On December 7, 2024, Mike Weiland led a group of five brother Knights from Council 11665 (John Lang, Jerry Deck, Gerry Mattimore, Bill Rickrick, Mike Weiland) in answering an on-going request from the St. Francis Evangelization Center in McArthur, OH. Council 11665 has adopted this center in Vinton County (one of the poorest areas of Ohio) via our support – a relationship that dates back to 1999! Through fund raising (direct donations from 37 brother Knights plus a SFDS giving tree donation), this year we were able to raise/donate a total of $2330! This was an increase of $164.00 over 2023, and much better than the original typical donations of $400-600 in the first 20 years!
The monetary donations were allocated as follows:
- St Francis Evangelization Center: $840.00 (for 21 $40.00 gift cards to a local supermarket)
- St Francis de Sales Giving Tree: $150.00 (plus 28 wooden toys)
- St Francis Evangelization Center: $1340.00 (Christmas gifts for teenagers, including Fishing Poles, Hunting Vests, Socket Sets, Sleeping Bags, Girls Crossbody Bag, Girls Leather Backpack, Roadside Assistance Kits, Bluetooth Speaker, 40 Wooden Toys, Keepsake Boxes, Craft Boxes, Jewelry Boxes)
There were also 2 volunteers, Mike’s grandson Diedrich Weiland and sister Ann Meese. Unfortunately, due to illness, longtime supporters and Brother Knights Jim Grady and Harry Haag were not able to join us this year. Together they made 145 food boxes in 4 hours. The total man hours for the 5 Knights plus time of organizing the program this year was 39 hours. Additionally, Brother Knight Jerry Deck accumulated 175 hours of labor in building 68 total wooden toys, baby cradles, craft boxes, and jewelry boxes. Jerry’s mother knitted the blankets for the baby cradles and his daughter furnished jewelry and baby dolls for the respective wooden items.
The following statistics will give you an idea of how our donations help the folks of Vinton County:
- Dinners: 21 of the 436 total (5%)
- Christmas Giving: 60 of the 482 kids gifts from 212 families (12%)
