Knights of Columbus mission more than just Tootsie Rolls
If you'd like your charity, community organization or service group featured, contact Christie Willhite at (630) 955-3536 or cwillhite@dailyherald.com.
Most likely you know of the Knights of Columbus.
Perhaps you'd recognize them by the capes and large, feather-topped hats they wear on special occasions.
And certainly you've seen them braving busy intersections to collect change, offering gratitude, good feelings and a Tootsie Roll in return for the donation.
Turns out all that change really adds up. Last year, Knights throughout Illinois collected more than $1.7 million to fund programs that help people with intellectual disabilities, said Richard Spada of Lombard, who serves as treasurer of the Illinois State Council Knights of Columbus. Special Olympics is among the beneficiaries each year.
The annual candy drive, coming up on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 19 and 20, is just a part of the Knights' mission.
For more than 125 years, members of the organization have worked quietly within their communities to support families within the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Spada recently discussed the Knights of Columbus, the work its members do and the upcoming candy drive that will put members all over the region on the streets this weekend.
Q. What is your mission?
A. Knights of Columbus serves the faith community following Catholic teachings, which we apply in various ways under four main principles: charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism.
Q. How do you work toward accomplishing that goal?
A. All councils plan involvement within their faith community following a five-point program. That program encompasses activities in church, fraternity, family, community and youth.
Q. Who do you serve?
A. While our programs have a wide outreach, one special segment that began in Illinois and now has spread to 47 jurisdictions throughout the world is our support to those with intellectual disabilities. Each year our members are on street corners asking for donations in exchange for Tootsie Rolls. Councils subtract only the cost of the candy, and the remainder is given to assist this cause. Ninety percent of the funds are given directly to organizations designated by the local council right in their own community; 10 percent is given by each local council to a special fund created for two purposes: no-interest loans for 501(c)3 organizations that provide small group homes for intellectually challenged citizens; and assistance to Special Olympics programs throughout Illinois. We have funded 60 homes since this program began and we have a waiting list for more to be built. Each year we also provide $300,000 in assistance to Special Olympics Illinois; this does not include what our local councils give to their respective area Special Olympics programs.
Q. When and why did the organization start? How has it grown?
A. Our organization was founded by a young Catholic priest, Father Michael McGivney, in 1882 in a small parish in New Haven, Conn. He saw a need to protect families from the untimely death of the family breadwinner and to bring these families closer to the church. There were no social programs at that time to protect families financially, and it was a difficult time for Catholics to secure life insurance. Since that humble beginning in the basement of that church, the Knights of Columbus has grown to be the largest lay Catholic organization with more than 1.7 million members in the Americas, Europe and Asia. While times have changed, our mission remains with the church and families.
Q. What kind of successes have you had?
A. We have been blessed with many successes. To name a few:
• Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI each referred to the Knights of Columbus as the strong right arm of the church for our wide-reaching help to the less fortunate and the way we accomplish our mission following the teachings of the Holy See.
• Knights of Columbus were original partners in the first Special Olympics, held at Soldier Field in Chicago, and continue to be a prime source for manpower and funds for a program that is now international.
• Our fraternal insurance program, which enjoys an AM Best rating of A++, provides financial protection to members and their families, fulfilling our founder's dream.
• We were the first to provide financial assistance to the families of victims of the terrorist attack in New York on Sept. 11, 2001. The day after the attack, our international board approved a $1 million emergency appropriation and our insurance agents began delivering checks the next day.
• The Knights of Columbus is responsible for establishing the John Paul II institute for marriage and family planning in Washington, D.C., and through that program has provided education on protecting marriages and families across all denominations.
Q. What challenges does the organization currently face?
A. Our challenges are as much today as when the Knights of Columbus was founded. People of our community remain hungry, homeless, in broken families, and we live in a culture that has become more secularized and materialistic. As one of the richest countries in the world, Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta once characterized us as the poorest in spirit. While we give large sums of money to support the less fortunate, there remains more work to be done in personal connectedness with the human race around us.
Q. What do you wish the community at large knew about the organization?
A. Some within our organization often express that we are the best kept secret around! We believe this is so because our members prefer to just do good and not talk about it. If only those who aren't familiar with our organization could see what a loving, caring family we are to each other and to those around us, they would know us better than as just those guys with the feathered hats and Tootsie Rolls.
Q. How can readers get involved?
A. Some of our community events are open to volunteers who wish to give of their time and treasures in support of causes that impact the community. When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, Knights councils had fundraisers to support the Gulf Coast needs, and some even went to assist in the rebuilding.
People can visit our Illinois Web site at illinoisknights.org, and to learn more about what we are doing internationally, visit kofc.org.
Vital statistics
Current fundraiser
What: Candy Day Drive to raise money for organizations that help people with intellectual disabilities
When: Sept. 19 and 20
Where: Intersections throughout the suburbs
Cost: Any donation is accepted in exchange for a Tootsie Roll
The state council
Full-time employees: Two paid employees in an office in Kankakee manage the fraternal and charitable business
Volunteers: 72, 000 Knights, plus their families, throughout Illinois
To donate
Illinois State Council Knights of Columbus Charities Inc. P.O. Box 681 Kankakee, IL 60901-0681
To volunteer
Phone: (815) 935-2262
E-mail: richspada@comcast.net
Info: illinoisknights.org or kofc.org