As the Leaves Change

As the leaves change colors, the days grow shorter, and Hostess unveils the pumpkin spice Twinkie, it is a good time to take stock of programming in your council and across the state. One important item to complete is the Safe Environment training and background checks through Praesidium. Beginning this year, it is a Star Council requirement for the Grand Knight, Youth Director, and (if applicable) the Squires Chief Councilor to complete this training. We continue to receive numerous questions about Diocesan training and background checks, and does that fulfill the requirement. The answer is no, Diocesan does not count for the Knights. There are a variety of reasons. One of the biggest reasons is that the background checks may not be shared between groups. Even if your Diocese uses the same company, the background checks cannot be shared. Thank you for helping the Knights keep our precious gifts from God safe.

Speaking of kids, the free throw contests should be ramping up soon. Please make sure your council is current on all assessments. The ages for the contest are set as of January 1. We need your help ensuring everyone shoots in their correct age group. These contests are an excellent opportunity to attract Catholic fathers into our Order.

One of our greatest charitable programs is the ultrasound initiative. We are very pleased to report that since the beginning of the fraternal year, Knights have raised and donated funds for three ultrasound machines. Knights in El Paso, Austin, and San Antonio have all successfully placed ultrasounds within their dioceses. This brings the total number of ultrasound machines places by Knights at 55 in Texas since 2009.

Finally, I want to share the successes of the last fraternal year. Last year we had over seventy state program award submissions and nine family of the year submissions. I’m sure by now everyone knows the International Family of the Year is none other than Austin’s own Larry and Beth Odom. We also had several other top finishers among the other programs, and we had an international champion in the substance abuse poster contest.