This month’s Mercer Savings Bank Giving Mission recipient is the Coldwater Knights of Columbus Council 1991. The local council has a faith-based mission of serving those in need through fundraisers, meal deliveries, scholarships, and more.
Learning About the Coldwater Knights of Columbus Council 1991
The Coldwater Knights of Columbus Council 1991, one of the larger councils in the area, is part of the international Knights of Columbus organization that empowers Catholic men to live out their faith by helping others.
Grand Knight Jay Frilling has been a member of the Coldwater council for nearly 10 years and moved into his current role last July. As the grand knight, Frilling leads all the meetings for one year, where he will then transition to a trustee role for three years.
“The trustees make a lot more of the decisions than the grand knight,” said Frilling. “If there’s any kind of decision that has to be made on a vote, the three trustees would get together to work on making decisions to bring back to the group for a vote during the monthly meeting.”
Serving Those in Need
The Coldwater Council 1991 has made several donations already this year to local schools and other non-profit programs, including Coldwater First Tech Challenge, Coldwater CCD for their second grade retreat, and the TriStar Eternal Scholarship fund.
Fundraising events held throughout the year include the following:
- Knights of Columbus 5K Run for Vocations
- Coldwater Knights of Columbus Annual Picnic
- Knights of Columbus sweet corn sales
- Mercer County Cancer Corn Maze and Petting Zoo
“The Mercer County Cancer Corn Maze will be held again in the fall of this year,” said Frilling. “We donated approximately $25,000 to the Mercer County Cancer Society this past year.”
“We also raise money through our sweet corn sales,” he added. “We have sweet corn plots scattered throughout the Coldwater area — I’m guessing three to five acres. We probably make about five- or six-thousand dollars on that event every year.”
The annual picnic has been a tradition for over 50 years and offers family-friendly activities like games, pony rides, movies, and inflatables. The event also provides numerous entertainment and dining options like live music and their infamous BBQ chicken dinners. Proceeds from the picnic are donated to over 35 organizations throughout the community.
“That’s probably one of the bigger fundraisers we have through the year where we make money, and again, just donate it out,” said Frilling. “We donate to over 35 different organizations.”
Making a Difference in the Community
The Coldwater Council also spends time during the winter months making and delivering meals to about 45 to 50 individuals who have difficulty getting out due to the cold weather.
“We make meals and bring them to the people’s houses who are shut in their house,” added Frilling. “It’s always pretty nice. You can sit there and talk to them for a little while and just enjoy the conversations.”
Frilling said the council plans to use the Giving Mission funds from Mercer Savings Bank to purchase eggs for their annual Easter Egg Hunt.
“We will color around 2,500 eggs on a Saturday morning,” said Frilling. “We’ll have our Easter Egg Hunt in the Coldwater Community Park.”
Joining the Coldwater Knights of Columbus
Frilling said the council is welcoming new members who are Catholic males 18 years of age or older. He shared that it’s a great way to meet people in the community.
For more information on how to join, visit the Knights of Columbus membership page or the Coldwater Knights of Columbus Council 1991 Facebook page.
