Robert, welcome to the August 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, August 14th, starting at 7:30 p.m. Dinner for $5 will be at 6:30, as usual. All members are welcome and encouraged to attend.

• There will be an Admission Degree this Friday, August 16th, at 7:00 p.m. (Candidates should arrive by 6:00 p.m. properly attired!) We have scheduled this special Exemplification of Charity, Unity and Fraternity for the college-age sons and grandsons of our members, along with their friends, before they return to school. All current members are encouraged to attend in support of our newest prospective brother Knights. The new degree ceremony is brief (approximately 30 minutes) and dinner will be served afterward.

• Please bring your donation for our PGK Wheelchair Fundraiser to the business meeting on Wednesday. Or you can mail it to one of the committee members. Either way, please get in your donation by September 1st. See the news item below for more information.

• Bartenders, Mason, and Electrician Wanted: Our Home Corporation is still looking for additional bartenders to help keep our Lounge up and running to serve our members and during hall rentals. They are also looking for an electrician and a mason to work on various projects for our building. Please speak with VP Anthony Falco if you are interested in helping out in any of these ways.

• Please note that our September business meeting will be on Thursday, September 12th (instead of the usual Wednesday) due to September 11 falling on a Wednesday and the participation of many of our members in the Putnam County 9/11 Candlelight Vigil. We will have more information about the ceremony in the September edition of The Lake Current.

We Have a C&B Winner!

As we've been saying for the last few months, getting in on the C&B Raffle can really pay off -- both for you and for our Council. And here's the proof.

Our brother Sir Knight Bob Manfredi was a first-place winner in the Quick-Start drawing, nabbing a sweet prize of 400 dollars! Congratulations Bob!

And because we sold 186 raffle books so far (which were submitted for the Quik-Start Drawing), our Council earned $1,116 for our own charitable and benevolent efforts!

Our tireless C&B Chairman, Kevin Shea, reports that if we can sell a total of 260 books, we will not only be eligible for the first-tier bonus, but the books awarded for Bob's first-place finish (65 books) will be added to our total at the end, which has the potential to push our Council into an even higher bonus level.

There is still time to get in on both the Early Bird Drawing and the Final Drawing. 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 pick up some more raffle books at the Council or contact Kevin at (914) 941-2105 or by email. You too could be a big winner, and the more we sell, the more our Council earns for our own charitable donations.

Thanks to Our Parish Feast Volunteers!

The 2024 Feast of Saint James, restyled as a Family Fun Weekend, was a great success thanks in no small part to the many volunteers from our Council, certainly including our Ladies Auxiliary.

The weather on Friday and Saturday July 19 & 20 was nothing short of perfect, and the new attractions and activities were well received at our 16th Annual St. James Feast. As Father Quarato aptly noted in the parish bulletin, "the unexpected loss of our ride vendor and the corporate decision to switch gears and create a different approach called for extra creativity and planning."

Toward that end, our members outdid themselves by taking charge of the planning and staffing of numerous, critical areas including running the casino, the casino bar, and the Sausage Connection booth, as well as with security and accounting functions. And for the first time, the feast featured a beer tent run by our Council, with all of the beer and wine in the casino bar and beer tent donated by our Council.

We even stepped in and took over the Polish food booth when our local Polish community was unavailable to do so. Practically everywhere you looked, you found a brother Knight or Ladies Auxiliary member volunteering in one capacity or another.

A new addition to the feast was the Big-6 Dice Wheel in the casino, bearing the Emblem of our Order as well as our Council name and number (pictured here). Thanks to the generosity of our members for approving an expenditure of $3,000, we were able to have the wheel custom made just in time for the feast. The dice wheel quickly joined the horse race wheel as among the most popular games in our casino. It is sure to bring many years of service -- and hopefully lots of revenue -- at future feasts.

Grand Knight Rick Kreps expressed his deep gratitude to all of the "captains" who planned for and managed the various areas, as well as to all of the volunteers who donated their time and talents to ensure that we were fully staffed for Friday evening and all day Saturday, from the early afternoon right into the night. Many days of hard work -- planning, shopping, food preparation, booth setup, cleanup / breakdown, etc. -- went into making the event the success that it was.

Special recognition must go out to our Ladies Auxiliary! There is no other way to say it, but without their many volunteers, we would not have had enough help. So thank you Ladies!!!

Comedy Dinner Theater Returns September 28th!

Join us for another night of fine food and laugh-out-loud fun as a three-headliner Comedy Night returns to our Council on Saturday, September 28th.

Not only are our comedy dinner theater nights a great time (and a great value), they have raised thousands of dollars for important charities such as Tunnel to Towers, United for the Troops, and Wreaths Across America.

All the details are on the flyer below. Make sure you make your reservations and prepay before it's too late. These events always sell-out and there are no walk-ins!

Honor Worthy PGK Tim With Your Donation to Buy Wheelchairs!

We are proud to continue our tradition of honoring our immediate Past Grand Knight by purchasing wheelchairs in his name for needy people through the American Wheelchair Mission.

We were fortunate to have Worthy PGK Tim McDonald lead our Council for the past two fraternal years. His dedication to the principles of our Order was shown in many ways, including promoting works of charity and community service, and providing leadership for our many functions and numerous initiatives over the past two years. 

As is our tradition, to honor Tim as our outgoing PGK at our Annual Dinner Dance and Awards Ceremony, we will present him with the gift of wheelchairs donated in his name to people in need.

Each wheelchair costs $150, and we encourage our members to consider purchasing one. However, we can also combine smaller donations to purchase wheelchairs, so every donation helps us achieve our goal.

If you can participate, please mail or hand a check for $10 to any of the members of the Wheelchair Committee listed below. Please make it payable to the "American Wheelchair Mission." If in the kindness of your heart you are able to give more, it would be deeply appreciated. Every donation is tax deductible.

Please make your donation by no later than September 1st. The Committee will put all the checks into one envelope and mail them to the American Wheelchair Mission. Because it takes at least a month to get the donor folders back from them, we need to send in the donations well in advance of The Annual to ensure the acknowledgments arrive on time. So please don’t delay, and thank you in advance for your generosity!

To learn more about how this program began (and has taken-off) in our Council, please see "The Backstory" in our prior email blast to members at this link.

The Council 6318 Wheelchair Committee:

Co-Chairmen

• Dennis O’Connor - 11 Baldwin Road, Carmel NY 10512 
• William Richmond - 152 Kentview Drive, Carmel NY 10512

Committee Members:

• GK Rick Kreps - 23 Purchase Rd, Carmel NY 10512
• Jim Carey - 10 Nelson Court, Carmel NY 10512 
• Michael Antezzo - 43 Leeside Drive, Carmel NY 10512
• Phil Larkin - 383 Nichols Street, Carmel NY 10512 
• Michael McDonald - 14 West Collier Drive, Carmel NY 10512
• Edward McKinley - 1 Purchase Road, Carmel NY 10512

Fourth Degree News

MEETING NOTICE

There will be NO AUGUST MEETING of Mother Cabrini Assembly.

• Aug. 15 (Thu.) Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - This day celebrates the Assumption of Mary into heaven, body and soul, signifying her purity and her close relationship with God. It is a Holy Day of Obligation. There will be Masses at St. James the Apostle Church at 7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m., Noon, and 7:00 p.m.

• Oct. 12 (Sat.) - Oktoberfest! Authentic German cuisine, German beer, and live German music from the famous Austrian Boys Band will all be back, so save the date!

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 and Instagram for up-to-the minute announcements, photos, event listings, and items of interest.