SPECIAL GOLFERS' EDITION

Welcome to the June 2024 edition of our Council newsletter!

A few quick but important items up-front before we get into the news.

• Our next regular business meeting will be this Wednesday, June 12th, starting at 7:30 p.m. Dinner for $5 will be at 6:30, as usual. All members are welcome. We will be holding elections for Council officers and Corporation directors (see reports of the nominating committees below). All members in good standing (which mean all dues to-date are paid!) are eligible to vote.

• Our 2024 C&B Raffle Drive is still underway. Buy more books at Wednesday's meeting and turn in your stubs soon because your best chance to win a prize is by getting in on the “Quick Start Drawing” on July 21st. See last month's newsletter for full details.

• It is with mixed emotions that we announce that Father Szymon Kurpios will be leaving us because he has been appointed by Cardinal Dolan as the new pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Mahopac effective July 1st. While we are overjoyed that he is receiving his first pastorate, we are saddened to be losing one our best friends, who served as our spiritual advisor for eight years. (Fortunately, he's not moving that far away!) St. James will be holding a special Mass of Thanksgiving at 12:00 noon on Sunday, June 30th, with a reception to follow in the school gym. Please join us in congratulating Father Szymon and wishing him well in his new ministry.

• We are pleased to report that our parish will have a new priest in July! Cardinal Dolan has assigned Father Robert Carolan as our new Parochial Vicar. Father Carolan was raised in Yorktown Heights and attended St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School and Yorktown High School. Ordained in 2021, he was assigned as a Parochial Vicar at Annunciation – Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Crestwood and Scarsdale. Please give him a warm welcome and encourage him to join us in our Council events and functions.

• Our Lounge's "Draft Beer of the Month" for July is Brooklyn Brewery's Brooklyn Pilsner. In the 1840s, the pilsner style emerged from central Europe to become the world’s most popular style of beer. Brooklyn Pilsner is a refreshing lager beer (ABV 5.0%), brewed in the style favored by New York’s pre-prohibition brewers. Crisp, golden, and strikingly refreshing, this is a pilsner inspired by Brooklyn and brewed for all.

• We're also pleased to announce that our Lounge is now serving Guinness Stout on tap! A major upgrade to our tap system allows our Guinness to be served perfectly chilled and carbonated, with the rich and creamy head you expect from a perfect pour.

• And speaking of our Lounge, stop in on Friday, June 14th, when Soulmate John Crecco will be leading another fun session of Council Karaoke from 8 to 11 p.m. Fortify yourself with some liquid courage and belt out that show-stopping tune that sounds so great in the shower!

Council & Corporation Elections - Wednesday, June 12th

Our Council will hold elections for all eligible officer positions at our June business meeting, which will be held on Wednesday, June 12th, starting at 7:30 p.m.

Please review the Report of the Nominating Committee and Proposed Slate of Council Officers for the 2024-25 Fraternal Year, which appears below. The report explains the rules for additional nominations.

Please speak with GK Tim McDonald or any member of the Council's Nominating Committee if you have any questions about running for any office or about the elections process.

We will also be holding elections for three Home Corporation directors. Please see the report of the Corporation's Nominating Committee below.

All members in good standing of our Council are eligible to vote for Council officers and Corporation Directors. Payment of all outstanding dues and presentation of a current membership card are required to vote.

Bill Dowling Honored with 2024 Founders Award

Our Council proudly presented our "Founders Award" to brother Knight William J. "Bill" Dowling at our Ninth Annual Founders' Day Barbecue on Friday, May 24th.

Named in honor of founding Grand Knight Angelo Trongone, the award was presented this year to Bill for his many years of dedicated service to our Council (including our Columbian Squires and St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee) and to our Home Corporation.

Surrounded by his family and brother Knights, Bill gave a humble and heartfelt acceptance speech that spoke of his love for our Council and our common heritage. Bill recognized and thanked the Council and Corporation leaders who have made us the amazing success that we are today.

Before the awards ceremony, our guests enjoyed a lavish feast that featured burgers and dogs, sliced steak, Cornell chicken, sausage and peppers, fresh corn, and other barbecue favorites. And our resident Pigmeister, Rich Dambra, once again outdid himself this year with another best-ever roast pig!

