Welcome to the May 2025 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, May 14th, starting at 7:30 p.m. Dinner for $5 will be at 6:30, as usual. We will be discussing elections for Council officers and Corporation directors (see report of the Council nominating committee below). With so many activities to plan for and important business news to share, all members should attend!

• Our 11th year of Lenten Fish Fry Fridays was another record breaking success! Over just six Fridays, we filled over 600 orders, serving over 1,600 meals. Thanks to our amazing Fish Fry Crew and our loyal supporters, we were able to raise $9,800 for charity and also purchase a few small items to upgrade our kitchen equipment. The charities receiving donations from our Fish Fry proceeds will be discussed with the membership at upcoming business meetings.

• Scholarship Applications: Click here to download the instructions and application for our Council Scholarships. We award them to graduating high school seniors who are pursuing full-time higher education. The deadline for submission of applications is June 1st. Contact GK Rick Kreps or our Scholarship Chairman, PGK Ralph Fleischman, with any questions.

Council & Corporation Elections - Wednesday, June 11th

Our Council will hold elections for all eligible officer positions at our June business meeting on Wednesday, June 11th, which starts at 7:30 p.m.

Please review the Report of the Nominating Committee and Proposed Slate of Council Officers for the 2025-26 Fraternal Year, which appears below. The report explains the rules for additional nominations.

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

The report of the Corporation's Nominating Committee will be sent to the membership under separate cover when it becomes available.

All members in good standing of our Council are eligible to vote for Council officers and Corporation Directors.

Summer Kickoff BBQ & Founders' Award - Friday, May 23rd -Honoring Don McDonnell!

Join us as we kick-off summer with our Tenth Annual Founders' Day Barbecue & Trongone Award Ceremony on Friday, May 23rd!

On the menu will be burgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken, sausage and peppers, sliced steak, corn on the cob, baked beans, salads, desserts, and more! Doors open at 5 p.m. and dinner service starts at 6 p.m. Feel free to bring a salad, side dish, or dessert to share.

We're also continuing our fantastic PIG ROAST, which has been such a hit the past six years! All for only $25 for adults, $10 for kids, and kids 6 and under eat free. Nobody has ever left hungry! Bring the whole family!

We do need a headcount for food purchase and planning, so please let GK Rick know if you're coming NO LATER THAN May 19th! We will have sign-up sheets for volunteers and for guests at our monthly business meeting on Wednesday, May 14th.

As is our tradition, we will be honoring a member of our Council who has provided many years of dedicated service with our Angelo R. Trongone Founders' Award.

This year, we are pleased to announce that our worthy honoree is Donald J. McDonnell! Don is truly worthy of our Founders' Award, as he is a Charter Member of our Council! An Honorary Life member of our Order and an active St. James parishioner, Don first joined the Knights in 1959, going on to help form our Council in 1971 along with his fellow Charter Members, including our first Grand Knight, Angelo Trongone, for whom our Founders Day Award is named.

Please join us as we honor Don with our Founder's Award in recognition of his devoted service to our Council and parish.

Win $25,000! - 2025 C&B Drive is Under Way!

The 2025 NYS Council's Charitable & Benevolent (C&B) Program is under way! Get your chance books and return them with your payment right away to be eligible for all of the drawings, totaling $50,000 in prizes!

There are 3 chances per book and the cost is $12 per book. Of that $12, half stays with our Council and half goes to the New York State Council -- all for charitable and benevolent purposes.

Save a buck when you buy two books for $25! And your best buy is 5 books for $50 - that's only $10 a book and it saves you $10 off the full book price!

Last year, the C&B program raised $550,000 for the charities supported by the NYS State Council and the member councils across the state that participate in the program. One hundred percent of the ticket sale proceeds sent to the State Council went to benefit worthy charities and causes including:

• Catholic Education Match, Grants & Scholarships;
• Special Olympics;
• Disaster Relief;
• NYS Bishops' Diocesan Programs;
• Sisters of Life;
• After-Pregnancy Support Programs;
• Religious Vocations;
• Coats for Kids;
• Food For Families; and
• American Wheelchair Mission.

First Prize is $25,000, Second Prize is $10,000, and Third Prize is $5,000. There are also ten (10) Consolation Prizes of $1,000 each.

Sellers of the winning chances will also receive prizes of $1,000 (1st), $500 (2nd), $250 (3rd), and $100 (consolation prizes), so be sure to put your name down as the "Solicitor" on each ticket you sell.

Turn in your stubs soon because your best chance to win a prize is by getting in on the “Quick Start Drawing” on July 20th.  

