Family, who will donate $3,000 to St. Teresa High School for scholarships. A news release was submitted to the Decatur Tribune, Herald & Review, Diocese of Springfield Catholic Times and the Columbia Magazine to inform the public about the Council's Scholarship Fund. A link to that article can be found below.
The Council is in the 42nd week of the Queen of Hearts Raffle and the jackpot for the drawing on August 11 is $31,803. There are only 13 numbers remaining and the drawing has done exceptionally well in the last month Throughout July and the beginning of August, we averaged about $4,000 in sales each week. A sign-up sheet to sell tickets at Wing Nights throughout the rest of August can be found below this section of the newsletter. If you are interested in purchasing tickets for the raffle, you may do so throughout the week leading up to the Thursday nights drawing from Stephanie Bender at the Hall. You need not be present during the drawing to win.
For more information on the menu and other daily specials at the Hall at Five-Twenty, please like their Facebook page.
Free online membership for 12 months is available for new online membership applications with code BLESSEDMCGIVNEY at this link. If you know someone who you think would make a good Knight, please reach out to Membership Director Mark Nixon, Financial Secretary Gary Durbin or myself with any questions.
Fraternally yours,
Kevin Martin, Grand Knight
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