November 09, 2024
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Yorkville Knights of Columbus receive organization’s top honor

Recognizes dedication to community service and charitable volunteering

By Joey Weslo
Yorkville Knights of Columbus members Mike Pfeiffer (far left) and Grand Knight Jim Zbella (far right) honor free throw contest champion Andrew Madden (center) at the Council's Aug. 14 meeting.

Yorkville Knights of Columbus members Mike Pfeiffer (far left) and Grand Knight Jim Zbella (far right) honor free throw contest champion Andrew Madden (center) at the Council's Aug. 14 meeting. (Provided by Yorkville Knights of Columbus)

Perennial volunteers and fundraisers for local charities, the Yorkville Knights of Columbus received the Star Council distinction, the international Catholic organization’s top honor for local councils.

James Zbella, Grand Knight of the Yorkville Council, said the award is a reflection of their dedication to the community and the strength of their fraternal brotherhood between members.

“This award belongs to all our members,” said Zbella. “What a great group of guys. All of their dedicated work is what received this award.”

The Yorkville Council hosts holiday food drives benefiting the Kendall County Community Food Pantry and volunteer at the Yorkville River Fest, the Kendall County Fair and the Yorkville annual Rudolph Run.

Zbella said their annual Coats for Kids clothing drive is extra special to him. The council distributes donated clothing to the Yorkville school district and the Diocese of Joliet.

“When you see these children come in, how bright their smiles are when trying on coats, knowing they can bring them home, it’s so wonderful,” said Zbella.

The Council also runs an annual blood drive and hosts an annual Thanksgiving Senior luncheon at the Beecher Center for around 150 people. Zbella laughed, saying that’s a lot of turkeys to prepare and serve.

“The community has been great to us,” said Zbella. “The people of Yorkville have been tremendous in supporting our September Tootsie Roll Drive, where we donate our proceeds to the Kendall County Special Olympics and Equine Dreams in Newark to support children with intellectual disabilities.”

Equine Dreams provides free, therapeutic horse assisted activities to both children and adults with special needs.

The Council also hosts an annual basketball free throw contest with proceeds donated to charity. At the Aug. 14 meeting, the Council honored Andrew Madden who won this year’s local contest and went on to win the district, regional, state, and international contests for the 12-year age group. Zbella said Madden’s shooting precision skills placed him in the top one-percentile of thousands of participants.