2018 NEW YEAR'S EDITION
The Lake Current - January 4, 2018
Wow, 2018 has begun with a bang with this " bomb cyclone "! We hope you and your loved ones are able to be someplace warm and out of the weather until the storm passes. After it does, we have lots of great events coming up to help you shed the "winter blues." Here are a few quick notices / reminders about important upcoming events:

  • First & Second Degree Exemplifications this Sunday (1/7) at our Council Hall. Candidates should report properly attired by 1 p.m. The First Degree will begin at 2 p.m., and the Second Degree will follow immediately afterward. We'll be serving food and refreshments after the degrees. All members -- and especially sponsors of the candidates -- are strongly urged to come and support the candidates as witnesses to the ceremonies. Please contact Chancellor Ralph Fleischman with any questions or to confirm the attendance of candidates.

  • Our first monthly membership meeting of the year is next Wednesday evening (1/10). As usual, we'll be serving some good food around 6:30 p.m., and our meeting will begin promptly at 7:30 p.m. This is a great opportunity to find out what's going on, let your voice be heard on issues of concern, and get involved with our very active council.

  • We will need some volunteers to help take-down the nativity scene outside the St. James the Apostle rectory. Because of the frequently changing weather forecast, we cannot set a date at this time. However, we are leaning toward Monday or Tuesday of next week. We expect to make the call on Sunday, when the weather forecast is (hopefully) more reliable. So please watch your email and our Facebook page for an announcement. (Better yet, come to the exemplifications on Sunday and get the news in-person!) We apologize for the short notice, but the weather isn't cooperating with us.

  • We will also need some volunteers starting at noon on Sunday, January 14th, to help clear out items from our council kitchen in preparation for some major renovations. (We will discuss this work at our membership meeting on Wednesday.) We expect the clean-out work to go fairly quickly as long as we have a decent turnout. The kitchen has become a critical part of our infrastructure, as it enables us to cater many of our events in-house, which in turn lets us raise greater amounts of funds for important causes and charities. Please help out if you are able to do so.

And now for some news items and other upcoming event notices. Do read on!
Passing of Patricia DeStefano

We are saddened to report the passing of Patricia H. DeStefano, mother of our brother Sir Knight, Andrew DeStefano. Mrs. DeStefano of Olney, Maryland, passed away on December 26th at the age of 84. Please join us in extending our heartfelt condolences to Andrew and his family, and please pray for the immortal soul of Mrs. DeStefano, and for the comfort of her family.
Christmas Party Food Drive Raises $1,430 For the Hungry of our Parish!
Our annual adult Christmas Party, jointly hosted with Mother Cabrini Assembly on December 15th, had its best turn-out ever, with lots of great (free!) food and good fun for all. Guests feasted on dishes including orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe, baked ziti, meatballs, deep-fried Cajun-seasoned turkeys with all the fixings, Caesar salad, and Falco's Famous Chicken Marbella. We even had cannoli-cream cake for dessert.

Thanks to the outstanding generosity of our guests, we collected $1,430 in donations of supermarket gift cards for the St. James the Apostle Church Food Pantry! This allowed families served by our parish to buy perishable items during the holidays, like milk, meats, and frozen foods, which the pantry cannot stock. A special thank-you to our brothers from Mahopac council, who brought $200 in donations for our food pantry.

Thanks to everybody who attended and donated, and thanks to our chefs who prepared the entire meal in-house.
Holiday Blood Drive Exceeds All Expectations!

We raised 100 units of blood at the annual holiday Blood Drive on December 29th! That's an outstanding tally, especially considering the bitter cold weather, that so many people were suffering from colds and flu, and that lots of people were away on vacation.

Sponsored by our Council along with the Stephen P. Driscoll Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, the Putnam Bureau of Emergency Services, and local residents serving with the Fire Department of New York, donors arrived early at the Carmel VFW hall and waited patiently to donate a pint. The Greater New York Blood Bank reported major shortages around the Christmas and New Year's holiday period, and we certainly helped fill some of that need!

Sincere thanks to all the donors, and also to all the volunteers who help make this happen, especially our own brother Knight Denis Hanrahan , for whom organizing these semi-annual blood drives is a labor of love.
Last Call for Reservations to the "J.O." Men's Beefsteak Parish Fundraiser - Sat. 1/13

Last call to get in your reservation for our 3rd Annual James "J.O." O'Neill Memorial Men's Beefsteak Dinner on Saturday, January 13th!

We'll continue the tradition started by J.O. and gather at our Council to enjoy great food, watch the NFL Playoffs on our BIG screen TVs, and have lots of fun while we raise funds to benefit St. James the Apostle Parish!

Doors open at 3 p.m. for the afternoon playoff game and cash bar. Dinner at 5 p.m. includes gourmet filet mignon, fries, draft beer or wine, dessert and coffee. Then we'll raffle and auction off some great items. Stay after dinner and watch the evening playoff game with us.
$50 if prepaid by Jan. 6
$60 after Jan. 7.

