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The First Principle!

Alfredo Vela, Charity Director

A little over three months left, that is what we have left in this fraternal year. Hopefully, you all are on your way to meeting your goals.

State Charities—as of February 28th, we had contributed a total of $606,833 to our State Charities Fund. This represents 69.99% of our goal. As of February 28th, we have 354 councils over 100% of which 6 are over 200%, 2 councils are over 300% and 1 council is over 400%. There are 38 districts at or above 100%. Where do your council and/or district stand? Will you be at 100% by years’ end? We all trust that you will be. If you make an honest and sincere effort, you will get there. And when you do, your Bishops will appreciate your efforts.

License Plates—we have a program in place to help our infirmed priests. That program is the KC license plates. We have increased the number of KC license plates on the roads in the State of Texas. But, we can do better. Please promote the license plate program as a way of helping out our infirmed priests. It only takes a commitment of $30 per year per license plate. Please notify your membership that we will have a booth at the state convention where people can sign up for their license plate. They will need the last four digits of their vehicle identification number and their current license plate number. We will help them complete the application.
Special Olympics—when it comes to Special Olympics, there are lots of activities going on throughout the state. If you have a chance to visit any of your local events, please do so. You will find it to be a rewarding experience. If you need a listing of all the events going on in your area, there are several ways of finding out. First, you can visit our state website which will direct you to our Special Olympics website. Or, you can call the Special Olympics coordinator or Diocesan Deputy for your diocese. Finally, you can call any of the members of the State Charities team. One of us will get you the answer you need. No excuses, get involved.

On another note, if you have somebody that goes above and beyond the call of duty for Special Olympics, please consider nominating him for the Chick O’Connor award. Instructions and the nomination form are posted on the state website.
Educational Grants—by the time you get this, the deadline for the educational grants has come and gone. At the state convention, you will be approving the recipients for this year’s educational grants. Remember, there are seventeen grants we give out, one for every diocese and two for Columbian Squires.

Good Luck with the rest of this fraternal year. Give it all you got and get to the finish line.


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