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Family Activities
Josh Neuweg
Family Activities Director
816-267-3172
jjneuweg@gmail.com
Brother Knights, Ladies Auxiliary Members, and their Families:
2022 is going to be our year to make “Missouri Strong” again. We will “Show-Me Strong Families” again! “Show-Me Strong Families” is the Family Activities slogan for this year. We must break the last of our Covid19 bad habits. We need to see families in Church. We need to see families out together in public. We need to see families out visiting other families. We need fellowship! We are no longer a secretive fraternity! We need FAMILIES coming to and participating in our degrees and exemplifications. We need every Knights of Columbus event to be a family event. We need to be inclusive of the whole family. It does not matter if it is a fish fry or a Holy Hour, we need involvement from the entire family. We need families reaching out to non-Catholic families and inviting them to participate in our many activities. That is how we get new Catholics and new Knights and Ladies Auxiliary. New Knights preserve our rich heritage that our forefathers handed down to us. We owe it to them to carry on all their efforts. We will include the whole family and have events that are engaging them whether they’re 6 months or 17 years old. If you have any suggestions, please reach out to me at 573-768-0294.
Our chairmen are ready to take your questions on any of their activities:
Dave Dillon
Family Involvement (West) Chairman
(D&N) 660-815-3296
ddillon50@hotmail.com
Steve Rozier
Food for Families Chairman
D&N 573-517-3084
srozier@sbcglobal.net
Tom Gray
Scholarship Chairman
C 417-429-7908 H 417-869-1785
graytom4@yahoo.com
Michael and Susan West
Ladies Auxiliary Couple
D 573-642-3899 C-573-220-6773
mlwest57mokcladiesaux@gmail.com
Mike Koehler
Family Involvement (East) Chairman
D 314-821-1871 C 314-660-5759
dragon_1966@hotmail.com
Gary Beussink
Knight, Family, and Youth of the Month Chairman
D&N 573-382-4002
garybeussink@gmail.com
Ennis Hinkebein, II
Athletics Activities & Events Chairman
C 573-450-4719 D&N 573-243-3367
eenie9@yahoo.com
Food for Families – Teamwork makes the Dream work
The Knights of Columbus believe that Teamwork makes the dream work and is committed annually to end hunger in local communities by asking local councils to participate in the Order Wide Food for Families Program. We as Knights, take helping our communities to heart. Last year we had over twenty- one councils collect 76,861 pounds of food, and donated $53,085.00 to local food agencies. The councils were able to receive $8400.00 in reimbursements to add to their giving. Way to go Missouri Knights! I look forward to more councils being able to contribute to this needed program as in years past.
Participating Councils or Assemblies, The Supreme Council will refund $100 for every $500 donated, or for every 1,000 pounds of food that a council contributes to a parish food pantry, community food bank or soup kitchen – up to a maximum of $500 per council/assembly per fraternal year. Reported contributions of food and/or monetary donations are cumulative for the fraternal year. Councils or Assemblies must submit the Food for Families Reimbursement Program form #10057 to receive the refund and receive an attractive plaque recognizing their participation.
Food for Families is the Featured Program for Family Activities. A Council that donates a minimum of 1,000 pounds of food and volunteers a minimum of 100 hours to the food agency receives two credits toward the Family Activity requirements for the Columbian Award. Questions about Food for Families, contact the chairman above.
Ladies Auxiliary
Our Ladies Auxiliaries are the strong right arm of our local councils, and in fact, the entire state council. They seek to promote the welfare of our state & local councils, participate in and lead the order’s charitable activities, and create a welcoming atmosphere for auxiliary members, and potential members, the wives and daughters of our member families, and the ladies of our local parish. If your Council does not have an auxiliary, it should.
Chair Couple Michael and Susan West and our state family team, in turn, supports the council auxiliaries, both the formation of new auxiliaries wherever the women in Knights families want to have one, and keep existing auxiliaries informed and active through the area meetings and through state convention. Many of our programs have targets for the Auxiliaries as well as for our Councils, because we want the ladies to be active and engaging in the various charities, corporal and spiritual needs we support.
Ladies Auxiliary forms are available on the state website. Auxiliaries and potential auxiliary leaders should be invited to our area meetings, to convention, and also to your district meetings to participate and to take charge of Council programs where they are the best fit.
