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Knights of Columbus Breakfast

Another successful Knights pancake breakfast last month in our parish hall. Not only can you come fill up on pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, French toast, cheesy potatoes and biscuits and gravy, but also help a great cause. This of course includes endless coffee among other beverages. Whether the proceeds for the month go to a myriad of local needs or to the mountains of Lahaina for fires, there is always a need to serve. Breakfasts are typically the fourth Sunday from 9 AM until 11:30 AM between Labor Day and Memorial Day. Come out to one of the next couple before they go away for the summer! God bless.

Knights of Columbus Council 13476 receives award!

At our November business meeting, Deputy Director Tony Lemont awarded our council with the prestigious Star Council Award for the year. Please share in our joy from all the hard work and dedication it took to receive such a distinguished honor! Pictured is Ron Behm accepting the award from Tony Lemont.

Crowd Funding for your Fanilies Future

Don’t Crowdfund Your Family’s Future
There is a new phenomenon sweeping the internet: crowdfunding. Pioneered by organizations like GoFundMe, crowdfunding allows anyone to donate to a project or cause online.
Crowdfunding is increasingly being used to raise funds for grieving families. Chances are you’ve seen this more than once. Someone passes away, and within a day or two a representative from the family opens a crowdfunding page to raise funds to pay for funeral expenses and medical bills.
Without question, crowdfunding is a great way to harness the power of the internet for charitable ends, but it is often insufficient.
Recent studies show that the average crowdfunding memorial page raises $2,000-$2,200 — far below the average cost of funeral services.1 Grieving families are left to deal with the shortfall as well as the additional stress of soliciting donations, figuring out how to access the money and calculating platform fees.
September is designated as Life Insurance Awareness Month. It’s a great opportunity for you to evaluate your life insurance coverage and make sure your family’s future will not be left up to a crowdfunding page.
Since life insurance guards against one of life’s only certainties, it’s a product that nearly everyone needs. The question is not “Do I need life insurance?” but rather “Who should I get it from?”
Who Should I Get It From?
Every life insurance company sells life insurance. There are hundreds of them in North America. But there’s only one life insurance company that belongs to you.
From the beginning, the Knights of Columbus has been determined to offer insurance by brother Knights for brother Knights and to uphold the Catholic commitment that has animated our Order since Father McGivney’s time.
Today, our insurance program protects hundreds of thousands of families, with more than $100 billion in force. Last year alone, Knights of Columbus families received more than $800 million in insurance benefits.
1 “Crowdfunding Funerals: What You Need to Know” by Kayleigh Kulp, Fox Business. Accessed August 15, 2016. http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/2014/08/08/crowdfunding-funerals-what-need-to-know.html
Being your insurance company also means that we have to be ethical, responsible, Catholic and charitable — just as you would expect.
Recently we received our third consecutive “World’s Most Ethical” company designation by the Ethisphere Institute, and since 1975, the Knights of Columbus has been among the most highly rated life insurers in North America.2 We refuse to invest in companies who deal in lines of business that run contrary to church teaching. We also use proceeds from our insurance business to donate to Catholic and charitable causes around the world.
The insurance business and local councils are the two primary sources for the more than $1.55 billion the Knights of Columbus has donated to charity in the past decade.
Our strength cannot be beaten. Our ethical pedigree cannot be questioned. And our Catholic commitment is never compromised.
Not every life insurance company can say that.
How Much Do I Need?
As a Knight, you have a full-time, professional brother Knight field agent to call your own. His job — his mission — is to help you and your family evaluate your situation and determine how much coverage is needed to help meet your needs within your budget.
It’s a proven fraternal system that has helped countless families when they need it most.
So, as we observe Life Insurance Awareness Month, don’t leave your family’s future to chance charity. Protect your family with the safety and guarantees of life insurance from the Knights of Columbus.
2 As of Jan. 1, 2016, rated A++ (Superior) for financial strength by A.M. Best

K-9 Breakfast an amazing success

On January 24, 2016, the Brother Knights held their monthly pancake breakfast as a fundraiser for the local Marengo PD K-9 Unit. Hundreds came out to enjoy the food and fellowship and support Sgt. Riley alongside his partner, Officer Shadow. Members from the local police and fire departments were in attendace, as well as parishioners, family, and friends. The Knights would like to thank all that came out to support the cause, and those that helped make the largely attended event, as smooth and enjoyable as it could be for all. God bless!

Hooves to Heal Receives Donation from Marengo Knights

Sarah Mozal and Joseph Mozal, of Hooves to Heal, accept a check in the amount of $1463 from Jerry Weber, Grand Knight of the Sacred Heart Council of the Knights of Columbus.

Funds for the donation were raised at the ‘Silent Knight’ silent auction held in Marengo in December.

Hooves to Heal is a non-for-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of children and adults who are mentally and physically challenged through Equine Therapy.

Tootsie Roll Drive Funds Donated to Pioneer Center

Mary Jones, representing the Pioneer Center of Human Services, accepts a check from Jerry Weber, Grand Knight of the Sacred Heart Council of the Knights of Columbus.

Funds for the donation were raised during the annual Knights of Columbus Tootsie Roll drive in the autumn of 2015.

Pioneer Center for Human Services is a non-profit charitable organization that provides direct services to more than 4,800 individuals. The organization also provides education and outreach to schools and community organizations reaching over 10,000 additional individuals.

