The Tar Heel Knight

Congratulations to the Grand Knights and councils who won awards for the past Fraternal Year! The results were announced at the recent Supreme Convention in our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. This is a testimony to and recognition of the hard work and dedication by you and your members over the past year. If you achieved an award, take a moment to enjoy and celebrate your success.
Council programs are 100% of the requirements for the Columbian Award and one third of the requirements for Star Council along with Membership (the McGivney Award) and Insurance (the Founders Award). Plus, your reports and Safe Environment must be up to date. If you haven’t already filed your 185 and 365 Forms, please do so right away as they also trigger Safe Environment reporting. You can update them during the year if necessary. If you have any questions, please contact your District Deputy.
It was great seeing many of you at the recent CLT sessions. As I emphasized then, please remember to file 10784 Forms as your council completes activities. Anyone in your council can file them. Make sure to copy the State at forms@kofcnc.org and when you do so please add any additional details about the program that make it stand out. These are used for the State awards that are presented at the convention in May. While the Supreme awards are on a Columbian Year basis, the State awards are on a calendar year basis so we’re getting close to the final quarter.
Even though it’s only September, as part of your long-term scheduling, now is the time to start planning Christmas activities if you haven’t already. In addition to council and parish events please consider the Keep Christ in Christmas Program, which is a Supreme Program under the Family Category. There are several aspects including the Poster Contest for younger children, an Essay Contest for older children, Christmas cards in several languages and materials like car magnets and lawn signs that many councils use as a fund raiser. As I mentioned at the CLTs, the first time I heard of the Knights of Columbus was when the Keep Christ in Christmas poster contest was announced at St. Therese’s School in Paterson, New Jersey. I won’t say the year, but it was during the Kennedy administration. Last year Robert Godwin, a Kindergarten student who entered through Raleigh Council 12455 was a Supreme runner up. Obviously, his artistic skills are greater than mine ever were. In North Carolina this program is run by Former GPD Paul Spire. More information on this program is available on both the Supreme website and State website where you can find ordering information for Christmas cards and other items.
Wishing everyone a happy Labor Day.