Ladies Auxiliary Area Meetings
| Area | Date | Time | Place | Address | City | Sponsor | Contact | Phone | |
| #1 | 8/26/23 | Noon -2p | St. Gregory Parish Hall | 315 S Davis St | Maryville 64468 | #1339 Ladies Aux | Carol Owens | 660-528-1196 | maryvilleladiesaux@gmail.com |
| #2 | 09/16/23 | 1-3p | Sacred Heart Church | 105 Waugh St | Columbia 65202 | #14414 Ladies Aux | Crissy Volkman | 816-809-3542 | vetstudentcm@gmail.com |
| #3 | 10-9-23 | 1-3p | Pezold Banquet Center | 5701 Highway N | St. Charles 63304 | #7198 Ladies Aux | Wendy Schlum | 636-578-1959 | bckloos@yahoo.com |
| #4 | 8/20/23 | 1-3p | KC Hall | Wildcat Drive (31867 Rte 83) | Warsaw 65355 | #8620 Ladies Aux | Regina Mackenberg | 660-287-7188 | Wuhjeenu@hotmail.com |
| #5 | 8/13/23 | 1-3p | KC Hall | 7057 Old Hwy Rte 66 | Cuba 65453 | #8920 Ladies Aux | Lillian Collins | 314-779-4541 | lilcollins@me.cm |
| #6 | 9-9-23 | Noon -2p | KC Hall | 600 Market St. | St. Genevieve 63670 | #1037 Ladies Aux | Brenda Stuppy | 573-883-0015 | bsstuppy@gmail.com |
Recognition Programs
Every other month, State Directors select a Knight, Family and Youth for recognition. For State awards, please submit the online application for Knight, Family, or Youth of the Month. Winners receive a plaque or certificate recognizing their achievement. Applications are due on the 15th day of odd months (July, September, November, January, March and May) and are selected the following months. Annual winners are selected from the March 2023 – January 2024 bimonthly winners. Questions and completed applications are submitted to the Recognition Chairman..
The Knight of the Month can be awarded to any Knight in good standing, except the State Officers, Directors, Chairmen, District Deputies and Grand Knights all are not eligible. Consider using the Knight of the Month certificate #1476, and Knight of the Year certificate #1545.
A Family of the Month, and Year, includes the Knight and at least one immediate family member. This includes children, and/or a spouse, or perhaps a parent. Again, the State Officers, Directors, Chairmen, District Deputies and Grand Knights’ Families are not eligible.
Councils are encouraged to submit their Family of the Month winners to the Supreme Family of the Month contest. 100 families are selected at random every month by the Supreme Office to receive a beautiful Holy Family gift and certificate signed by the Supreme Knight. Families entered for Supreme Family of the Month need not be a Knight-member family, but ought to be a Catholic family in your Council’s parish service area. Submit form #1993A, available online, by the 15th of each month.
Any child under age 18, either the child of a Knight or a Columbian Squire or Columbus Girl, who remains a practical Catholic and is of good academic standing at his or her school, is eligible to be named Youth of the Month. Call the Recognition Chairman for details.
Scholarships
The Missouri State Council awards a total of eleven (11) scholarships each year. Each scholarship has an annual award of $1500, payable in installments of $750 per semester.
- Four Luke Hart Memorial Scholarships. The recipients must attend one of the branches of the University of Missouri: Columbia, St. Louis, Rolla, or Kansas City. If fewer than four qualified applicants apply, then these scholarships maybe awarded as specified for Missouri State Scholarships.
- Three Missouri State The recipients may attend any accredited University or College within the state of Missouri.
- Three Vocation Scholarships. The recipients may attend any accredited seminary or college of their choice to study for a vocation to the religious If no applications are received from applicants desiring to study for a vocation to the priesthood or to serve in a religious community, then these scholarships may be awarded to other applicants with preference given to those attending Catholic institutions
- One Tech School Scholarship. The recipient may attend any accredited Technical School normally two-year
The student must be a member of the Knights of Columbus or the son, daughter, or wife of a member of the Knights of Columbus in good standing; the son, daughter, or non-remarried wife of a deceased member of the Knights of Columbus; a member of a Ladies Auxiliary of a Missouri Knights Council; a Squire or Columbus Girl in good standing attested to by the Chief Counselor and GK; or a minor child whose legal guardian is a member of the Knights of Columbus. The membership requirements do not apply to Vocation applicants. Scholarship winners are selected on the basis of Catholic citizenship, community service, scholarship, and financial need, by a committee appointed by the State Deputy. All scholarships are for Missouri residents. Payments are made directly to the institution. Completed applications using only the 2023-2024 application form, available from the state website, and required certification forms must be postmarked no later than February 20, 2024. Questions may be sent to Chairman Tom Gray.
