Columbus Day Dinner 2023! The annual event recognizing the world explorer and namesake of our order returns to October 13, 2023 @ 6pm at a new location! This year's event will be held at the Hawaii Okinawan Center - Legacy Ballroom in Waipio. A popular location for events on the West side of Oahu is managed by the parent company of Zippy's Hawaii. The event will mark the first fellowship event following the disastrous fires on Maui. State awards from the prior fraternal year will be distributed, including Star council awards, the Founder's and Columbian awards, as well as individual acknowledgements like Grand Knight of the Year, State Officer of the Year, Lady of the Year to name a few. Members order wide are encouraged to nominate members for these awards. Those wishing to do so may download the nomination form by clicking >>HERE<< . Awards open for receiving nominations are as follows: Knight of the Year Lady of the Year Grand Knight of the Year Council of the Year District Deputy of the Year State Officer of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award Completed nomination forms must be received by October 5, 2023 and uploaded by 11:59pm to the form link below:

Blessed Michael McGivney, a visionary Catholic priest and founder of the Knights of Columbus, has left an indelible mark on contemporary society by his tireless dedication to promoting Catholic ideals and fostering a strong sense of community. Through his establishment of the Knights of Columbus in 1882, he created a fraternal organization that not only provided financial assistance to widows and orphans but also championed social outreach, charitable initiatives, and unwavering support for families. Blessed McGivney's legacy continues to resonate as the Knights of Columbus remains a steadfast force for good, embodying his commitment to faith, charity, unity, and fraternity, thus shaping a more compassionate and inclusive world. The Hawaii State Council encourages all to pray the Blessed Michael McGivney Prayer for Canonization regularly.

The Knights of Columbus, through our Faith in Action program, provides support and volunteer opportunities to a broad range of needs. Please consider joining us and be a part of the solution!! Contact any of our program chairs today.

CONGRATULATIONS to the 2022-2023 Hawaii State Winners Age 9 Girls - Council 14620 - June Homestead Age 9 Boys - Council 11743 - Oscar Goddard Age 10 Girls - Council 18025 Lexi Grace Nguyen Age 10 Boys - no entry Age 11 Girls - Council 14620 - Caylah Medeiros Age 11 Boys - no entry Age 12 Girls - Council 18025 - Aundrea Parages Age 12 Boys - Council 18025 - Dylan Woody Age 13 Girls - Council 18025 - Ava Soria Age 13 Boys - Council 18025 - David Carlos ** Age 14 Girls - no entry Age 14 Boys - no entry CONGRATULATIONS to our International Winner - David Carlos, Overview The Soccer Challenge is a great way for councils to engage in their communities with an athletic event for youth that encourages the values of sportsmanship and healthy competition. Children demonstrate the most important skill in soccer – shooting accuracy on the penalty kick. Youth compete within their own gender and age to progress from the local level to district, regional and state/province competitions. For Soccer Challenge resources, visit www.kofc.org/soccer. SCORING Each participant will be given 15 penalty kicks. Points will be awarded depending upon the area of the scoring zones through which the ball passes. For example, after the player’s 15 penalty kicks, his/her scores are: 5/10/20/5/5/5/5/10/10/5/20/5/10/5/5, his/her total score would be 125. A score of 125 would be marked on the entry form/score sheet. Normal rules of soccer regarding penalty kicks apply for all levels of competition. Penalty kick violations include stepping on or over the line prior to the kick, and any contact made with the ball counts as a kick. Scorers should record shots made and missed according to the instructions on the entry form/score sheet. It is also recommended that multiple scorers be assigned to each goal for scoring accuracy and comparison. All scores should be verified before the next contestant is allowed to shoot. The use of video tape recording is not recommended to resolve questions on final determination of scores should be decided by the scorers and the scoresheets. SUGGESTED TIMETABLE & SUGGESTED QUICK PLANNER Last day for Council challenge, 9/30/2023. Last day for District challenge, 10/22/2023*. Last day for State Soccer challenge, 11/4/2023. *(names to be submitted to the Chair by 10/29/2023) SOCCER CHALLENGE OVERVIEW BOOK (CLICK HERE) SOCCER CHALLENGE ENTRY FORM/GUIDE SHEET (CLICK HERE) CONTACT: Bob Noguchi, Soccer Challenge Chair (State) at soccerchallenge@kofchawaii.org.

