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Knights of Columbus Helping Hands Group
At St Brendan’s Parish, when you think about what the Knights of Columbus do, you think about the Knights in their maroon or blue shirts praying the Rosary every First Friday to end abortion, or you see them at their fund raising events like Monday Night Football, Meals to Go, Golf Outings, LAMB collections at local markets, or forming an Honor Guard for the passing of Brother Knights. But there is a little publicized group within the Knights that helps within our Council, our parish and our community. They are called the Helping Hands Group of Council 9039.
The Helping Hands Group (HHG) is a cadre of anywhere from 6 to 15 Brothers who have done some very interesting and charitable deeds within our community. The core members of the group are Brothers Fran Radley, Kevin Dempsey, Harold Nelson, Bob Blanchette, Jack Dambaugh, Kenny Conn, Mark Sierson and Jim Yeager. The Group sometimes includes Skip Dull, Sean Dempsey, Ryan Dempsey, Matt Kelly, John O’Hara, Vinney Russo. Ken Waldron and the writer.
The Helping Hands Group is best known within the Council for their building ramps for wheelchair bound people to easily access their homes. The group has built several wooden as well as metal ramps for local people within our community to make their life a little easier. Starting from getting plans approved by their local communities, to construction and final inspection and approval when required. Another of their hammer, nail and spackle building projects was a She-hed for one of our parishioners, widow of a past District Deputy Knight. The team finished the She Shed with walls, lights and paint so she had a pleasant place to work on her projects.
The HHG also does some work within the church to support our Parish. One of their recent projects was installing a backsplash in the St Brendan’s Kitchen to allow easier cleanup and storage for large cooking equipment. The HHG tore down the wall behind the sink and replaced the wall with a washable and waterproof protective covering. The group has helped in moving furniture to and from the church grounds, rectory and private homes. Another project was the clean-up of the Church’s prayer garden, located at the back of the church grounds. An Eagle Scout Project several years ago, the prayer garden needed refurbishing and cleaning. The Team purchased a heavy-duty picnic table to make the area more user friendly for prayer and contemplation.
The HHG also does charitable support for our Church and community, with helping Brothers, parishioners and their families in need of moral support and care. Not to mention the quarterly trips to Autumn Care Home for Cake, Tonic (soda) and a song to cheer up the residents and provide a supportive atmosphere.