All-American Fish Fry is this Friday, July 4!

All-American First Friday Fish Fry this Friday, July 4 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church at the corner of Moore Road and South Terrace. This event will be held from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in the OLPH Parish Life Center.

Enjoy a fried fish dinner and all the trimmings, including fries, coleslaw and hushpuppies. All-you-can-eat plates are available for just $5.00 each. To-go orders are also available. Ice-cold watermelon will also be on the festive July Fourth menu.

Additionally, Fourth Degree Knights in regalia will present a special patriotic program.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Tennessee Wheelchair Foundation, which raises funds to purchase wheelchairs for Tennessee’s disabled veterans in need who cannot afford one. To find out more about the Wheelchair Foundation, visit http://www.wheelchairfoundation.org/. Also, check out the video at the bottom of this page!

A good day for MR at Sam's!

M.R. Director Steve Reker reports that his cadre of MR Drivers had a really great day collecting at Sam's Club on June 14, raising more than $2,500 in one day! Add that to what was raised at the M.R. Blitz two weekends ago, and we're already almost halfway to our 2009 goal of $12,000.

Maybe you haven't had a chance to give yourself, yet. If not, why not visit our MR Drive Giving Page on Firstgiving.com. You can give conveniently and safely by credit card and just about a minute is all it takes. Remember, our MR Drive funds benefit Signal Centers, Orange Grove Center, and AzUwer, three vital programs that help thousands of people with mental disabilities each year. Please support!

Officer Installation and Awards Dinner June 29th

Mark your calendar now for Sunday, June 29 at 5:00 p.m. That's the date of Officer Installation and Award Banquet, which will be held at the hall. All brothers and their families are invited to attend. Chef Steve and the crew will prepare another fantastic dinner, and you won't pay a thing for it! That's right! This is a free dinner, so make it an evening out and help kick off the Holy Family Council's 40th fraternal year in a big way! Please RSVP ASAP! E-mail Jason Randall.

43 on the road to Rome?

A Newsweek article link was posted in this space a few weeks back regarding GW Bush and how his penchant for Catholicism was reflected throughout his administration. Conversion rumors are now swirling (in Europe, at least) following his recent extended visit to the Vatican. Click here for the latest on that. You may know that Tony Blair, the ex-British Prime Minister, completed his conversion over the Easter-tide. So, there's a precedent for the president.

And in sports...OH so close!

The Mighty Caseys played their best game of the season on Wednesday, achieving the first double-digit run total in a game with 10. Turns out it wasn't enough. Despite a valiant effort, 6099 fell 14-10 to Enterprise South, dropping to 1-3 in Camp Jordan League play.

Down 9-1 in the 5th inning, the MCs exploded for 7 runs. The Caseys held Enterprise to no runs in the bottom of the inning and then came back to put up a single run in the next to tie it up at 9 apiece for the tie-breaker inning. Then, the bottom fell out. Enterprise put up 6 runs in their half and the Caseys were held to one, with the game ending on a "controversial" call at first.

BIG SWATTER: DGK Richard Buske with a stand-up (more or less) triple in the 5th (or 6th. Whetever).

NEXT GAME: Next Wednesday, 6/18, 6:30 p.m. at Camp Jordan Field #9. Come play, come watch. Action guaranteed!

Stay up to date in CLIPBOARD CORNER

NEW FEATURE! Thanks to Brother Bill West for the idea to include a CLIPBOARD CORNER among the council news items in the right column. Not everyone can make it to the business meeting all the time, so it can be difficult to sign any of the clipboards we pass around to volunteer for events. Clipboard Corner will list the volunteer opportunities between meetings and a way for you sign up by e-mailing the coordinator.

Keep coming back to the blog to check out Clipboard Corner, and be sure you DONATE SOME OF YOUR TIME to make a difference in the Church and the community.

OLPH parish hall filled for second First Friday Fish Fry

June 6, Council 6099 held the second First Friday Fish Fry in the parish life center at OLPH. This month, more than 120 people packed the PLC and were treated to some outstanding fried Pollock, artfully prepared by Brother Min-Jir Chen and son (pictured), along with chefs Steve Reker and Al Squillante. Other able assistants were Bradley Phelps, Jason Randall, Allen Greenwell, Mark Makemson, Wayne Collins, and new brothers Isaac White and Richard Smith. CLICK HERE to see the pictures.

The next All-American First Friday Fish Fry is scheduled for Friday, July 4th! Make plans to volunteer, or bring your family and friends for a great fish dinner, and feel really good that the proceeds from your $5.00 donation will benefit the Tennessee Wheelchair Foundation.

