Huntley man’s fundraising skills garner award

At the October meeting of the St. Mary of Huntley Knights of Columbus Council 11666, the trustees selected Sir Knight Gary Radaszewski Knight of the Month for October 2011, recognizing his efforts as chairman of the council’s Intellectual Disabilities Drive held in September of this year.

One of the most popular and successful programs conducted by Knights of Columbus state and local councils for the benefit of people with intellectual disabilities is the fundraiser in which councils collect donations outside stores and on street corners.

In appreciation, the donor is offered a candy bar, often a Tootsie Roll. The high visibility of this program has led to the campaign being referred to as the “Tootsie Roll Drive.” The nickname is understandable, but misleading. The Knights of Columbus has no official tie to Tootsie Rolls or their manufacturer.

The funds donated at the various locations are then donated to local organizations that help people with Intellectual Disabilities.

Some of the local organizations who received donations in the past include the Light Center Foundation in Union, Family Ideas Network for Down Syndrome in Crystal Lake, Adult and Child Rehab Center in Woodstock, NISRA Foundation in Crystal Lake, Special Education District of McHenry County in Woodstock, Catholic Diocese of Rockford Special Education Fund in Woodstock, Special Camps for Special Citizens in Downers Grove, and the Illinois Special Olympics in St. Charles.

As chairman of this activity, Radaszewski secured permission to position Knights outside stores and on street corners in Huntley during the drive. Also, he motivated Knights from the 245 members of the council to volunteer their time and arranged the volunteer schedules. Radaszewski volunteered his entire weekend to coordinate the efforts of his Brother Knights at the various locations in and around Huntley.

The Knights of Columbus is an international Catholic family fraternal service organization with nearly 1.7 million members in more than 13,000 local councils.

Last year, Knights donated 68 million volunteer hours and $158 million to charitable and benevolent causes, sponsoring projects to benefit their church, councils, communities, families and youth.