Post encourages participation in the Family of the Month/Year program for Knights of Columbus. Part of the Family category in the Knight's Faith in Action program.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2022-2023 International 3rd Place Winner Age 8-10 - Council 10475 - D'Isabelle Cacal CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2023-2024 Hawaii State Winners Grade K - Council 18025 - Alina Ozuna Age 8-10 - Council 10475 - D'Isabelle Cacal Age 11-14 - Council 10475 - Ria G.H. Bagay OVERVIEW Conducting a Knights of Columbus Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest is a fun and easy way to put your faith into action and get youth in your community involved in their faith. It is fun to conduct because of the opportunity to witness the creativity and optimism of the youth in your community. The goal of this program is to increase the awareness of young people’s faith, while encouraging them to speak to other youth “in their own language” about the true meaning of Christmas. TOPICS/CATEGORIES Each poster must reflect the Keep Christ in Christmas theme with a visual image. There is no limit to the number of posters each contestant may submit. ELIGIBILITY The Knights of Columbus Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest is open to all youth between the ages of 5 and 14. Age eligibly is determined by the age of the contestant as of November 1. AGE GROUPS Contest entrants compete in one of three age groups — ages 5 through 7, ages 8 through 10 and 11 through 14. RULES Poster must reflect the theme of Keep Christ in Christmas. Each poster should be the original work (including concept, layout, slogan and any visual images) of a single person. Poster should be approximately 11x17 inches. However, the supreme Council will not disqualify based on poster size. If pastels, chalk or charcoal are used, the poster must be laminated or covered with clear plastic. Each poster must be submitted with a Knights of Columbus Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest entry form (#5025) — make sure your council number is included. The name and age of the entrant should be printed on the reverse side of the poster in case the poster and entry form get separated. All entries become property of the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council office. Posters cannot be returned in most cases. COMPETITION LEVELS Each entry will be judged on the Council or Parish level. The top three entries in each age category will move onto the second level of judging, the District Level. The top three entries in each age category on the District level will move onto the final level of competition, the State level. Top finalists on the State level in each category will receive:

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2022-2023 Hawaii State Winners Girls Age 9 - Council 10475 - Alayanna Dullaga Boys Age 9 - Council 14620 Aizen Simao Critcher Girls Age 10 - Council 10475 Kasidy Hernandez Boys Age 10 - Council 11636 - Jacob Bratton Girls Age 11 - Council 11636 - Arialyn Lee Boys Age 11 - no entry Girls Age 12 - Council 10475 Samantha Gador Boys Age 12 - Council 10475 Kiptin Hernandez Girls Age 13 - Council 18025 Charlotte Baldacan Boys Age 13 Council 10475 Kobe Agustin Girls Age 14 - no entry Boys Age 14 - Council 11636 Weston Maria Free Throw Chairman - Melvin Cervantes: email: freethrow@kofchawaii.org Councils should complete their competition NLT: January 27th, 2024 Districts should complete their competition NLT: February 17, 2024 STATE FREE THROW CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION. WHEN: Saturday March 09, 2024, 1:00 PM WHERE: St Joseph School, 94-675 Farrington Hwy, Waipahu, Hi, 96797 CONTACT: Chairman Melvin Cervantes, email: freethrow@kofchawaii.org ALL COUNCIL/DISTRICT WINNER FORMS NEED TO BE SUBMITTED TO STATE CHAIRMAN MELVIN CERVANTES BEFORE CLOSE OF BUSINESS FEBRUARY 24th, 2024. Council competition must be completed and documented on form. District competition is optional but must be documented on the same form. One of our Order's most popular programs, the 2022-2023 FREE THROW CONTEST AND CHAMPIONSHIPS provides an athletic outlet and encourage the values of sportsmanship and healthy competition. Since 1972, councils have sponsored the Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship for boys and girls from the ages of 9 to 14 to provide an athletic outlet and encourage the values of sportsmanship and healthy competition. Kids compete within their own gender and age and progress from local level to district, regional and state/province competitions. This program is a great way to introduce the Order to our community and promote the ideals of the Knights of Columbus. Here is how you can enter: If you attend any of the Parishes listed on https://www.kofchawaii.org/directory, contact your council leadership and sign up with your council directly. All others may download the Entry form using the button at the end of this page. Be sure to share this with your Parent(s) so they are familiar with this program. A State representative will contact you to place you with an affiliate council in your area. SCORING INSTRUCTIONS: Each contestant will be allowed 15 consecutive free throws in council competition and 25 consecutive free throws in all other levels. Indicate number of free throws “made” in first column. Those tied for highest score will compete in successive rounds each being allowed 5 free throws until one contestant emerges as winner. Use other columns to indicate scores in “playoff” rounds Participants on the council or parish level will compete against themselves and the top three applicants in their Age category will move on to the District level competition. District level finalists will compete against themselves and the top three in each grade level will proceed to the State level competition. The State level finalist will compete against themselves and the top three in each grade category will be recognized. Each age level finalists, in the Council or Parish, District and State divisions will be presented participant certificates and finalist award ranging in various values. Schools and Youth Ministry programs interested in participating. The Hawaii State Council has many Youth Ministry and Schools participating in this program and we can help provide you with examples of working models that you can implement seamlessly into your operation. Please contact freethrow@kofcahwaii.org for more information. Execution of this program on all levels will be done in conjunction with current State and County gathering orders. All participants must follow the program guidelines, complete a Covid-19 survey and meet all requirements before participating. Details to follow.

