The Lake Current - Summer 2019

Welcome to the Summer 2019 edition of our Council newsletter! H ere's a few quick notices before we get into the news: Our regular monthly business meeting is this Wednesday, August 14, starting at 7:30 p.m. As usual, a great home-cooked dinner will be served around 6:30 p.m. It may seem like things are a bit slow down at the Council right now, but there are many BIG events that will be here before you know it. The planning has already begun, and now is the time for volunteers to get on board to help make our events the amazing success they always are. All members should attend! This is one of those odd months when the Fourth Degree meeting falls the day after our monthly Council meeting. This Thursday (8/15), Mother Cabrini Assembly is hosting an informal BBQ for all members starting at 6:30 p.m. at our Council. If you have not already done so, please click here and let Worthy Faithful Navigator Vincent LaRusso know that you are coming so that they have a headcount for food. They can also use a few volunteers to help with the prep, cooking and cleanup. Council Cleanup this Saturday! Like the classic old song goes, "the corn is as high as an elephant's eye..." Okay, we don't have corn growing, but we do have a bumper crop of weeds, and they need to be harvested. Meet at the Council at 9 a.m. this Saturday (8/17), bring the usual landscaping tools and implements of destruction, and let's keep our building and grounds looking great. Contact House Chairman Mike O'Brien or our Worthy Grand Knight with any questions.

Third Annual J.O. Memorial NY Mets Baseball Trip Our Third Annual J.O. Memorial Mets Trip on June 29th was a once-in-a-lifetime treat for Mets fans, especially those old enough to remember the 1969 Miracle Mets. After a hearty BBQ lunch at the Council, we boarded the luxury bus to Citi Field for the game and an epic 50th anniversary celebration of the 1969 Mets' improbable come-from-behind season that saw them become World Series Champions. The prior day, special ceremonies were held honoring pitching great Tom Seaver, including the renaming of the street outside Citi Field (126th Street between Northern Boulevard and Roosevelt Avenue) to "Seaver Way."

Our Saturday game was preceded by a ceremony commemorating players from the 1969 team who have since passed on, with members of their families in attendance. The highlight of the afternoon was the presence of living teammates honored in the ceremonies including Ed Kranepool (pictured here delivering the keynote speech for the team),

Cleon Jones, Jack DiLauro, Ron Taylor, Jerry Koosman, Jerry Grote, Art Shamsky, Bud Harrelson, Jim McAndrew, Duffy Dyer, Bobby Pfeil, and Rod Gaspar. Unfortunately, bullpen follies and a lengthy rain delay marred the day of celebration, as the Mets fell to the Atlanta Braves by a 5-4 final. Fortunately for Mets fans, the team has turned itself around and looks like it could be making another miraculous comeback run for the playoffs. (As Tug McGraw said in 1973, "You gotta believe!" ) Three years ago, our annual Mets outing was named in memory of Jimmy O'Neill, who organized the first two trips. Special thanks to PGK Bobby Palazzo for keeping Jimmy's vision alive by organizing and leading another great Council trip.

Great Turnout for Our Summer Blood Drive! A steady stream of donors gave 93 pints during Putnam’s semi-annual blood drive on Friday, June 28th. We are proud to sponsor this drive, along with the Driscoll Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, Putnam's Bureau of Emergency Services, and Putnam residents serving with the New York City Fire Department. Over the last several years, we've held our summer blood drive on the last Friday in June. Summer is always a slow time for donations, and blood is always in demand this time of year. Our brother Knight Denis Hanrahan did his usual outstanding job coordinating the drive and keeping it at a high level of success. Denis reported that since its inception 22 years ago, the Putnam blood drives have collected more than 2,900 unit donations . As always, Denis thanked the public for its support and promised to return after Christmas with the next blood collection. Join us in thanking Denis for all of his hard work, and thanking all who volunteered to help set-up, staff, and break down for the drive, and of course to all those who made a donation of blood to help save others' lives.

Knights' Casino and Bar Raise $4K for St. James Parish at Annual Feast The blistering weather and other events in our area kept attendance down, but we still had another terrific showing of volunteers for this year's Feast of St. James the Apostle! Members of our Council and Ladies Auxiliary ran the casino games and casino beverage sales, worked security, manned the Sausage Connection and pizza booths, helped with the daily accounting, and served in a variety of other important capacities. We also had a fair showing of members and families supporting the feast as customers, donors, and patrons. Our efforts in running the casino games generated over $2,600 for the parish, and our sales of the wine and beer that we donated netted over $1,400, for a total contribution from our council of just over $4,000! Those numbers are all the more remarkable considering that public attendance at the feast was noticeably lower than in prior years. A great big THANK YOU to everybody who donated their time, treasure and talents to help make the feast a successful fundraiser for our parish!

