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Grand Knight's Report:
Dear
Brothers:
If God is for us, who is
against us? He who has not spared even his own Son but has delivered Him for us
all, how can. He fail to grant us also all things with Him.
Rom
8:31
I brought my corporate taxes
to Jack Venezia’s office, walked in, and froze. The kind lady tried to talk,
but I couldn’t understand until she said, “you were Jack’s buddy.” I shook my
head, and she said she understood-they get a lot of my reaction. Some of you
expressed displeasure that I said nothing about itat our appreciation dinner
last year, but I still can’t talk about it, except with Jesus and Jack, two
fishers, now enjoying each other’s company.
St. Patrick’s dinner was
tough for the same reason. I’m glad it wasn’t the 17th.
I was very happy to see all the workers and the festive sold-out crowd. Brother
Kevin(Radar) Scanlan did his usual wonderful job with the sales, food and all
the preparations. I think he even anticipated my sadness when he gave me a last
minute job to defer my memories.
Also cheering me up lately
was a brief call from Mary Beth Venezia. She came up here for a deposition and
“the anniversary” (Isn’t that a great way to look at it?)
She now lives in Florida and
she wanted you all to know that she is doing great.
And on the local scene, I
appointed the first four Knights I saw as volunteers for the nominating
committee. Brothers Bob Thomas as chair, Rich Partyka, John Scott and John Orso
Jr. have already developed a slate that they may announce at our next meeting.
Be sure to be there.
Next comes the annual appreciation dinner, exactly as last year, May 10, 2008.
The Member cost is probably $10.00 per person, and a great fun time. The Golf
Club of America, at 1575 Edgewood Road, Algonquin, will host our arrival (cash
bar) at 6:00 P.M. Buffet at 7:00, followed by announcement of Knight and Family
of the year, and dancing till John’s breakfast the following week.
And speaking of appreciation,
put Clergy Night on your calendar for June 26. I’m sure Brother Mike Chmiel
will have details herein.
State Kamporee is June 6-8,
see me for details.
Thoughts for the month: Why
is it so hard to hit a curve ball in baseball, but so easy in golf?.
God bless and protect you
all.
Vivat
Jesus
Steve
Haugh,
Grand Knight
k284@mc.net
Deputy Grand Knight's Report:
Dear
Brothers:
From the
messy, cluttered desk of your Worthy Deputy Grand Knight….
Greetings, Brother Knights
and faithful readers!
Well, the weather is
trying
to be spring with a hint of sun and warmth, so we should be feeling good right
about now… thoughts of lawn mowers, golf clubs and fishing poles. And how about
thoughts of getting ready for a new Fraternal Year for the Council. We start
over, so to speak, every other July. Next year’s officers will be nominated at
the upcoming May 6th
meeting. The nominating committee has been talking to many of you. If you are
interested, but haven’t spoken up, well, what are you waiting for? There are
often last minute changes so there could be something there for you. If not this
year, let someone know you are interested so we can start putting the pressure
on you for next year… I mean we can start grooming you… yeah, that’s what I
meant! Seriously, change and growth take place with new ideas and new people… we
have many committees and directors, and it takes it’s toll over the years on
some. Sometimes you just need to step down and take a breather… but there has to
be somebody willing to take your place. We are fortunate that no one just walks
away from a position without knowing there is someone to take his place. Now is
the time to be thinking about what else you can do for the Council, and let
someone know.
We are getting ready to be
busy with several man-hour intensive events, like the Gala the end of June /
beginning of July. We need the man-power (and woman power and friend and
neighbor power!) to pull this off again. Look at your calendars and make some
time and volunteer.
The Annual Jack Venezia Golf
Outing is coming up in September… it would really be nice to have a LOT of 3880
members playing this year… we seem to have trouble getting our contingent in the
double digits! Really. Without Bob Kampman’s electricians there these last
years, it would have been a bust rather than a bonanza… let’s think about
helping out! Take a day of vacation, and get some friends, neighbors, relatives
and co-workers to join you in a foursome or more. Come out and have fun and
raise some bucks for the good deeds we do throughout the year… I know, September
is a long way off… until is it suddenly tomorrow. In today’s hectic paced world,
time really does fly… now is the time to plan!
And planning needs to be done
for many reasons.. one thing mentioned in the beautiful 1st
Degree Ceremony is how the Knights can take care of you and your family, through
our Insurance Program… but only if YOU take the first step…. Insurance is NOT
expensive when you realistically look at the benefits…. And you DON’T have to
die to reap the rewards. Why when I recently took out a couple of policies on
Sue and myself, Dave Mazurk told me I could even get all my money back, without
dieing, simply be outliving the policy! How’s that for an incentive to live to
be 100???