SOME SEATS STILL AVAILABLE...BUT ONLY IF YOU RESERVE TODAY!

We expect this event to sell-out, so don't wait to reserve! Walk-ins may not be able to be seated if we sell out. So make your reservations today with GK Rob Firriolo and mail your check and list of guests to KofC Council 6318, 10 Fair Street, Carmel NY 10512.

NOTE: We are looking for a few more d onations of items for our raffle table and auction , including sporting event tickets, theater tickets, gift cards for local restaurants and other businesses, stays in vacation homes, and items for gift baskets. Please contact GK Rob about any donations you may be interested in making or soliciting for us.
Ladies Make Annual Holiday Donation to Rosary Hill Home; Scholarships Awarded to New Members

Our Ladies Auxiliary once again collected and delivered much needed items for Rosary Hill Home in Hawthorne. The home provides loving, one-on-one palliative care to those suffering from terminal cancer. Since 1901, the Dominican Sisters and staff there have striven to meet the physical, emotional, spiritual, and recreational needs of their patients.

Thank you to everybody who donated, and big thanks to our awesome Ladies Auxiliary for another successful collection drive! Great job, Ladies!

Pictured here is Ladies Auxiliary Trustee Isabel Pompa (l.) and President Gail Silke (r.), with two of the Domincan Sisters who gratefully accepted the donations at the home last month.
While we're on the subject of our Ladies Auxiliary, join us in congratulating the two winners of $500 scholarships presented by the Ladies Auxiliary, which were awarded to the group's two newest members.

Christina Silke (pictured 2nd from left) is the daughter of President Gail Silke (l.), and a nursing student at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT. Grace Barry (2nd. r.) is the daughter of Vice President Maria Barry (r.). She studies nursing and plays Division III soccer at the College of Mount Saint Vincent in the Bronx.

Please congratulate these young ladies when you see them, and welcome them to the Ladies Auxiliary!
Midnight Bowling Fundraiser - Saturday, January 20th

Quiz time: Do you like to have fun?

Do you like hurling heavy balls with awkwardly-fitting finger holes at helpless wooden pins?

Do you like wearing hideously ugly rental shoes?

Do you have some time to <ahem> spare on Saturday night, January 20th?

If you answered "yes" to all of these questions, than you're eligible to join us for our first Midnight Bowling Fundraiser ! We'll have our own lanes for some friendly competition from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the all new Spins Bowl in Carmel. Your $30 entry fee gets you the use of a pair of those fabulous bowling shoes, three hours of bowling, and pizza. There's also a really nice cash bar, and the potential for bragging rights.

This is a fundraiser for our scholarship fund , and win or lose, it promises to be an absolute blast!

Reserve your spot with Ralph Fleischman , our Worthy Chancellor and Scholarship Fund Chairman. Space is limited, so strike now by signing-up today!
  • REMINDER: Our home corporation is once again giving preference for our families who may wish to reserve our hall for a First Holy Communion or Confirmation party this coming spring. We are holding open rental reservations for council members only until January 15, 2018. After then, the hall will be rented on a first-come, first-served basis. Please contact our Rentals Chairman to book your party ASAP, as these dates go very quickly.

  • On Monday, January 15th, we will once again be participating in the Order's basketball Free Throw Contest for youth. In addition to running the competition and handing out awards, we will be providing the competitors with hot dogs and ice cream for their efforts. We can use some volunteers to help out with the competition and food service. Please contact our Worthy DGK and Youth Activities Chairman Steve Gheduzzi if you can help out.

  • The Grand Marshal's Installation Dinner for the Westchester-Putnam St. Patrick's Day Parade is Friday, February 2nd. We have been informed that this year's Grand Marshal is Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell. A big crowd is expected for the dinner, so it is important that you contact Mike McDonald -- our Worthy Advocate (and our liaison to the Parade Committee) -- and let him know if you plan to attend. Details on price and location will be announced as soon as we know. Past dinners have been at Centennial Golf Club, but we are told the location may change this year due to the large size of the anticipated crowd.

  • Our wildly popular Fish Fry Fridays begin again at our council on Friday, February 16th, from 5-8 p.m.! Our addition of weekly specials to our menu proved so popular last year that we're doing them again this year. There's no better way to have a great Lenten meal every Friday night, while supporting great charities, than to bring the family to our Fish Fry. So mark your calendar!

  • The Brother Sir Knights of Mother Cabrini Assembly are participating in our Order's "Coats for Kids" program, and still have some new winter coats in various children's sizes to give away. Please contact Faithful Navigator Steve Gheduzzi if you know a kid in need who we can pair with a coat. These coats are available to any child in our community.
Remember, a full calendar of events can always be found on our website: carmelknights.org under the Upcoming Events tab, and check out our Breaking News page . And don't forget to "like" our Facebook page for up-to-the minute announcements, photos, event listings, and items of interest.