West Allis-West Milwaukee Schools Superintendent Dr. Tarrynce Robinson and council member Cookie Kuchenreuther are shown with some Pershing Elementary School children wearing new coats from Knights of Columbus Council 3095 in October. As part of the KC’s Coats for Kids program, the West Allis council provided a total of 450 new coats to the school, West Allis parishes and other groups that serve children. (Submitted photo)
Sometimes, a loss brings an incredible abundance in a new, unexpected way.
The West Allis Knights of Columbus Council 3095 sold its brick-and-mortar clubhouse and hall in 2018 — a place rich with traditions and memories but also experiencing dwindling use, especially in hall rentals.
As a result, the council has been able to transform its charitable giving into a powerhouse of stewardship that compliments its continued volunteer efforts in the community.
The council’s investment fund has made more than $700,000 in total donations to a variety of charitable causes possible over the last seven years — about $100,000 or more per year.
This is five times what the council previously had been able to give annually.
“We’re blessed to be able to do this. We gave up the building — lots of good memories — but it’s given us such a great opportunity to help so many people, especially today,” said Bill Beres, Grand Knight of the council.
“There are so many people that are in need and so many deserving programs that I’ll be honest, the most enjoyable meetings that we have every year are when we start going through the list and say, ‘Okay, who would we like to give to? Who else have we come up with?’”
Much of the fiscal bounty has come from the sale of the clubhouse on South 92nd Street in West Allis to bioscience company Chr. Hansen, now part of the firm Novonesis. The city of West Allis and Chr. Hansen had approached the council about the possible sale, which ultimately benefited the council as well as adding jobs to the community and value to the taxbase.
The greater level of giving that resulted demonstrates how a Knights of Columbus council can fulfill its faith-filled mission in different ways than the sometimes more traditional focus of clubhouse activities.
“That really has been our mission since we sold the building. Now when we meet, it’s really all about service, charity and faith,” Beres said.
Beres and his fellow knights have not only dramatically expanded both the number of recipients of the council’s charitable efforts but also the impact per organization.
One particular project showcases a deeper example of that commitment, one made to the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District.
“A girl in high school becomes pregnant. If she’s going to take care of the baby (full time), she’s going to give up her education, so West Allis started what they call the Shared Journeys Program,” Beres explained.
“The Engineering Department of the City of West Allis decided that the school needed some better doors. We donated $40,000 to refurbish the building for them to make it up to grade. That program is still going on. We still support it, and now the girl continues her education. She can bring the little baby to the place and there’s a daycare center there.”
The ability to make such an oversized donation — the $40,000 was twice as much as they could previously give altogether in one year — comes from the funds created by the building sale and how they have been fostered into a pathway to giving. The council now makes a $4,000 donation or more to Shared Journeys each year, Beres added.
The list of organizations supported has also expanded, from support of seminarians and three Catholic parishes in West Allis and New Berlin to Special Olympics and other programs helping children with special needs, food pantries, organizations helping pregnant women and new mothers, and groups helping veterans.
“It brings tears in my eyes when they come up and want to hug you,” council trustee Jerry Falk said of those being helped. “Those are the things that we’re thankful for, that we have the ability to help so many out.”
The council has always been supportive of national campaigns like Coats for Kids, with the ability to offer hundreds of coats per year to schools and families in need. It still takes part in Christmas parades with its float depicting the Nativity scene and its members handing out Tootsie Rolls to kids. It also holds golf outings and competitive leagues.
But this expanded capability also allows them to better reach out with a hand when emergencies come like the summer floods in southeastern Wisconsin.
“It looked like FEMA wasn’t going to come forth initially, and a lot of people didn’t have insurance,” Falk said. “We were able to donate $5,000 immediately, and it helped some people out.”
The council’s growth in giving through the fund allows them to solidify longer-term relationships with their community partners, ones ongoing for decades.
The council anticipates giving $100,000 or more by the end of this year, with no end in sight.
“We still have a lot of money in the investment fund that we’re in, investing prudently, so we’re going to be able to do this for a good long while,” Beres said.
Anyone interested in joining Council 3095 can email Bill Beres at bill.beres1957@gmail.com.