Marengo Knights Donate $1460 to M.O.R.E. Food Pantry

Chris Botts, of the M.O.R.E. Food Pantry and Outreach Center, accepts a check in the amount of $1463 from Jerry Weber, Grand Knight of the Sacred Heart Council of the Knights of Columbus.

Funds for the donation were raised at the ‘Silent Knight’ silent auction held in Marengo in December.

Jim Schmid Awarded by Council

Jim Schmid was presented with an award for 12 years of service as the Knights of Columbus Sacred Heart Council's Financial Secretary.

Jim is a charter member, and has managed the council's finances since it was founded in 2003.

Council's Charter Member, First Grand Knight

Robert C. Wedell March 14, 1925-July 30, 2015

On Monday morning, August 3, Robert C. Wedell, 90, was laid to rest. In those 90 years he was a son, brother, husband, father, grandfather and friend. Many mourn Bob’s passing and will miss him.

His wife Margaret died three years ago, but his four children survive him. His sons, Robert and James Wedell and his daughters Mary (Anthony) Ficarelli, Nancy (Timothy) Brocker and Julie (Todd) O’Connor remember a hard-working, loving man who raised them to be faithful to church, country and family. His family remained his greatest joy, especially with the arrival of his grandchildren Meghan Ficarelli; Erin, Kristin and Caitlin Brocker; and Thomas, Kathryn, Patrick and Brendan O’Connor.

Bob served in the U.S. Army during World War II. After the War he was active in the American Legion. He was a member of Carpenters Union Local 839. For a time, he was Planning Commissioner of the Village of Lake Barrington.

He was an active member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Marengo. When the pastor, Father Richard M. Russo, wanted to form a Knights of Columbus Council at Sacred Heart, Bob was one of the charter members and became the first Grand Knight of the group.

He enjoyed playing golf, but above all, Bob was an avid Cubs fan. When he was the Grand Knight of the K of C, he organized a bus trip for parishioners to attend a Cubs game. This is now an annual event.

Many folks in the Marengo-Union area enjoy something Bob was instrumental in starting at Sacred Heart—the monthly Knights of Columbus Pancake Breakfast. He researched nearby churches who served breakfasts, took other Knights on “field trips” and formed a KC breakfast crew that continues today in the tradition in which Bob founded it.

All through his life and in all his endeavors Robert C. Wedell was a man who took action when he saw what was needed. He will be missed by his family and also by his brother Knights and his many friends at his church and in his community.

Breakfast for Fire Victims

February 06, 2014

Marengo- Union Times -- A house fire at 7524 S. Grant Hwy. on January 18, 2014, was so bad it required extra help to put it out. Now the family who lived in that house needs extra help, too.

Believed to have started in a dryer, the fire involved the entire ranch house, with flames coming out the front windows by the time the Marengo Fire Department arrived on the scene, just after 11:30 a.m.

The extent of the fire and bad winter weather conditions led Marengo’s Chief Bradbury to activate a first level box alarm, notifying near-by fire departments that extra help was needed. The box alarm provided help from eleven additional departments; Belvidere, Boone County, Crystal Lake, Elgin, Genoa, Hampshire, Huntley, Harvard, Lakewood, Union and Woodstock.

Chief Bradbury reported that the fire was extinguished by 3:46 p.m. The family escaped without injury. One firefighter slipped on the ice and was taken to the hospital. “All of the fire crews did an exceptional job in adverse weather conditions in an effort to save as many of the family’s possessions a possible,” Bradbury stated.

The house is uninhabitable. The Red Cross was on the scene to help the family find emergency shelter. Now the wider community will have a way to also help this family who lost their home that day.

The Knights of Columbus Council 13476 of Marengo will be hosting their monthly Pancake Breakfast on Sunday, February 23, 2014 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Sacred Heart Church located at 323 North Taylor Street.

All proceeds will benefit the family who lost their home in this fire. Come enjoy a full breakfast (pancakes, French toast, eggs, biscuits and gravy, potatoes, bacon, sausage, juice and coffee) for $7 ($5 for children) and help a local family get back on their feet.

http://www.marengo-uniontimes.com/news/1341-knights-of-columbus-fundraiser

Tootsie Roll Drive Donation

January 07, 2014

Marengo-Union Times -- Every September, the Marengo Knights of Columbus raise money for individuals with intellectual disabilities through their Tootsie Roll Drive. We would like to thank the Knights of Columbus for the generous donation of $916.15. Students with intellectual disabilities at Marengo Community High School will benefit from the generosity of the Knights.

http://www.marengo-uniontimes.com/news/1380-tootsie-roll-drive-donation

Knights of Columbus Fundraiser for Tornado Victims

December 04, 2013

Marengo-Union Times -- The Knights of Columbus, Chapter 13476 of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Marengo, raised over $1,000 for the victims of the Tornados in Washington Illinois at their last pancake breakfast November 24, 2013. They also donated approximately 340 pounds of Turkey to McHenry County's Valley Hi Nursing Home, Florence Nursing Home in Marengo, and other needy families in the Marengo area. Thank you to all who support our monthly pancake breakfasts.

Photo -- Scott Prader / Wikimedia Commons

http://www.marengo-uniontimes.com/news/1380-tootsie-roll-drive-donation