All posts by Fred Struck

Hello, My name is Fred Struck. I live in Sacramento California. I am a member of St. George Melkite-Greek Catholic Church where I am know as Reader Fred. I have been the Reader at St. George's since 1988. I am also a Past Grand Knight in the Knights of Columbus Sacramento Council 953.

Donation Given to Stanford Settlement

PGK Dale Edwards presented the check to Sister Jeanne on the Council's behalf.
PGK Dale Edwards presented the check to Sister Jeanne on the Council’s behalf.

At our March 13 business meeting, Council 953 unanimously voted to support the mission of the Stanford Settlement by donating $500 to this worthy charity. The Stanford Settlement, run by Sister Jeanne Felion, provides among other things an after school youth program, a senior social program, and Christmas food boxes to those in need in the disadvantaged Gardenland neighborhood in North Sacramento. On March 18,

PGK Dale Edwards

Knight of the Month – March 2014

GK Fred Struck presents the Knight of the Month for March 2014 certificate to Matt Lucien
GK Fred Struck presents the Knight of the Month for March 2014 certificate to Matt Lucien

At just about every council function he is there helping. He is a member of the First Degree team and second degree team. He is a Past Grand Knight and a Past District Deputy for 4 terms. He is currently 2nd year Trustee and our Council Director. For the past 10 years he has organized and cooked for Ladies’ Night. For all he has done for our council, Matt Lucien has been chosen as Knight of the Month for March.

Family of the Month – March 2014

John Bashore’s family is our Family of the Month for March. John is a first degree member of the Knights and a true family man. He is married with three lovely children who attend St. Mary’s School. John has been a member of the Council for at least two years now and he works in Social Services for the County of Sacramento. In addition to being a great father he is also the head coach for the fourth grade girls basketball team at St. Mary’s and an assistant coach for the first grade girl’s team. He is an active parishioner at St. Mary’s Church and he looks forward to getting more involved with the Knights this year.

Term Life Insurance from the Knights of Columbus

Knights of Columbus Insurance – “Your Shield for Life”

Many of our brother Knights and their wives have Term Life Insurance from the Knights of Columbus. They found value and security in this form of Insurance because they needed a substantial amount of financial protection if they die too young. Term Policies are mainly used to fund mortgage protection, college nest eggs, retirement savings, child care, and lost income if a family member dies too early. As you can see, most of these needs will probably be reduced as a family grows older and the children leave the home to begin their own lives. Because most Term Life Insurance has limits to the length of time the premiums will remain the same and they will always terminate at a certain age, you can’t rely on them for your “golden years”.

Note: The underwriting for Term Policies that approach age 70, 75, or 80 is very strict and if you qualify, statistically, you will probably outlive the policy. In most cases, Term Policies are not meant to be in force after age 70, 75, or 80 depending on the company. As a comparison, a Term Policy with a termination age of 80 will be substantially more expensive than a policy with a termination age of 70 and the death benefits may contractually change the older you get. (Decreasing Term Insurance) It is easy to conclude, living too long can strip you of the extra protection provided by Term policies.

Upon retirement, one may still owe on a remaining mortgage, a few college loans from the kids, and needs to provide a funeral. Also, your estate might need some extra cash upon your death to pay taxes and provide a smooth transfer of assets to your beneficiaries. Because of this shift in needs as you grow older, having a Permanent Cash Value Whole Life Insurance strategy from the Knights of Columbus will become more important because it will be with you regardless of your age. Buying a Whole Life policy when you are younger is always the best option but there are other avenues available. Here’s one.

Most members are unaware that members who have Knights of Columbus Term Policies and who are less than 64½ years of age have the opportunity to “Convert” some or all of your Term Policy to a Whole Life Policy without medical inquiry. The premium will be determined by your age at conversion, your tobacco status, and riders you transfer to the new policy. Your health rating will not be changed from the original policy unless you ask for a lower rating due to improved health. On the other hand, if your health has deteriorated since the Term Policy was issued, you can be automatically accepted at the original rating and no additional costs will be associated with your poorer health status. As a result, you can maintain some or all of your coverage past age 70 when all KofC Term Policies contractually terminate. As a result, we have brothers and their spouses who will convert a small amount of Term Coverage (minimum of $15,000) each year so the family budget is not “thrown out of whack”. It is a strategy that makes sense for those who know they will need coverage into their “golden years”.

Fraternally, Your Brother and Field Agent,
Marco Manrique
CA LIC 0I39878, FA16570
(707) 301-1783
marco.manrique@kofc.org

Culture of Life Report for April 2014

Brother Knights,
We are in a period of penance, prayer, sacrifice and good works. While we must all take some time for personal prayer and spiritual reading, we must also continue with our good works.

Please take some time to reflect on these words:

Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
— St. Teresa of Avila (1515–1582)
How many of us have looked into the eyes of a troubled young woman and have taken no action on her behalf. Today Wynette Sills offers you the opportunity to help those troubled young women that are unclear on the choices they should make between supporting life and supporting death. You have until April 13th to join Wynette. You can call her at 916-955-1577 or you can email her at: wsills@succeed.net.
I urge each of you to join Wynette Sills in prayer.

I hope to see you standing with your fellow Knights and with Wynette.
Remember: Ora et labora – pray and work!
God Bless,
Hector Garcia
Culture of Life Director