By A.M. Kelley
Superior Catholic Herald
Knights raise nearly $6,000 for diocesan schools
SUPERIOR -- The Knights of Columbus save pennies. The pennies add up. Dubbed the Penny-a-Knight-a-Day (PKD) program, the copper collection in the Superior Diocese netted nearly $6,000 last year and it has been the practice since 1970 for the councils to turn this money over to the diocese's Catholic schools.
The PKD money was presented to Bishop Peter F. Christensen last fall and he passed it on to the superintendent of schools, Peggy Schoenfuss, in January. She in turn disbursed it evenly to each of the diocese's 16 schools in March. The schools usually add it to their general funds.
The PFD program was a great idea from the beginning, according to Ron Gronski, the financial secretary for the Albert Cardinal Meyer Council 499 in Superior.
When the Wisconsin State Council wanted to support Catholic education, it asked its members to save just a penny a day. According to the history of the program on the Wisconsin Knights' Web site, the idea of the penny was to make "participation both affordable and symbolic. In 1970, a penny was an amount any member could set aside daily without burden to his family." The pitch furthered elaborated: "($3.65) was about the cost of one carton of cigarettes in 1970 É the Knights of Columbus who smoked were asked to forego a carton of cigarettes over the course of a year É the penance seemed inconsequential for the good that could be done to support a value to which all Catholics can ascribe."
From 1970 to 1997 the pennies collected in the Superior Diocese added up to $127,671.32. Statewide, from all five Wisconsin dioceses, the total was $1,153,557.11.
From 2001 to 2008, Superior Knights continued to average about $6,000 in contributions each year.
Unlike commerce in 1970, $3.65 can't purchase much today. But Knight Willis McLain, the financial secretary for the Fr. Philip Gordon Council 6370 in Grantsburg and Frederic, said this education fund is proof of how much good can come from everyone working together.
"(PKD) is raising so much money with so little effort," he said.
Gronski said members in his council effortlessly contribute to the PKD when they pay their annual dues. Knights have been known to chip in anywhere from the requisite $3.65 to $100, he said.
Schoenfuss said every little bit helps said she is grateful for the ongoing support of the Knights.
© Superior Catholic Herald, 2008