Worthy Brothers,

Whew! What a busy month it has been. As we pause to catch our collective breath,
let’s stop and look back on all that we have accomplished:

• We kicked off the Columbian Year with our first fundraising event, our annual Tri Tip dinner. As always, Al Piccardo and his sons outdid themselves and gave everyone an enjoyable evening.

• We organized and ran the zippy bun booth at the 86th annual St. Mary’s Parish festival, continuing a multiyear tradition of supporting the parish and serving up one of the festival’s most popular food items.

• We began what I hope will become a new tradition by running the bar at the St. George Parish BBQ. Despite the 108-degree temperature when the social hour began, it was a fun and ultimately successful event.

• We hosted what was almost certainly the only bilingual First Degree ceremony Council 953 has ever held. Six new Brother Knights joined our Council, and several Spanish-speaking Brothers joined a neighboring Council.

We could not have pulled off so many events in such a short period without the many Brothers who generously gave of their time and effort. Their names are too numerous to mention here, but they know who they are. On behalf of the entire Council, and those who benefit from our work, thank you!

One benefit of being the oldest Council in Sacramento (and one of the oldest in California) is that we have a great deal of institutional knowledge. Our oldest members have been Knights for two, three, or even four decades, and many of them have served in just about every capacity imaginable. Their experience and wisdom help guide our Council forward. However, our older Brothers will not always be with us. The future of this Council, or any Council for that matter, lies in our newer members, so it is encouraging that virtually all our
core officers have been Knights for only a few years. Still, so many of our newer Brothers are not particularly active, and I would love to see us change that.

If you are a newer Brother, I encourage you to think about how you can play a more active role in the life of our council. We would love to hear your ideas and get to know you better as a fellow Catholic gentleman. If you have been a Knight for a while, reach out to one of our newer members and invite them to one of our dinners. Remember the second principle of the Order: unity. Whether we have been Knights for three decades or three weeks, this is OUR council, and there is no limit to what we can accomplish united in brotherhood.

Thank you,
Adam Struck
Grand Knight, Council 953