2024 George Dean Memorial Golf Outing Another Gem of a Day!

Another memorable -- and very successful -- George Dean Memorial Golf Outing is in the books! We had 120 golfers turn out on Friday, June 7th, for a fantastic day of golf celebrated in loving memory of our dearly departed brother Knight who ran our Council golf outing for many years.

The weather was just right for golfing and Putnam County Golf Course was in fine shape. Our golfers enjoyed a spectacular day on the links that included golfer swag, lunch at the course, a beverage cart, and lots of friendly competition and fun.

After shooting a great (or not so great) round, our golfers gathered at the Council for appetizers, cocktails, a full filet mignon dinner and dessert, followed by an awards ceremony and more great raffle prizes than ever before.

This year we had a tie for Best Foursome, with two teams shooting a 62. Congratulations to foursome #1 of Minello, Noble, Scavone, and O'Sullivan; and foursome #2 of Falco, Falco, Kolkmann, and Gonzalez.

Winner of the "Closest To Pin" contest was A. Bambach. (The reports of Kevin Heis sinking a hole-in-one proved to be a fish tale told for the amusement of Fast Eddie Sheldon.)

Winner of the "Long Drive" contest for the ladies was Kim Heis, and for the men, the winner was once again A. Bambach.

Many thanks to our Golf Outing Committee, chaired by Anthony Falco, for orchestrating another great outing. A special thanks to our Chaplain, Father Quarato, for coming out to the course to bless the golfers (he said some looked like they really needed their game blessed) and for leading us in Grace before dinner.

And of course, thanks to the Dean Family, our golfers, our sponsors, our unbeatable Council catering crew, our raffle sellers, our donors of merchandise for the raffles, and everybody else who pitched in to make our major annual fundraiser such a great success.

Sign Up For Our Summer Blood Drive - Friday, June 28th

*** PLEASE MAKE AN APPOINTMENT ***

*** VOLUNTEERS NEEDED ***

Along with FOP Driscoll Lodge 704, New York City Firefighters Hudson Valley East, and Guardian Revival, join us for our Summer Blood Drive set for FRIDAY, JUNE 28th, at the Daniel O'Brien VFW Hall, 32 Gleneida Ave (Rt. 52), in Carmel from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. 

In the summer months, the demand for blood increases but the number of donations declines. Due to current shortages, the New York Blood Center has declared a BLOOD SUPPLY EMERGENCY!

As with previous drives, we encourage donors to make an appointment. To make an appointment online, please click here and visit the NY Blood Center Donor Portal.

To schedule an appointment by phone, please call: 1-800-933-2566.

We need VOLUNTEERS throughout the drive for escorting donors and for monitoring the canteen. Most importantly, we need volunteers for set-up at 8:00 a.m. and for break-down / clean-up at 6:45 p.m. If you can donate and hour or so, please click here and send Denis Hanrahan an email to let him know what time you're available, and he will coordinate the time slots. 

Because of the tremendous positive feedback, we have been able to bring back the NEW YORK METS T-SHIRT for your donation! We are also very happy to announce that a PINT-FOR-A-PINT is back. For your donation of a PINT, you'll get a coupon for a PINT of fermented draft beverage, or a pint of carbonated sugar water, from our friends at Fiddler's Green Pub.



We hope you can join our members and our friends in this absolutely critical blood drive.

FYI: Donating blood is a safe, simple, and satisfying experience. Your donations help give life to the millions of Americans each year who require blood transfusions during surgery, after an accident, or because they have a disease that requires blood components.

There are many different ways to donate lifesaving blood products, including whole blood, platelet, plasma, and automated red cell donation. The process usually takes about 45-60 minutes.

You may donate if you are at least 17 years old (16 years old with written consent from parent or legal guardian), weigh at least 110 pounds, and are in good health.

Contact Denis Hanrahan at (845) 225-3048 or GK Tim McDonald at (845) 225-6318 for more info, or visit www.nybc.org.

AND PLEASE REMEMBER TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT!

The Feast of Saint James - Friday & Saturday, July 19th & 20th

The 2024 Feast of Saint James is back as a Family Fun Weekend on Friday, July 19th and Saturday, July 20th. Please see the flyer below for more information.

