Chapel Hill Catholics Support our Wounded Troops

The Knights of Columbus through the Divine Mercy Assembly asked the St. Thomas More parish to help them send wounded soldiers and Marines home for Christmas. The target of our project are the Iraq and Afghanistan amputees at Camp LeJuene and Fort Bragg.

This Veterans Day project started two years ago when the Knights of the Fourth Degree raised $9,000 statewide. That project funded sending 62 amputees home for the Christmas Holidays. This year there are about 121 amputees needing help.

The local Chapel Hill project of Past Faithful Navigator Lee Heavlin was a simple one. “I want to ask the people of our parish to make a good will offering to North Carolina hospitalized amputees on Veterans Day.” Father John Durbin supported the effort and after each mass made a simple pulpit announcement of the Knight’s intentions. He also asked the parishioners to join in a blessing of all veterans, of all nations, of all wars. The baskets filled to overflowing.

“I don’t recall any other good will offering, except for our food for the poor, that has received such strong parish support,” said Lee Heavlin. “The response was far greater than I expected. I even had a few people who expressed a desire to make a larger contribution. Others asked what they could do to send something to the soldiers still overseas for Christmas.”

The Knights of Columbus is working with The Military Order of the Purple Heart (a 501c3 charity). This group is arranging for the distribution of funds to send our soldiers and Marines home. Each dollar collected is matched by the Order, giving our drive a cash value of over $6,400.

If you would like to make a donation, make your check out to The Military Order of the Purple Heart and send it to the Knights care of the parish office. Need more information to assist in making a 501c3 contribution? Send us an e-mail. We will forward all funds onward on behalf of the parish community. All donations are tax deductible.