Category Archives: Special Projects

St. Nicholas at St. Francis of Assisi Church

12 Friday Dec 2014

Posted by in Exemplification, Special Projects

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1-Boyd St NicholasFaithful Navigator Jim Boyd traveled to St. Francis of Assisi Church in Raleigh recently to serve as Saint Nicholas at a special kids school breakfast at the Franciscan School.

It was their 15th Annual Advent Pancake Breakfast.  The tradition continued with a few surprises! They enjoyed a wonderful morning of fun and fellowship as we gathered to celebrate the feast of St. Nicholas. Delicious food, live music and caroling, crafts and even a story from St. Nicholas himself!  Jim was overjoyed with the opportunity to dress up for this special occasion.

Jim shared with us a picture.  He said, “Here is that picture of me as Saint Nicolas at the special kids school breakfast last Saturday morning…,” as he beamed with pride at the honor and privilege he had serving others at church.  Jim also serves in the St. Thomas More Church choir.

The Knights of the Fourth Degree are very patriotic and dress formally for church events.  We are there for Bishop Burbridge whenever he needs us for a special mass.

Our knights support special events at churches throughout the area. How about you?  Want to take your participation in the Knights of Columbus to a higher level?  Consider the Fourth Degree.  You’ll fit right in with other Third Degree Knights who were exemplified in October.  See any assembly member for details or email us.

Remembering Amputees at Christmas

20 Tuesday Nov 2012

Posted by in Amputees, Wounded Warrior Program

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Our parish is home to a number of veterans.  Many serve as officers in local veterans organizations at a local, district and state level.  You would expect no less from members of a Fourth Degree Assembly, our Patriotic Order of the Knights of Columbus.

Each year, since 2006, the Assembly members have promoted a Veterans’ Day weekend fundraiser.  Their project this year benefits recent amputees who have returned from Afghanistan and other countries.  They are now in the hospital at Ft. Bragg or Camp Lejeune.

Life as an in-patient at a military hospital is, well…  It’s okay. The care is great, but no matter what they do to make a patient comfortable, it is not home.  Imagine being there as an amputee.  They have self doubt, constant pain, and a longing to be with family. But, they are confined to the hospital at Christmas and the hospital is winding down for the holidays.  It will soon be a very lonely place.  Getting these service men and women out of the hospital takes money.  Many don’t have enough to get home and back for more treatment.

We, the men of the Knights of Columbus, have a project to get them home.  Working with the Military Order of the Purple Heart, we raise money around Veterans’ Day.   The parishioners have been very generous each year and this year donated over $3,200.  What we collect is donated as a gift from the people of St. Thomas More Catholic Church.

Did you know that The Military Order of the Purple Heart matches each dollar collected?

Similar collections are taken throughout North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Puerto Rico are doing the same and thousands of dollars were collected.  Last year, 399 amputees were sent home through this effort.

We appreciate the generosity of the parish and want to thank the veterans of the assembly for continuing this annual event in Chapel Hill.  Peace on Earth and Good Will to All Men.

Sending Amputees Home for Christmas

15 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by in Amputees, Wounded Warrior Program

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We have been looking after hospitalized amputees for a number of years now.  The brainchild of then District Master Sir Knight Robert Singer, Knights of the Fourth Degree spend their Veterans Day weekend speaking out for our amputees at both the Camp Lejuene and Ft Bragg Hospitals.

Military men and women are always in the hospital over a holiday period.  They are not yet released, so travel pay home is not an option.  Our amputees need to be home with those who love them and we have created a special project for this purpose.

We passed the basket after each mass during 3-4 November.  Total raised at St. Thomas More Catholic Church?  $3,200!  This is awesome in that we are in a very tight economy and personal budgets have taken some heavy hits in our town.  We thank the members of our church for their generosity.

Sir Knights from North and South Carolina, Florida, Georgia and Puerto Rico join our province assemblies to raise money to send amputees home.  We work with the Military Order of the Purple Heart.  They provide matching funds and they are a 501(c)(3) charity for tax purposes.

This is just one of the many projects Catholic men undertake to help others outside of our church, especially veterans. Want to add a donation to the this year’s project?  Contact us

 

VA BINGO night

11 Saturday Feb 2012

Posted by in Bingo at the VA hospital, Durham VAMC

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Assembly members host a Casino Night table at the VAMC

One of the most rewarding things we do, as Knights of the Fourth Degree, is to visit with our hospitalized veterans at the VA Hospital in Durham.