Athletics
What could be more exhilarating and fun than a good-natured, friendly competition against your Brother Knights and Ladies, sometimes with a trophy on the line, but more important, bragging rights for the next twelve months. Whether you are good, or, like the Family Director, not good at any athletic activity, any event below is a chance to re-kindle old friendships and start new ones. Chairman Ennis Hinkebein has all the details about this year’s opportunities to experience the thrill of victory.
| Sport | Dates | Host | Location | Contact | Phone |
| Softball Tourn | TBA | TBD | |||
| Golf Tourn | JUL 15 2023 | St. Vincent Council #1111 | Cape Girardeau Country Club | Dave Diveley | 573-979-3945 |
| Horseshoe Tourn | AUG 18-20 2023 | Bloomsdale Council #1848 | Bloomsdale MO | Gene Kertz | 573-883-0580 |
| Sporting Clays | SEP 09 2023 | Msgr. Westhoff Council #16213 | Top Gun Sportsman’s Club Lonedell MO | Matt Nowak | 636-667-3706 |
| Cornhole Tourn | FEB 24-26 2023 | St. Rose of Lima #1185 | DeSoto, MO | Darren Politte | 314-973-2583 |
| TeddyBear Drive | TBD | Knights on Bikes | More Information Contact | Bob Hall | 573-380-7328 |
Activities
BBQ Cookoff
The 11th Annual BBQ Cookoff will be July 29-30, at the St. Vincent de Paul Parish Grounds, Perryville, hosted by Wm.J Barnwell Council #1263. Friday Night will feature registration & a mixer, food & drinks, and Hamburger & Margarita competitions. Saturday Morning, main competition consisting of Bloody Mary, Chicken, Ribs, Pork, and Brisket. Open to all teams with at least one K of C member in good standing.
Knights On Bikes
Knights on Bikes is a group of Knights who are motor cycle riders, and enjoy the camaraderie of riding.
In God We Trust and Ride!
Knights on Bikes offer their assistance to the Knights and our state through charitable work and leadership, while promoting the spiritual needs of the Knights and encouraging faith, fellowship, and service. The Teddy Bear Drive was a huge success last fall, and will once again be held this year in October. Contact Bob Hall, (573) 380-7328.
Family Involvement
Each year the State council hosts baseball games and Hockey games on each side of the State. In the past these events have been very well attended, but with the uncertainty on how these events will proceed in the future, we will need everyone’s help to keep the events going. The Mavericks in Kansas City and Blues in St. Louis Hockey games will be scheduled as soon as the schedule and guidelines for these games are made available. In Kansas City at the Mavericks and the Royals game there is always a tailgate before the game with fantastic food and grilled fresh and comradery among friends. Proceeds have gone to Special Olympics. The annual MO KofC St. Louis Cardinals game will be on Sept. 18th against the Phillies.
We will plan another outing at the St. Louis Blues hockey game, most likely in early 2024. More details to follow as they are in place. For Family East we will look into adding family outings that are not sports centered, such as concerts and stage shows, possibly in the remainder of 2023 and in 2024.
Faith in Action
This year is the fifth for Faith in Action, the Knights new programming framework emphasizing welcoming families engaging with the parish, and building programming that attracts, supports, and builds families by creating a place where each member of the family has an important role.
Family Fully Alive
The Family Fully Alive includes monthly themes, meditations, projects and Scripture verses that can help you place God and the Catholic faith at the center of your family’s life. These are contained in The Family Fully Alive program book #10162, for which the first 300 copies are free from the Supply Department. Each month has a project, which can be completed by a family, or exploded to include the entire parish family. Additional materials are available on the web.
Family Prayer Night
Catholics often struggle with the reality that they do not have the opportunity to socialize and/or pray with other faith-filled Catholic families. It can be quite a challenge to raise our children in the faith when their only exposure comes from mom and Dad. Family Prayer night is an opportunity for children to be exposed to regular people living their faith in a casual setting. This is an opportunity for council members, their families, and the whole parish community to come together once a month for an evening of prayer, dinner and fellowship.
Good Friday Family Promotion
Despite Good Friday’s central role in the heart of Christianity, attendance at services remains low. In an effort to change this, councils can encourage participation in Good Friday services through a promotional campaign. In an effort to increase parish attendance and involvement, councils can conduct a promotional campaign to educate their parishes on the vital importance of Good Friday. Setting an example for their community, Knights can attend Good Friday services with their families and work with their pastors to encourage increased parishioner involvement at these liturgies. In conjunction with these efforts, councils will can work to educate their parishes about the plight of Christians in the Holy Land and other areas around the world where Christians are persecuted for their faith.
Family Week
Knights of Columbus Family Week is traditionally commemorated during the week that includes the birth (Aug. 12) and death (Aug. 14) of Father McGivney, but any week which suits your parish and council calendar can be Family Week. In 2023, this is August 07 – August 13. Councils can plan a Family Mass, a picnic, a dinner, a prayer service or other activities that will promote and highlight both family interaction and the family focus of the Order. Open your program to nonmembers, prospects, parishioners, friends, priests, religious and everyone else in your community.
Keep Christ in Christmas
Councils can evangelize society through their faithful acts, celebrations, and a variety of activities. Councils can offer multiple activities that promote Christmas and the season of advent in their proper context: Journey to the inn, light up for Christ, Crèche or advent wreath Blessing, and the Christmas Poster Contest. These programs are centered on the example of the Holy Family and the nativity of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
