Culture of Life Report April 2017

Brother Knights,

Thank you for participating with me in the 40 Days for Life activities. Each person that we turned away was a small victory for life. Each of your prayers, and your commitment to life, worked small miracles, and it was moving to see young women change their minds before our eyes.

I am happy to report, that we did have one big victory! The abortion clinic at 1442 Ethan Way is closing, and it is no longer accepting patients. After 42 years of taking the lives of babies, this practice is coming to an end and this facility will harm no more children.

We will meet the gaze of so many babies, whose lives would have been lost. How many of these children will now grow up to do God’s work? Only God knows! But I know that your acts resulted in good work.

Let us all give thanks for the good work we have done together!

God Bless,
Hector Garcia
Culture of Life Director

Knights in Action

CA Waterfowl Association fundraiser to help raise funds to help preserve California wetlands and waterfowlBrother Knights Alan “Big Al” Piccardo, Matt Lucien, Jack Ingram, Tom Nulk (not pictured) and friends volunteering at a CA Waterfowl Association fundraiser to help raise funds to help preserve California wetlands and waterfowl on April 28, 2017.

Have You Insured Your Most Valuable Asset?

Did you know that there is more to the Knights of Columbus Insurance Program than just Permanent (Whole Life) insurance and Temporary (Term Life) insurance? Many are not aware that we also have Long Term Care insurance, Annuities, and Disability Insurance products, too.

The month of May is designated as Disability Income Insurance month. So I ask, is your income protected if you become sick or injured and cannot work? Your ability to work and earn an income is your most valuable asset. Yet a disability could prevent you from earning that income. Just one year of a disability could eliminate
your savings and devastate your family’s financial stability.

Income Armor, an individual disability income insurance product from the Knights of Columbus, should be a key part of your overall financial plan and family’s protection.

If you are ill or injured, Income Armor provides tax-free monthly benefits to help you meet living expenses and maintain you and your family’s standard of living. Your monthly benefits help you pay your mortgage and other monthly bills, while your savings and retirement assets remain intact.

In short, if you have a job and don’t have a way to protect that paycheck, you should seriously consider Income Armor today. As always, I am always happy to meet with you and your spouse.

Fraternally,
C. Philip De Leon (CA License #OK63623)
(916) 607-1645
philip.deleon@kofc.org
www.philbetterinsured.com

Grand Knight’s Message, April 2017

Bryan McKrell Grand KnightDear Brother Knights:

The fourth quarter of the Columbian Year is finally upon us, and it certainly provides a plethora of opportunities to get involved with your Brother Knights. April has our scheduled dinner and business meeting moved up a week early to April 6. Come by and share a dinner that is certain to please any discerning palate. Or if you can’t make dinner mark your calendars for our first ever Greek Night! Terry Corcoran is organizing what is promising to be an incredible feast and our last fundraising dinner for the year. Terry is going to need as many Knights, their families, and their friends to attend this
dinner and really raise some much-needed funds for the end of the year. If you can’t attend the dinner, offer to volunteer for set-up earlier in the day, or donate a raffle prize. If these do not fit into your schedule, you could always attend a donation ceremony where the proceeds from our Pasta for Life dinner will be distributed to the Sacramento Life Center and the Bishop Gallegos Maternity Home. What could be more fun than driving a check over to one of these worthy charities and taking a picture of the handover. And if you still can’t find time to get involved with these, then please go to the airport and bid brother Sheldon, our current Financial Secretary, “Bon Voyage” as he heads off to Spain for his much-anticipated
Camino.

May brings another dinner and business meeting followed by the State Convention in San Diego. This will be my first time attending the State Convention and I can’t wait to see the strength of our state- wide organization. Hopefully it is a rewarding experience full of pomp, circumstance, and laughter, and maybe a round of golf if I am lucky. We will also be handing out scholarships to four very worthy students at Cristo Rey high school and we will need a couple of volunteers to attend the ceremony at the high school with Brother Greg Wolfe. What could be better than handing over a check for $500 dollars to a college bound high school student. This will certainly produce big smiles for everyone involved.

During our First Degree last Thursday I was reminded just how moving and enlightening our two brothers, George Mills and Matt Lucien, are during the ceremony and how it would be great to watch some of my friends share the experience. I would encourage anyone who has not been around for a while, or who is hoping to come back soon to think back to their First Degree and try to recall some of the ceremony. You are always welcome to attend our ceremonies and witness what you have already experienced but may have
forgotten.

And let’s not forget the hard work of Michael Litwin and Matt Curran who kept the long-standing tradition of Irish Night alive and well. I understand that the food was fantastic, the music was outstanding, and everyone who attended had a great time. It is vitally important for our younger members to carry the torch and put forth the effort to carry on the traditions of our venerable Council. Congratulations to you two and I look forward to having the opportunity to attend next year and enjoy the show.

Most Sincerely,
Bryan McKrell
Grand Knight, Council 953

Plan for This Tax Day and Into the Future

April 15 (tax day) is right around the corner. It’s become popular this time of year to encourage the opening of an IRA or similar retirement annuity, or the depositing of additional funds into an existing account, as a tax savings vehicle. A secondary approach is to tout the rate of interest that money in one of these accounts can
earn. Let me join the chorus of folks encouraging you to open or add funds to an annuity, but for a different reason.

Certainly, contributing money to a Knights of Columbus annuity will allow you to save some money on your income tax return. And our annuities do pay a very competitive interest rate, consistent with our primary goal of absolute safety of principal. Opening or adding to an annuity for these reasons, however, strikes me as
taking a short-term view of a product that is designed to provide long-term security. How much security? How does retirement income that you cannot outlive — guaranteed — sound to you?

Here at the Knights of Columbus, you can open a retirement annuity for as little as $300. Consistent and disciplined savings placed into that annuity over time can guarantee you an income at retirement that you cannot outlive. That guarantee — along with the fact that no one has ever lost money left in a Knights of Columbus annuity (remember – absolute safety of principal) — really will provide you with peace of mind.

I am happy to meet with you – at your convenience and in your home – to explain in detail the benefits of opening a Knights of Columbus annuity, along with the benefits of our top-rated life insurance, disability income and long-term care insurance plans.

Fraternally,
C. Philip De Leon (CA License #OK63623)
(916) 607-1645
philip.deleon@kofc.org
www.philbetterinsured.com

St. John Vianney, Pray for Us.