At a funeral of a Chapel Hill veteran, a brother knight heard a family member.  The son told the story of his father that included his dad’s long term care at the VA Hospital.  The son said that his father enjoyed the times when he got to play bingo and win cash prizes.  He enjoyed the small victories and the “winnings.”  It made his stay less confining and he loved spending his winnings in the hospital canteen.  Our visits do make a big difference, and they are appreciated.




The Assembly will be sponsoring Bingo at the VA hospital on Wednesday night, February 15th at 6:30 p.m. You are invited to help with the games. We will gather at the Community Living Center on the second floor of the Durham VAMC.  Abena Jones-Boone, who works at the VA hospital, usually calls the games and we help the patients with their Bingo cards.  Mike Memrick will have the prize money for the winners.  


Mike says,”I would like to see our regular volunteers and any new volunteers who may be interested in serving our veterans.  The veterans are very appreciative of our presence and they have a good time.  Looking forward to seeing you there. You may park in the front parking lot of the medical center.”  Let’s give Mike and his team our support and overwhelm them with Knights.


Directions to Durham VAMC

Amputees Go Home for Christmas

06 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by in Wounded Warrior Program

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For five consecutive years our Assembly has stepped forward to do something to honor our veterans on Veterans Day.   We took time to honor our serving military by doing something very special for our wounded warriors.  This group has a larger number of amputees than earlier conflicts.


They have returned home from the battlefield to receive rehabilitation training and prosthetics.  This is an amazing group of proud men and women.  They are eager to return to normal and many want to return to duty!  But, they are assigned to hospitals and rehab and would not normally have the funds to go home for Christmas.  We changed that!

The Knights of the Fourth Degree, Desoto Province (North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Puerto Rico), jointly use this time of year to raise money to send our local North Carolina amputees home for Christmas.  This includes both Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune soldiers, sailors, and marines.  We do this by working with the Military Order of the Purple Heart.  They provide matching funds and ensure the vets get taken care of.

Last year the Desoto Province worked to help send 303 warriors home by mid-December. Then, 60 more flew in with 17 war dead.  It was December 15th.  Our Knights and the Military Order of the Purple Heart met the challenge and quickly raised enough money to include these 60 vets!

We are humbled and honored to perform this service as part of our ministry.  Our Assembly raised $5,125.56.  We thank the members of our assembly and the parishes of St. Thomas More and Holy Cross in Durham for their deep pockets and warm hearts.

Watch this video to see just what a difference we are making by seeing our hospitalized veterans return to normal through rehab.  You are sure to agree, they deserve it!  Remember, it is not too early to start filling a coin jar for next year’s drive.

They’ll be home for Christmas

22 Tuesday Nov 2011

Posted by in Wounded Warrior Program

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For the fifth year in a row, St. Thomas More Knights have taken a special collection to benefit hospitalized amputees.

Stationed at the exists with just a basket, a small sign and a smile, they were greeted with coins, dollars and checks. There were five collections over the weekend and the parish was very generous. The final tally? It was $3,638.54.

Our Assembly joins other assemblies in North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Puerto Rico.  Last year a total of 363 hospitalized amputees were sent home to be with their families.  We appreciate the support and generosity of The Military Order of the Purple Heart for their matching our collection.

Wounded Warriors – Veterans Day 2011

27 Thursday Oct 2011

Posted by in Wounded Warrior Program

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On Veterans Day, we honor the living.  There is a special group of living veterans that we, members of the Desoto Province, honor.  These are amputees at Camp Lejeune and Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.

These men and women are now hospitalized and undergoing treatment for their war injuries and they will be there over the Christmas holiday period.  We send them home to be with their families.

For the last five years, the Knights of Columbus Assemblies within the DeSoto Province have raised money through pancake breakfasts, events, fund raisers and collections from  parishioners.  We do this through the Wounded Warriors Program and the Military Order of the Purple Heart.  The Military Order of the Purple Heart has been matching each dollar with a dollar.

Knights at St. Thomas More Church (Chapel Hill) and Holy Cross  Church (Durham) will collect donations after each mass on Saturday, November 12 and Sunday, November 13th. Please be generous.

Our first year helped under 100 soldiers and marines.  Last year we helped 303, then, on December 19th, a new plane load arrived from the Middle East with  60 wounded and 17 dead.  We dug into our pockets and one donor made one exceptionally large gift to help us come up with more funds to take care of the additional 60 and a total of 363 went home.

These year we are looking to raise $400,000 from our churches in North and South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, and Puerto Rico.  All donations are tax deductible.  Make your checks payable to the Military Order of the Purple Heart.  Add a notation that the check is for the Wounded Warriors Amputee Project.  The Military Order of the Purple Heart will provide you with a card of thanks and receipt for your gift.