Article by Disaster Preparedness Chairman Tony Langford: Are you ready for this common disaster…? When it comes to disaster preparedness, we regularly here about hurricane season and the importance of having disaster supplies at the ready. There’s another common disaster that has a much higher chance of injuring or killing our friends and family; that disaster is home fires. Home fires claim seven lives every day in the U.S. and simply installing and maintaining a smoke alarm cuts this risk in half . Another surprising fact is that many home fires happen so fast that occupants have less than two minutes to escape. There are several simple ways that we can reduce the risk of home fires by preparing for and/or preventing them, knowing how to escape the home, and in the unfortunate case of experiencing a home fire how to recover. The best way to prevent and prepare for a home fire disaster is to simply install and maintain smoke alarms and to create an escape plan. You should test your smoke alarms monthly. Smoke alarms should be installed on every level of your home, and they should be inside and outside all bedrooms or sleeping areas. In May of 2022 the Red Cross conducted their annual Sound the Alarm campaign. Volunteers did in home visits to survey residents on their fire preparedness. The visits included the installation of smoke alarms at no cost to residents in need of new alarms. Another part of the campaign is to teach residents how to create an escape plan. The basics of the plan should include knowing two exits for every room and practicing the plan at least twice a year. Everyone to include children should be able to evacuate in less than 2 minutes. More information can be found at soundthealarm.org. Another important part of preventing home fires is to practice basic fire safety. Two leading causes of home fires are candles and home cooking. Burning candles that are left unattended or not extinguished while residents slept cause some 20 fires a day on average. A good alternative is to use battery powered candles. Leaving the kitchen while cooking food is a major cause of home fires. If you need to leave the kitchen turn off the stove or fryer unless someone else can watch. It’s also important to move anything that can burn away from the stove. Examples of these items include dish towels, curtains, boxes, etc. Despite practicing fire prevention measures and maintaining your smoke alarms home fires can still happen and it’s important to know that the Red Cross is there to help you recover. After a fire it’s critical to pay attention to your own stress levels and to watch for stress in your family members. We all deal with stress in different ways but acknowledging what you’ve been through and talking about it with your family and friends is important. Red Cross volunteers respond to home fires and provide financial assistance, lodging assistance, and immediate access to medical or mental health services. If you or one of your neighbors experiences a home fire watch for responding volunteers. As a neighbor you can help verify the identity of residents that experience a fire in the case where they didn’t have time to grab an I.D. card while escaping the home. Your local Red Cross can be reached at 1-800-REDCROSS (733-2767) or online at Redcross.org. If you’re interested in volunteering contact Mary Finley at Mary.finley@redcross.org Phone Number: 808-284-6849.

Worthy District Deputies, Grand Knights, and Brother Knights, Welcome to the 2023-2024 fraternal year. As Life Director for the State of Hawaii, I look forward to working with all to provide opportunities to promote love of neighbor, allow God’s light to shine through us and show what service to and love of our communities means from a Catholic perspective and as members of the Knights of Columbus to lead the way as that example. Through the Supreme recommended programs in the Faith in Action - Life category – we bring all brother Knights closer to God and the Church and protect the sanctity of life from conception to natural death. Through participation in these programs, we become the example of a leader that men embrace and want to be a part of. The Knights of Columbus provide guidance and hope that is something our communities sorely need. I pray that we can all build on the success of the Supreme recommended programs and the many other creative and faith filled programs the Hawaii councils offer. Life Director: Matthew Smolko - life@kofchawaii.org State Life recommended programs are: ASAP (Chair Avery Catabran – ASAP@KofChawaii.org) March for Life ( Featured Program ) Mass for people with Special Needs Novena for Life Silver Rose ( Featured Program – Randy Tom SS@kofchawaii.org) Special Olympics ( Featured Program – Lito Alvarez specialolympics@kofchawaii.org) Ultrasound ( Featured Program ) 40 days for life is now LIFE 365 – (Bill Rodrigues -life365@kofchawaii.org) Note that there are programs noted as featured programs. This means that on your SP7 form they count as 2 programs long as you meet the minimum criteria for those programs. Contact me if you need copies of those guidelines. If you need help or have any questions about the Knights, especially the Knight’s Life initiatives, please contact me. Thank you for being a valuable member of the Knights of Columbus and thank you for supporting the culture of life initiatives. Vivat Jesus and God bless you! Matthew Smolko Life Director Hawaii-state Council Email: life@kofchawaii.org