MR Drivers brave hot weekend for good results

MR Drive chairman Steve Reker reports that this weekend's MR drive went well, raising more than $2,500 from Friday to Sunday. Several brothers donated time at Wal Marts all over town to collect funds to support three local charities that help people with mental disabilities--Orange Grove Center, Signal Centers and AzUwer. Council 6099 was third in the state for raising MR funds this year (out of 82 councils!). Help us do better in the next fraternal year! Volunteer a couple of hours of your time to "shake the jug" at a local retailer when asked.

Speaking of volunteering, now is your chance to sign up for the last MR event of this fraternal year, next Saturday, June 14 at Sam's Club on Lee Highway. Email Steve Reker to sign up.

ONLINE OPPORTUNITY: You can't shake the jug? Contribute online! It's easy and it only takes a credit card and 2 minutes to help. CLICK HERE to give online at our council's FirstGiving page. Check out the box under Holy Family Favorites to see how close we are to our goal.

Mighty Caseys Softball - See the Pictures!

There are better teams, but none have more fun than the 6099 Mighty Caseys. For those who did not brave the 97 degree heat to watch last Thursday's attempt at athleticism, check out these fantastic photos from one of our new brothers, Gene Lansigan. Thanks to Gene for making us look almost professional!

Come see the "action" in person, or better yet, put on a glove and play an inning or two next Wednesday (6/11) at 7:30 on Camp Jordan Field #9, the "House that McGivney built."

Welcome new brothers!

The council held the last First Degree Expemplification of the 2007/08 fraternal year at the recent June business meeting. We welcomed seven new brothers to 6099:

• Jim Costello
• Vince Cundari
• Joe D'Andrea
• Gene Lansigan
• Richard Smith
• Isaac White
• Jim Vannucci

That means a total of 48 new brothers joined our ranks this year! Total membership in Holy Family Council 6099 now stands at 277 -- almost the largest council in Tennessee! Thanks and appreciation goes to Membership Director Allen Greenwell and his committee for putting an incredible amount and time and effort this year into bringing in new recruits, the lifeblood of the order. Remember to do your part by talking to a Catholic gentleman about becoming a Knight!

See 6099 in Knights in Action online

The Holy Family Council is again featured in the Tennessee section of the online version of Knights in Action, now viewable on the Supreme Website. Also included, Assembly 1084 for their participation in the downtown Armed Forces Day parade.

New officers elected for new fraternal year

Congratulations to the new officers of Holy Family Council 6099 for the 2008/2009 fraternal year. These brothers were officially elected at the June 6th business meeting and will take office in July:

GRAND KNIGHT - Jason Randall
DEPUTY GRAND KNIGHT - Richard Buske
CHANCELLOR - Victor Williams
WARDEN - Corky Evers
RECORDER - Wayne Collins
ADVOCATE - Ray Fox, Jr.
TREASURER - Earl Riecke
INSIDE GUARD - Steve Horten
INSIDE GUARD - Richard Hicks
OUTSIDE GUARD - Chuck Laplante
OUTSIDE GUARD - Joe Salamone
TRUSTEE 1st YEAR - Mike Doyle
TRUSTEE 2nd YEAR - Rusty Phillips
TRUSTEE 3rd YEAR - Chris Humkey

Thanks to nominating committee members PGK Ron Schleifer (chairman), PGK Mike Doyle, PGK Ken McVay, PGK Rusty Phillips, Lecturer Allen Greenwell.

Items Needed for Wheelchair Foundation Flea Market

Start digging through the attic, the garage and the basement and let the Knights turn your trash into treasure! The Holy Family Council will sponsor a community-wide Flea Market to raise money for the Tennessee Wheelchair Foundation. The event will be held on the soccer field at OLPH on Saturday, July 26 from 7:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.

The Knights will collect donated items to sell at the market throughout the months of June and July. Just load up your stuff and bring it to the Knight's Hall on Lee Highway, just off I-75 near the Bonny Oaks Drive intersection. Stay tuned to the blog for more information.

Next First Friday Fish Fry June 6

Invite your friends! Bring your family! The next Knights of Columbus First Friday Fish Fry will be on June 6 at the OLPH Parish Life Center. Serving begins at 6:00 p.m. The price is a $5.00 donation to the Tennessee Wheelchair Foundation, which provides wheelchairs to disabled veterans and others in need. What you'll get is an all-you-can-eat fish dinner with all the trimmings, plus drinks. There is not a better meal deal around. Join us Friday night and help a great cause.