Watch a WTVD-TV, ABC 11, broadcast that honored Sir Knight Robert Singer and this important project. Just click here.

Cleaning up Bowden Rd

27 Thursday Oct 2011

Posted by in Chapel Hill Knights of Columbus Assembly, Highway Cleanup

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They flipped off the television, jumped into their cars and headed to Bowden Road to pick up trash.  What they found, besides the trash, was a fun time with their brothers.  Being part of the Assembly is more than just meetings.  It is time together sharing in patriotic events, dinners, socials, ball games, and just plain fun.

Where are you in this picture?  Missing?  Can we count on your next time?  It’s Jan 21-28th, TBA.

One bag at a time

11 Monday Apr 2011

Posted by in Adopt a Highway

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Ever drive down a country road to enjoy the view and slower pace only to find our roads littered with debris from other cars and trucks?  Our Assembly is now on the ground to pick up the debris and make a difference.

Mike Pacilio and Mike Memrick joined our Faithful Navigator, Chris Cushing, to clean up our designated road this past weekend for our first Adopt-a-Highway event.  The team of three went down one side and back up the other for two and a half hours.  They collected four bags on the 1.5 mile route.  Chris said, “It’s, without a doubt, the best stretch of road I’ve ever cleaned.”

Reflecting on 2010

01 Saturday Jan 2011

Posted by in Wounded Warrior Program

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Bishop Burbidge at Holy Cross Church
We have just concluded another very successful calendar year as a relatively new assembly.  We have much to be thankful for, but, more importantly, we have much to be proud of as knights of the fourth degree.
The singular item of the year that  we should be most proud of is not our contributions to charity or our help of veterans and church events.  It is the strengthening of our assembly at the local church level.  It is our bonding as one to support each member parish and their church events.  We often join in to provide honor guards for churches and the bishop, funerals, and special church anniversaries and holy days.
Our sir knights have done great things to promote charity and patriotism.  Roxboro, with its tiny church and huge heart, is always doing outstanding things with Operation Lamb and community support.  St. Matthews members, too, has been very supportive of their community and church.  Maria Immaculata, St. Thomas More and Holy Cross also set the pace for local knights in action.  All fourth degree knights support the goals and programs of the assembly and order, and all are ensuring that their activities extend far beyond a periodic meeting in Chapel Hill.
Our biggest fund raiser is not really an assembly fund raiser.  It is the good will  offerings we collect for wounded amputee warriors–soldiers, sailors and marines–on Veterans Day weekend.  We held our first collection four years ago, and each year since, we have received significant  parish support.  This year we had two other assembly churches join in.  One, St. Matthews, held a pancake breakfast to honor veterans.  The meal was free, but donations for the Wounded Warrior program were accepted.  They raised $680 after expenses for the food.  Holy Cross passed the hat after Sunday mass and collected $724!  Total contributions for the project from our assembly totaled $4,947.66.
So, how was the money spent?  We sent our funds in to The Military Order of the Purple Heart where it was combined with collections from throughout the state, Florida, South Carolina, Georgia and Puerto Rico.  We do not have the final total, but over $65,000 was donated last year.  We do know, however, how well we supported our amputees.  Here is the count:
  • Camp Lejuene – 221 men
  • Ft. Bragg – 50 men
  • Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point – 11 men
“We also have 20 stragglers who are not yet released from the hospital but will be early enough to go home for Christmas.  This is an all time record of Wounded Warriors. Thank God we have had a good year raising funds.” wrote  Bob Singer, Vice Supreme Master, Knights of Columbus.
Four years ago, this program did not exist.  Bob Singer encouraged us to help.  We were a newly chartered assembly, but we went to work and our church raised $4,000 the first year.  It was the largest donation in North Carolina and a catalyst for the program.  Each year we, as a combined group, send many soldiers, sailors and marines home for Christmas with their families. 
We, the Fourth Degree, also purchased 13 winter coats for homeless veterans (delivered via the VA hospital) and visit hospitalized veterans each month to hold bingo and award prizes.  We also provide an honor guard for the Caldwell July 4th Parade.
St. Thomas More can be proud of their Knights of the Fourth Degree and local Knights Council.  We continue to set a standard within the state and Order.
There has been a lot of hard work, but we have a lot more to do.  If you are not a member of the Fourth Degree, maybe it is time for you to step forward and join our patriotic arm of the Knights of Columbus.