My Brother Knights and Families:

My heartfelt thanks goes out to our brother Knight, Al Piccardo, for his amazing Tri-Tip dinner fundraiser last month. By any measure it was truly a major success. Coming off of his hip replacement surgery, which required brother Al to lose nearly 100 lbs, I was somewhat concerned that the event might be sparsely attended. Quite to the contrary it was packed with nearly 140 guests. There were at least 12 Model A vintage
Ford’s parked out front which added a certain element of class and splendor to the event, and as Brother Greg Wolfe stated at the Officer’s Meeting, “that quite possibly was the best food we have ever served at a Knight’s Dinner.” I could not agree more. To top it off, Dave Carboni introduced all of the guests to “Pesto Alfredo” sauce, and the evening proceeds nearly tripled our budgeted fundraising projections for the dinner. Well done Brother Al, you are a true shining star for the Council and I can’t wait for the Giant Shrimp Feed.

Of course our next big Fundraiser is fast approaching with Mexican Night taking center stage on September 24th. This is a big event for our Council because it is our first donation to Clara’s House, an organization that is close to our hearts as Brother Knights, but even closer to our mission as Catholic’s looking to help those who our most vulnerable in our Society. If you are not able to attend the event on the 24th, try and donate a raffle item, tell your friends and family to try and attend, and say a prayer for Brother Greg as he pulls the entire event together and generates a big donation for a very worthy charity!

And it should also be noted that the Sacramento Bee, and probably a number of other news organizations, reported that the Knights of Columbus commissioned a portrait of Mother Theresa which will now hang at the Vatican after her canonization ceremony on Saturday. Saint Theresa is certainly someone to admire and learn from, and I look forward to invoking her name in some of our meetings this year in the hope that she will pray for our success and efforts as an organization dedicated to Charity. As our compass always points to charity, so too must our first order of business always be dedicated to this cause. If you know a few fellow Catholics who are interested in being charitable, invite them to one of our monthly dinners. If nothing else, they will certainly enjoy the food, and the beer along with getting to hang out with all of us.

Most Sincerely,
Bryan McKrell
Grand Knight, Council 953

My Brother Knights and Families:

Working on the budget this month was a great reminder of how many good things we contribute to as a group throughout the year. We help children to learn and compete at basketball, visit their parents who are incarcerated, and attend college. We help mothers in need of assistance, young men on their journey to the priesthood, people who desperately need health care, and numerous families in search of vital food. We help Brother Knight’s who need assistance, international relief efforts, and several parishes who are able to benefit from our volunteer man hours. And it is through the fulfillment of these pursuits that we are able to socialize, bond, and continue to strengthen our relationships as a fraternal order.

If you are reading this, but have not attended a Knight’s meeting in some time, it is probably a good sign that you still care. Whether you can make it to a dinner, or a meeting on the second Thursday of the month, these alone are not the only way to be an active member of our Council. In the months of August and September you could help the Council, yourself, and our community by participating in any number of the following:

• Attending, volunteering, setting up, or merely mentioning to your friends and colleagues our first big fundraising dinner of the year on August 27th – The Tri-Tip Dinner! Even donating a raffle prize goes a long way.
• Attending, volunteering, setting up or merely mentioning to your friends and colleagues our second big Fundraiser coming up on September 24th – Mexican Night which is benefiting Clara’s House!
• Volunteering at the Zippy Bun booth at the St. Mary’s Parish Festival on September 25th

Plus we have our regular dinner and business meeting on August 11th and September 8th. And if August and September are not the right time, then stay tuned because we are going to try and paint the Hall as a group in the month of October which should not only be hard work, but I’m sure a day full of laughs and probably a few mishaps.

And if the Knights can be of any help to you or your family, please don’t hesitate to call or write.

Most Sincerely,
Bryan McKrell
Grand Knight, Council 953

My Brother Knights and Families:

I would like to offer my heartfelt gratitude for your trust and faith in me to navigate this historic Council for the upcoming Columbian year. I am truly honored to serve as the Grand Knight and I intend to work every day to further our message of Charity. If we place Charity at the forefront of our efforts, our mission as Knight’s will take care of itself.

With this in mind I would humbly request that all of my Brother Knights who are not currently active consider coming out and attending one of our upcoming dinners. July 14th will feature one of our best menus, and Brother Matt Lucien has decided to cook one of his gourmet meals for the group. Our annual Tri-Tip dinner will be held at the end of the month and just by attending you will have contributed to our mission of Charity that we all find so worthwhile. If you are not able to attend, simply donating a raffle prize, helping to set up, or even doing something as simple as getting the word out to fellow Brother Knights will further our mission. Collectively, our Council can continue to raise and distribute thousands of dollars for worthwhile charities and all it takes is a small effort from the collective whole to do great things.

As we all continue to struggle with the many time commitments that we face on a daily basis, it is helpful to remember that the time we dedicate to the Knight’s has the simple purpose of giving to others. Our Council membership is well above 200 members, but only roughly 20% are truly active. If we could raise the number of active members in our Council by just 20 more members, another 10%, we could double our charitable output. Imagine a commitment as small as attending three of our monthly Council dinners in an entire year, volunteering to help out on one event, and attending two of our fundraisers. It does not sound like a lot of time or effort, but it will truly make a difference and reinforce the tremendous amount of good we produce for the community.

I look forward to seeing, speaking, volunteering, and working with all of you for the next twelve months. If the Knights can be of any service to yourselves, your families, or your Parish, please reach out and ask.

Bryan McKrell
Grand Knight, Council 953