AND… don’t forget the Clergy
Dinner on June 26th.
This has been a really great time the past few years, thanks to Mike Chmiel’s
efforts. It is a nice way to show our support for our clergy.
Peace and see you around.
Vivat
Jesus!
John
Stefani,
Deputy Grand Knight
jstefani44@aol.com
Membership Report:
First Degree News
The April blitz is nearly
over and the response has been non-existent. The council has no new form 100s
from any currently active member. With close to 300 members, one would think
that there would be at least a 1% response (3 new candidates).
The council needs to do
better if we hope to survive in the future. There is still time to contact that
one last person you know who would be a perfect candidate for the K of C. The
next 1st
degree will be Tuesday, May20, 2008 at 8:00 pm.
All current knights should
attend to show their support for any new candidates and see what is new within
the council.
For membership information;
please contact Bill Bransley at 815-793-3595.
4th Degree Update:
 Bishop
Boylan Assembly 0198 4Th
Degree Update.
Greetings Sir Knights and
Worthy Brother Knights of Council 3880 and all of our faithful readers!
The recent April Business
meeting was kind of interesting. I have been writing recently about the on
again, off again 4th
Degree Parades… looks like they could be on again! On of the Past Faithful
Navigators asked about spending money (we don’t really have .. sound familiar??)
to re-build the trailer we no longer own and may be able to use… hmmmm. So there
was a lot of discussion on that! Then it was asked, do any Council’s have a
parade trailer that we could use if they aren’t? Well, from there it went to
things like, “I have a really big pickup!”, “I have a big old hay trailer”, “I
have a camper” … so it got pretty lively! Ask
Mike
Jasinski or
Irv Kemp,
as they were both there… some of it got funny and some plain down crazy… but it
was a lively meeting!
So, it isn’t all 15 minutes
of business, some naps for the older guys, then go home. Some of the meetings
get to be pretty good. I have gotten a lot of, “Yeah, I should go to one of
those!” from a few people, but not a lot of activity. Myself and the 2
Sir
Knights mentioned
above. But, hey, one of these days….
Not a lot more to talk about
this month. We are doing pretty good with the new year’s dues. We are at about
70% paid, which isn’t too bad. But, a number of you reading this can probably
look around and find your 2008 dues notice. How about sending it to me with your
$20.00 and I won’t have to send out another notice, okay?
We are still looking at
another fund raiser for this year, most likely another dinner like we did last
May. The turnout was pretty good for a first time, and earned the Assembly a
little over $600.00. But we are always open to ideas, just like 3880 is…
We continue to rely on either
Sir Knights attending the monthly Business meeting or getting an e-mail from the
Faithful Navigator. If you are
not
on the 4th
Degree e-mail list, please send Faithful Navigator Mark Heiress your address and
he will include you in the list:
mheiress@comcast.net
Please visit our web-site as
well for additional info.
http://www.maxpages.com/bba198
Peace!
SK John
Stefani,
Faithful Comptroller,
Bishop Boylan Assembly 0198
JStefani44@aol.com
Boy Scout Report:
A Real
Adventure
 Most
people are aware that Boy Scouts of America have a wilderness high adventure
camp in New Mexico called Philmount. A few less are aware that the Boy Scouts
maintain a canoeing base in the Boundary Waters between Upper Michigan and
Canada. Both most people would be surprised to learn that a third national high
adventure experience for Boy Scouts is a sailing port in the Florida Keys,
called Sea Base.
Not so the Scouts and Scouters
of Troop 127 who have been to all the high adventure locations and most recently
this Spring to Sea Base. KOC Brothers John Walsh and Steve DePaul took seven
scouts from the harbor at mile marker 74 on a round trip to through Florida Keys
to Key West. Before you address either one as "Captain" the adventure is
underway on a two mast 47' foot ship captained by Coast Guard license individual
for the journey. The 150 mile adventure includes stops along the way to snorkel
and observe up close the environment so foreign to what is experienced in the
back yards of Crystal Lake. More than the swimming is the days spent working the
sails, keeping anchor watch through out the night and preparing a meal while
listing a few degrees to port. Ask either Brother Knight for their experiences
and while sun burn or jelly fishes stings were a risk, it was hard to miss the
fun the boys had on the journey. So another high adventure is experienced in the
annals of Troop 127 and if the occasion presents itself, when with a scout or
scouter, ask him whether he went on a BSA High Adventure. For seven scouts in
troop 127 they have tales for a life time.
Thank you Knights.
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