York Town News
Making a difference: Knights of Columbus serve the community
By Melissa Wood
Members of the local Knights of Columbus Star of the Sea Council 11940 are known around town for their annual Columbus Day Tootsie Roll Drive to support worthy causes, but the spirit of volunteerism is something the Knights nurture all year long. Pictured are Knights of Columbus Committee Chairman Bob McKenna, former Grand Knight Gary E. Smith and Grand Knight John Flanagan giving checks for $500 to Dennis Dean of York County Special Olympics and Dr. Naomi Gauthier, founder of Camp Meridian.
Photos by Melissa Wood
Students who enrolled hoped the class would teach them how to make themselves happier; they learned that doing good by helping others can lead to their own lasting happiness.
Although college coursework in happiness is a fairly new trend, that lesson must be well known to York's members of the Knights of Columbus.
That's because the 110 men who are members of the Star of the Sea Council 11940 -including carpenters, bankers, lawyers and plumbers, among others - donate thousands of dollars and work hours yearly to assist local people in need, with a focus on helping children with disabilities live life to the fullest potential.
"There's a whole mess of Knights of Columbus," member Bob McKenna said, despite the fact that most do their good deeds quietly and away from the spotlight. "We've never really tried to get recognition for what we do."
The Star of the Sea Council was formed in the basement of St. Christopher's Church and celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.
The Knights of Columbus is a national organization made up of Catholic men who desire to make a positive difference within their communities. Formed in New Haven, Conn., in 1882, on the principles of charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism, which are also "degrees" of knighthood, the Knights celebrate 125 years in 2007.
For 2006 - with funds raised through its annual Tootsie Roll drive on Columbus Day weekend - the York Knights donated $500 to York County Special Olympics and $500 to Camp Meridian, a camp for children with heart defects.
"The Knights of Columbus have been wonderful fundraisers for us," said Dennis Dean of York County Special Olympics, which will hold its annual spring games in nearby Kittery on the first Thursday in May this year.
Dean said members of the Knights also volunteer regularly at Special Olympic events, tallying scores and presenting the award ceremonies.
"They're a great bunch," he said.
Dr. Naomi Gauthier, who founded Camp Meridian, called the support of the Knights of Columbus "immensely important" because the camp is free to the children who attend and fully funded by donations.
Gauthier, who is a pediatric cardiologist, said the camp's mission is to teach children with congenital heart defects what they can do, rather than what they can't do, by focusing not on their heart defects but on who they are inside.
"There's so much more to every child," she said.
In recent years, the Knights have also constructed a wheelchair ramp for a local resident, assisted in the funding of an electronic lift in the house of a York resident who is quadriplegic and purchased a special bicycle that could be pedaled with the hands for a York child who would not otherwise be able to ride a bike.
But, helping children with disabilities is not the only good work the Knights do.
The Knights also raised funds this year money by holding an oil raffle and collected $2,000 in home heating funds. The proceeds of $1,000 each went to fuel assistance programs run by York Community Service Association and St. Christopher's Church.
Additionally, every time a plane with troops arrives from overseas at Pease International Airport, usually between 2 and 4 a.m., members of the Knights' color guard welcome them by donning their uniforms and creating an arch with their swords for troops to walk under. The troops are also greeted with coffee and a phone bank for them to call home free of charge.
"They can make their first phone call and say, 'Hey, we're back,'" said McKenna.
The Knights also raised $1,100 in 2006 for Another Star Foundation and members participate in the yearly production of "To God Be the Glory," which will be held at St. Christopher's Church March 23 through 25.
After 125 years in existence, there are 12,000 Knights of Columbus councils and 1.6 million members who have raised $135.7 million for charity and donated 63.1 million hours of volunteer time.
McKenna has been a member for close to 20 years. His oldest son, Robert II, 20, is already a fourth-degree member and his second oldest, Andrew, 18, just became a member on Jan. 2.
"We're always looking for new members," said McKenna. "That's what keeps our council growing."
McKenna said his youngest son Scott, 15, also plans to join the Knights, but must wait until he turns 18, adding, "He wishes he could be a Knight right now."
To find out more about the Knights of Columbus, visit www.kofc.org.
For more on the Special Olympics of Maine, visit www.specialolympicsmaine.org and to learn about Camp Meridian, visit www.campmeridian.org.