Books submitted for the Quick Start Drawing will also be eligible for the Early Bird Drawing and the Final Drawing, so each ticket offers four chances to win, including the sellers' prizes!  

Our C&B Chairman, Kevin Shea, will have chance books available for pickup at the Council business meeting on Wednesday, May 14th, and you can turn in your stubs and payment to him as well. There will also books in the bin behind the bar in the Council Lounge. 

Please make your check payable to: “Knights of Columbus 6318” with $12 for each book sold (or 2 for $25 and 5 for $50). Put your money and stubs in a sealed envelope addressed to C&B Chair Kevin Shea and leave it with any Council bartender, or mail the stubs and your check (no cash, please!) to him at the following address:

Kevin Shea

59 Blair Heights

Carmel, NY 10512

If you have any questions, contact Kevin at (914) 941-2105 or by email. 

Thank you for your participation and support of this important charitable effort. And good luck in the drawings!

Sign-up for The George Dean Memorial Golf Outing on Friday, June 6th!

Putnam County Golf Course - 9 a.m. Shotgun Start

Sponsorships Available - Take one Today!

Our fantastic George Dean Memorial Annual Golf Outing will be on Friday, June 6th!

In addition to a great round of golf at Putnam County Golf Course, you'll get a delicious lunch, beverage cart, golfer SWAG, prizes, and our own sumptuous filet mignon dinner, all for only $175.

Sponsorships are available: Hole Sponsor ($150, or $100 with a foursome), Lunch Sponsor ($500); Dinner Sponsor ($750) and Platinum Sponsor ($1000).

Click here to download the handbill with the reservation and sponsorship form.

Registration is 8 a.m.; shotgun start at 9 a.m. Cocktails and dinner for golfers at our Council immediately following the outing.

Prizes will be awarded for best foursome, longest drive, and closest to the pin.

This is our annual major fundraiser that enables our Council to do the many charitable, community and parish activities that we do on a regular basis. Please support this event by golfing, taking a sponsorship, donating prizes, or helping us get others to do the same.

For reservations, sponsorships, or more information, please contact PGK Bill Forbes, Anthony Falco or GK Rick Kreps.

Celebrating Our Senior Moms

Members of our Ladies Auxiliary helped spread some Mother's Day joy at the local senior center. They handed out carnations to the ladies in attendance at the Mother's Day Lunch held at the Carmel Friendship Center on Friday, May 9th.

Ladies Auxiliary President Beth Kane reported that everyone at the luncheon was very appreciative. The Ladies who participated enjoyed it so much that they look forward to doing it again next year.

Well done, Ladies, and thank you!

Fourth Degree News

MEETING NOTICE

The next meeting of Mother Cabrini Assembly #1572 will be Thursday, May 15th, at our Council. [Note that this month the meeting is the same week as our Council business meeting.]

The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. All Fourth Degree Sir Knights are welcome and encouraged to attend.

EXEMPLIFICATION NOTICE

Attention Third Degree Members! Receive the honors of the Patriotic Degree and become a Fourth Degree "Sir Knight"! There will be a Fourth Degree Exemplification in our area on Saturday, June 14th. Details are on the flyer below.

Please speak with GK Rick Kreps or FN Seamus Baker immediately if you are interested in taking part in this event.

• Jun. 17 (Tue): Ladies Appreciation BBQ - We can use some help in the kitchen and with serving brunch to the Ladies Auxiliary on Tuesday, June 17th. This is an opportunity for our Council to show our appreciation for all that our Ladies Auxiliary does for the Council and our community. Our format change last year to a BBQ was so well received that we're doing it again, starting at 7:00 p.m. Speak with GK Rick or PGK Rob Firriolo if you're interested in helping.

• Jun. 21st (Sat): Kitchen Cleanup - We will be giving our kitchen and outdoor BBQ area a deep cleaning starting at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 21st. Fish Fry and all of the other events we cater in-house eventually take their toll, so we'll be getting everything back into top shape and ready for the summer barbecue season and fall events. There is a lot to do both up in the kitchen and out on our patio, so please volunteer some time if you're able to do so. Many hands make light work!

• Jul. 17-19 (Thu, Fri., & Sat.): The Feast of St. James - Our annual Parish Feast returns this summer as a three-day event. Planning is ongoing, but this is sure to be a fun time for the entire family and it will present plenty of volunteer opportunities. More details will be announced, but save the dates and speak with our Worthy Grand Knight to find out how you can help out. We are going to need a lot of volunteers!

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.