Teutopolis Knights of Columbus Council earns state award

Apr. 19—TEUTOPOLIS — The Teutopolis Knights of Columbus has helped a number of organizations in the community over the years achieve their goals through its fundraising efforts. Now, the organization has been recognized for those efforts with the 2022-2023 Knights of Columbus State Deputy Award.

It's the first time the Teutopolis council has won the statewide award, recognizing outstanding achievement in membership, programming and charities.

Although the award bears the name of the then Grand Knight John Burford, he doesn't take any credit.

"It came from everybody, all the volunteers that helped. Otherwise, we never would have gotten it," he said, crediting the council's financial secretary, Rich Walk, for filling out the paperwork for the award.

"It takes a lot of help. Leadership means a lot. The paperwork is me. The leadership comes from the Grand Knight," added Walk.

The list of programs and charities is enough to fill two pages, ranging from Catholic-based to family-based to community-based.

One of the faith-related programs is the annual Newman Breakfast, which benefits Catholic Newman Centers at colleges in the state. Over 80 Newman Centers throughout Illinois allow college students to gather and practice their faith. Proceeds from the breakfast go to the Newman Fund. This year, the breakfast served 540 meals and raised nearly $7,000.

A long-time program that focuses on family is the Father — Son Breakfast, which about 400 attended last year.

But the council's most popular program in the community is its Intellectual Disabilities Breakfast.

"I think that gets more people involved than any other program we run," said Burford.

It is also the council's biggest fundraiser, along with the raffle and Tootsie Roll Drive, as part of its Intellectual Disabilities Fund Drive. The campaign supports several organizations in the area that provide services for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Knights raise about $28,000 a year for those organizations.

One of those organizations, Community Support Systems, relies on the money to fund its yearly camps.

"It solely supports our summer camp programs, so without the Knights' yearly donations, there wouldn't be our summer camps," said the organization's director of Employment Services, Peter Niccum.

For over 30 years, CSS has had two free day camps — one for kids and one for adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities. About 50 to 60 kids participate in the two weeklong camps that include activities in the Effingham area, such as going to parks, the pool, ballgames and the movie theater.

The one-week adult camp is for Effingham County residents who reside in 24-hour group homes. In the last year, 27 adults took advantage of the summer camp. Some of their activities have been a spa day, a fun day in Terre Haute, Indiana, and a trip to the Grizzlies Ballpark near St. Louis.

The Knights have also provided support in other ways.

When Teutopolis began allowing residents to drive golf carts in the village several years ago, the Knights, along with a couple of other organizations in the community, bought CSS and the group home a new golf cart.

"You can see them around in the evenings driving around just like other people in the community cruising the streets of T-town in a cool blue six-person golf cart," said Niccum. "The Knights have been a huge supporter of CSS throughout the years."

The council also sponsors SEARCH, a religious education program for adults and children with special needs or developmental or intellectual disabilities, through St. Francis of Assisi Church.

With the largest membership of any council in the state — 1,224 — and the 11th largest in the world, the council's events have always been well attended in a village of 1,648.

"You talk T-town, it's a pretty big deal," said Walk.

He attributes the large membership to outlying parishes, including Bishop, Green Creek and Lillyville, with men joining the Teutopolis council.

"And what we do goes a long way. It gets people to want to join," he said.

The Knights will add more contributions to the list this fiscal year, from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, with some new ones.

The council held a reception for the first responders following the anhydrous ammonia rollover, which caused five deaths and a mass evacuation of residents. They also raised money through a soup supper for El Shaddai Homes, a residential home for pregnant women and their children in Effingham. That event raised over $8,000. They also joined with the Newton Knights of Columbus Council and purchased an ultrasound machine for the Newton Family Life Center.

The fiscal year isn't over. Returning will be the Knights' annual picnic on June 7, and on June 14 they will host a Cruise Night and Car Show. The Teutopolis Banquet Hall horse arena also will be the site of the Make-A-Wish Foundation Buckin' for Heroes Rodeo on June 29.

If the council isn't sponsoring an event, the hall is usually where an event in Teutopolis is being held. That's even more evident after the building was devastated by a fire and underwent a major renovation.

"I think the Knights of Columbus, especially with their new hall, have provided a space that's almost become a community center in Teutopolis," said Niccum, who is also a member. "I think they have done a lot for the community as a whole. T-town doesn't have a civic center. Knights of Columbus is kind of the center of our community, along with the church."

Burford also thinks the hall serves as the community event center for Teutopolis.

"Every time something goes on, it's here," he said.

When it's not being used for community events, the Knights host benefits for people at the hall, and it serves as a venue for occasions. Burford and Walk say the hall is something to be proud of, and the council is continually working to improve the grounds around it, including the ball diamond and the pond.

"We put a bridge in, drained it, and dug it out deeper," said Walk of the pond. "I think once we get the building paid off, we can expand and do other things. The pond and the ball diamond are going to be real nice when they're done."

Statewide membership in Knights of Columbus councils is decreasing, but the Teutopolis council is "holding its own," according to Walk. Still, he is concerned about the council's future as membership ages.

"You have so many deaths. If you have 20 deaths, you got to have 20 people to replace them," he said.

Joining the council has been a tradition among generations of families for 80 years.

"Used to be when we joined — a senior in high school automatically joined the KCs. Now, it seems like they want to get out of college and then join. There is a few high school and college that do join but not like the 30 and 40 it used to be. It's three and four now."

And as members move away, Walk said they still retain their membership.

"We have members all over the United States," he said. "For some, it's an honor to be a KC member, which it is."

Cathy Griffith can be reached at cathy.griffith@effinghamdailynews.com or 618-510-9180.