Welcome To Our Newest Members O n July 12th we held First and Second Degree Exemplifications in our Council chambers that welcomed three new members to our Council: Kevin Ahearn John P. O'Connor Edward Votta Please make a special point of welcoming them to our Order and our Council, and encourage them to get involved and bring their families to our many events. Our in-house Degree Team once again executed the ceremonials with the all of the beauty, dignity, and poignancy which make them so special to the candidates and all of the members who come to witness them. We were also proud to host a Third Degree Exemplification in our Council chambers on July 28th. Fifteen Catholic gentlemen received the honors of full Knighthood in our Order, four of whom are members of our Council : Jose Arevalo Sean McDonald John Nuculovic John P. O'Connor Please congratulate these brothers and continue to encourage them to become active in one or more of our many upcoming events.

Steve Gheduzzi Reelected Grand Knight; Leads Roster of Officers for 2019-20 The Council's membership unanimously reelected the core of the Council's leadership team as well as some new officers at our general business meeting on June 12th. Heading up our officers for second terms are Worthy Grand Knight Stephen R. Gheduzzi and Worthy Deputy Grand Knight Ralph Fleischman. Michael Bock was reelected as Chancellor, but made the difficult decision in early July to step down from that position for personal reasons. Fortunately, Mike is staying on as Membership Chairman, a position of significant importance. He will work closely with our new Chancellor, Timothy McDonald, who was appointed by the Grand Knight to fill the vacant position. Tim had been reelected as one of our Council Guards and volunteered to step-up and assume the greater responsibilities of Chancellor. He will eventually take over the Membership Chairman role from Mike Bock. With the retirement of Joe Groneman, a new addition to the leadership team is Treasurer Richard Dambra. Joe was our (very!) Worthy Treasurer for so long that many long-time members cannot even remember anybody else holding that position. While we are sad to lose Joe in that role, the good news is that he will still be around as an officer, having been elected to the position of Three-Year Trustee. He will join our other Trustees, Past Grand Knights Rob Firriolo and Joe Sinisi. On behalf of all of the officers, WGK Steve expressed his deep gratitude to Joe for his many years of dedicated service to our Council, and also to Rich Dambra for stepping up to fill this crucial position. While many know that Rich is a very active volunteer at our Council events, they may not know that he is also a talented financial professional who is already proving to be a great fit for the job of Treasurer. Continuing in their current offices are Warden Michael O'Brien, Financial Secretary Michael Rama, Recorder Steven Smith, Advocate (PGK) Michael McDonald, and Guards Richard Ferris and Steven Kladis. Joining the leadership team as Guards this year are Peter Carey and Daniel Dolenck. Dan was appointed to fill the vacancy left by Tim McDonald's move to Chancellor. GK Steve has also reappointed Anthony Falco to another term as Lecturer. Please congratulate our team of officers and remember that they are in office to lead and to serve the entire membership. Offer them your support but also go to them if you have any questions, issues, or concerns, or if you want to get more involved with our very active Council.

Best Wishes to Our Council's New Coastie! One of our newer members will soon be on his way to serving our country in the United States Coast Guard! Third Degree brother Richard C. Keating, Jr. will be shipping out to the service in late-September. Richard is pictured here with his proud parents, Allison Charles Keating and Richard C. Keating . Mom Allison is very active with our Ladies Auxiliary, serving as their Financial Secretary. Dad Rich is a Director of our Home Corporation, and serves as one of our Bar Chairmen. Members of our Council showed up in force at Fiddler's Green Pub on August 11th to wish Richard well and thank him for his future service to our country. Richard joined our Council in January 2018 (along with his grandfather, Richard C. Keating, Sr.), and has helped out in a variety of ways both before and after joining. The Keatings (including Richard's brothers Aidan and Thomas) were the deserving honorees of our Council's "Family of the Year" Award in 2015. Please congratulate the Keatings and keep young Richard in your prayers for his success and safety in the Coast Guard. Semper Paratus!

"See You In September" Comedy Night Time for another great night of comedy dinner theater at our Council on Saturday, September 21st! If you've been to one of these shows before, you know that the comedians are always hilarious, top-notch headliner acts from stage and screen. Your $75 ticket gets you an open bar, appetizers, buffet dinner, dessert, and a terrific show. Doors (and bar) open at 6 p.m., buffet dinner is from 7-8 p.m., and showtime is 8:30 p.m. We usually sell-out so you must purchase tickets in advance! Contact PGK Bobby Palazzo [ (845) 216-1997] or PGK Charlie Gr immer [(845) 222-7392] today to guarantee your seats!

Fourth Degree News MEETING NOTICE The next meeting of the Fourth Degree Sir Knights will be Thursday, August 15 at our Council. A BBQ for Assembly members will begin at 6:30 p.m. Please remember to let Worthy FN Vinny know you are coming so he can get a headcount for food.