We will need even more Council volunteers this year! We'll need help with the casino, beverage sales, in the Sausage Connection and Polish food booths, staffing the attractions, and in other roles. Speak with our Grand Knight about how to get involved.

Members interested in dealing cards in the casino should speak with PGK Bobby Palazzo, who will train you to be a great dealer. We need more dealers!

Midnight Bowling Returns Saturday, July 13th!

Join us for our fourth Midnight Bowling Scholarship Fundraiser!

Back by popular demand after a (too long!) hiatus, we'll have our own lanes for some friendly competition from 8 p.m. to 12 midnight on Saturday, July 13th, at the beautiful Spins Bowl in Carmel.

Your $40 admission fee gets you the use of a pair of fabulous bowling shoes, bowling, and pizza. There's also a cash bar, and the potential for bragging rights. And this year, there will be axe throwing too!

This is a fundraiser for our scholarship fund, and win or lose, it promises to be another absolute blast!

LANES ARE LIMITED AND YOU MUST MAKE RESERVATIONS BY ORDERING A TICKET ONLINE!

We've set up our Fish Fry ordering website to allow you to pre-order tickets. (Sorry but you can't order any fish until Lent 2025.)

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS and scroll down to the Bowling Ticket link. (Ignore the order time and eat-in/take-out questions on checkout.)

After you receive your tickets by email, please send in your payment to the Council by mailing your check to "Council 6318 Bowling, 10 Fair Street, Carmel NY 10512."

Please make checks payable to "Council 6318 Scholarship Fund."

You can also put your payment (cash or check) in a sealed envelope marked with your name and "Bowling," and give it to the Grand Knight or our Scholarship Fund Chairman, PGK Ralph Fleischman. You can also leave the envelope with any Bartender in our Lounge.

Contact Ralph by email or call him at (914) 760-4875 with any questions.

And don't forget to arrive by 7:45 p.m. for check-in!

Fourth Degree News

MEETING & ELECTION NOTICE

The next meeting of Mother Cabrini Assembly will be Thursday, June 20th, at our Council. The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m.

The Assembly will also be holding elections for all eligible officer positions. Get active, get involved, and consider taking an officer's position in our Fourth Degree Assembly!

All Fourth Degree Sir Knights are welcome and encouraged to attend. All members in good standing (which mean all dues to-date are paid!) are eligible to vote in the election for officers.

• Jun. 19 (Wed): Ladies Appreciation BBQ - We can use help in the kitchen, on the grills, and with serving dinner at 6 p.m. to the Ladies Auxiliary on Wednesday, June 19th. (And we always need cleanup help!) This is an opportunity for the men of our Council to show our appreciation for all that our Ladies Auxiliary does for the Council and our community. The Ladies have asked for a barbecue this year, and we're more than happy to oblige. Speak with GK Tim or PGK Rob Firriolo if you're interested in helping.

• Kitchen Cleanup Thanks - A big thank you to the (too few) members who showed up to give our kitchen and cooking gear a thorough cleaning on Saturday, June 1st. With their hard work, the job was done in plenty of time for a hall rental later that day, and the kitchen was in great shape for the Golf Outing catering crew. Our kitchen is sparkling clean and we passed our hood and fire safety inspection last week with flying colors.

• Fly the Flag on Friday 6/14! Flag Day, also called National Flag Day, is a day honoring our national flag. The holiday commemorates the date in 1777 when the United States approved the design for its first national flag. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed June 14th as the official date for Flag Day, and in 1949, Congress permanently established the date as National Flag Day. Each year the United States President delivers an address that proclaims the week of June 14 as National Flag Week, and all Americans are encouraged to fly U.S. flags during that week.

• And finally, don't forget that Sunday, June 16th, is Father's Day! Fatherhood has its origins in God, who chose to reveal Himself to us as Our Father, sending his only Son for the sake of our salvation. Fathers therefore have a special role “in revealing and in reliving on earth the very fatherhood of God” (Familiaris Consortio 25). Father’s Day is an appropriate time to recall the essential role of fathers in the life of the family and in building a culture of life. It is also an opportunity to highlight spiritual fatherhood, which all men are called to embrace. Enjoy "A Father's Day Reflection" by clicking here.