by Tom Anguish
6/24/2018

St. Mary’s of Holliston Knights of Columbus just concluded its tenth and best charity raffle ever!  This year’s raffle raised $23,300 for charity, bringing their ten year donation total to over $182,000.  The major charitable organizations supported by the council has remained pretty consistent over the years.  2018 organizations which will receive donations include the Holliston Pantry Shelf, the Holliston Senior Support Foundation, Homes for Our Troops, IPods for Wounded Veterans, Habitat for Humanity, the Pulmonary Hypertension Association, and the food pantries in Medway, Millis, Bellingham, Milford, and Ashland.  The donations will be presented at different dates throughout the balance of the year.

There were also five very happy prize winners of the raffle which had $2,000 in prizes.  The first prize winner was Henry Febo, while Mike O’Reilly, Craig Fitzgerald, Larry Heaney, and Mary Ellen Arsenault won the other four prizes. 

Grand Knight Al Scaramella reminded people that everyone who bought a ticket or made a donation, as well as the Knights who put in an estimated 1250 hours working on the raffle are also big winners.  Their efforts will help the hundreds of people who receive support from the various food pantries and the other organizations.  The Holliston Senior Center uses the funds they receive to help pay for meals and programs for seniors.  Homes for Our Troops, based in Taunton, builds homes for disabled veterans, while IPods for Wounded Veterans supplies electronic equipment to injured veterans in the hospital.  Habitat for Humanity is working on their second home in Holliston.  The council evaluates each proposed organization in determining their support for each year.

“I wish these organizations didn’t need help and could disband, but they do need help and we will do our best to assist them”, Al stated.  The council also received congratulatory messages from State Senator Karen Spilka and State Representative Carolyn Dykema for their outstanding work.

In addition to their raffle, the Council also conducts a host of other activities, including a Basketball Challenge each winter, a stuffed animal donation campaign in which the high school students collect these items and donate them for the police to give to kids in trauma situations, an annual Blood Drive with the Red Cross, two parties for a special needs children’s group each year, Tootsie Roll Drive for Disadvantaged Children, and an assortment of activities with St. Mary’s Church in Holliston.

KofC 10th Annual Charity Raffle Prize winners:

First Prize: $1,000.00 Henry Febo

Second Prize: $500.00 Mike O’Reilly

Third Prize: $250.00 Craig Fitzgerald

Fourth Prize: $125.00 Larry Heaney

Fifth Prize: $100.00 Mary Ellen Arsenault

Persons Drawing the winning tickets:

• Reverend Adolph Menendez
• Jay Marsden , Holliston Board of Selectmen
• Keely Krantz, VP of the Holliston Pantry Shelf

St. Mary’s of Holliston Knights of Columbus Council #14224 Facts:

• Formed in 2007
• Grand Knight:  Albert Scaramella
• 65 members
• Activities:
  • Annual Blood Drive with the Red Cross
  • Annual Basketball Challenge for children ages 9 – 14
  • Stuffed Toy Crusade which donates stuffed toys to police for children in trauma situations
  • Summer BBQ and Christmas Parties for Special Needs Children Group
  • Annual Tootsie Roll Drive in October
  • Assistance with several St. Mary’s Church projects/programs