Support the C&B Program It's once again time to join with KofC councils across New York State and raise funds for important charities by selling tickets to the annual Charitable & Benevolent Program raffle. Not only are there $50,000 in cash prizes -- including the $25,000 Grand Prize -- but our council keeps a portion of the cash from the sales to help with our own charitable efforts. Due to the high costs of doing a mailing to the entire membership, this year we will not be mailing out booklets except upon request. You may also pick them up at our monthly Council business meetings, or speak with the bartender on duty in the Lounge. Contact our new C&B Chairman, Steve Smith , if you would like booklets mailed to you. Please return your stubs and payment by dropping them off at the Council or by mailing them to Steve Smith's attention at 10 Fair Street, Carmel, NY 10512.

KofC Sets Another Record for Charitable Activity! 2018 was another record-setting year for Knights of Columbus charitable work, with an unprecedented $185.7 million in donations and 76.7 million hours of service provided worldwide, with an estimated value of $2 billion! The Knights’ charitable activity is carried out by more than 16,000 councils in nine countries, which raise funds for a variety of causes, including efforts to protect and provide relief to persecuted Christians, pro-life initiatives, and disaster aid and recovery. Council members also donate volunteer time to helping their parishes, communities, and organizations such as Special Olympics and Habitat for Humanity, as well as Knights-specific efforts such as “Coats for Kids,” “Food for Families,” and scholarship programs. KofC councils raise money through a broad spectrum of activities that include pancake breakfasts, raffles, auctions, tank pulls, rodeos, and its well-known Tootsie Roll drives. Others who benefit from these efforts include local pregnancy support centers, and seminarians, veterans, and service members seeking healing on the Knights’ annual pilgrimage to Lourdes with the U.S. Military Archdiocese. Much of our Council's efforts are focused right here in our home parish and community, making a difference in the lives of local families and our neighbors, whether we know who they are or not. We prove time and again that we can accomplish important works of charity and have a heck of a lot of fun doing it together. WELL DONE BROTHER KNIGHTS!

Please make sure to SAVE THE DATE for these important upcoming events! 9/11 Memorial Ceremony: On Wednesday, September 11th, the annual Putnam County Candlelight Vigil will be held at Spain Cornerstone Park (Route 52 & Fair Street) at 8 p.m. Two names will be added to the memorial this year: Thomas Roberts of Mahopac (FDNY) and Thomas Lyons of Carmel (NYPD). Immediately preceding the ceremony, there will be a 9/11 Memorial Mass at St. James the Apostle Church starting at 7:00 p.m. Our Council will host a coffee reception following the ceremony. Please bring your family to the Mass, vigil, and reception. It is always a moving evening proving that Putnam will never forget our fallen heroes. Sunday Cash Bingo - Sept. 22: Join us for another great afternoon of Cash Bingo presented by our Ladies Auxiliary. All monies raised will go to an outstanding local charity. Big cash jackpots every time! Doors open at 1 p.m., first game at 2 p.m. Attendance is limited to the first 100 players. For RSVP & payment details, speak with President Maria Barry or email: ladieskofc@gmail.com. FOP Golf Outing - Fri., Oct. 4th: Our friends in the F.O.P. Driscoll Lodge are holding the Second Annual "JO" Memorial Golf Outing at Putnam County Golf Course. The price is still the same low $150 per golfer, or $600 for a foursome. There is a discount for early sign up. There is a great BBQ lunch afterwards for a small fee. Contact President Pete Conlin at fopdriscoll@usa.com to save your seat, take a sponsorship, or get further information. Oktoberfest! - Sat., Oct. 5: Our annual Teutonic Tradition continues! Hearty, home-cooked German food, imported German beers, great live music from the Austrian Boys Band, contests, prizes, and more! Don't miss it! NOTE: Our first meeting of volunteers will be Wednesday, September 4th at 8 p.m. (immediately following the Council Officers meeting). Please join in the fun by helping out! Columbus Day Parade - Sun., Oct. 6: Join us as we honor the patron of our Order, Christopher Columbus, along with the contributions of Italian-Americans to our nation, as we march in the annual Putnam County Columbus Day Parade in Mahopac on Sunday, October 6th. As always, this is a family event, so bring along your family to march, and wear a KofC shirt or jacket. Lineup for the parade will be at 1:30 p.m., with the parade stepping-off at 2:30 p.m. Please arrive at our council by no later than 1:00 p.m. if you wish to carpool over to the lineup area from our council. Annual Dinner Dance & Awards Ceremony - Sat., Nov. 2: Hard to believe our event of the year is almost here again. This year's Annual promises to be another night of great food, fun, live music, and a celebration of the people who make our council such a special place. BE THERE! NOTE: Our first committee meeting will be Wednesday, September 4th at 8 p.m. (immediately following the Council Officers and Oktoberfest! planning meeting). We need your help to make this another incredible event!

Remember, a full calendar of events can always be found on our website: carmelknights.org under the Upcoming Events tab. And don't forget to "like" our Facebook page for up-to-the minute announcements, photos, event listings, and items of interest.

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