ELYSBURG - Knights of Columbus Council 14161 of Elysburg has been selected as the winner of the Columbian and Father McGivney awards for the 2010-2011 fraternal year.
The Father McGivney Award, named for the founder of the organization, is given in recognition of outstanding membership recruitment and retention efforts. The Columbian Award is presented for excellence in sponsoring programs that serve the church, community, families, pro-life and youth organizations, as well as council members.
The announcement was made by the Knights of Columbus International Headquarters in New Haven, Conn. David Shinskie, district deputy for the Knights, presented the engraved plaque to the council at a special ceremony on Jan. 15.
In recognizing the local winner, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson, president of the international organization, said, "Please accept my sincere congratulations on attaining this prestigious award. The dedication to the order shown by your council is seen in the high standard of excellence you have achieved. At the same time, I encourage you to carry forward this enthusiasm to meet the challenges that will face the Knights of Columbus in the years ahead. May this award be a reminder and an inspiration to the members of your council to continue to promote the ideals of the Columbianism for the good of the church, your community and your order."
In accepting the award, Vic Lisiewski, head of the local council, said, "Receiving this award is quite an honor. We're very pleased with this accomplishment."
The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic lay organization. It provides members and their families with volunteer opportunities in service to the Catholic Church, their communities, families and young people. With more than 1.8 million members in more than 14,000 councils around the world, the Knights of Columbus annually donates more than $154 million and 70 million hours of service to charitable causes.
Go to www.kofc.org for more information.