COATS ACROSS CANADA

In Saskatchewan, the Canadian winters are harsh. The province sees winter temperatures below minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Sometimes, the cold plummets to 40 degrees below zero. Even so, many people don’t realize how much demand there is for the program, said Shawn Scherr, Coats for Kids chairman for the Saskatchewan State Council: “We might have one or two families that are struggling in our communities. You don’t realize how big the need is outside of your community. It takes somebody to listen and act.” Scherr, who lives in Saskatoon, the largest city in the province, recounted how his daughter discovered that three siblings at the school where she taught were sharing a single winter coat. is meant only one sibling could come to school each day. “She called me, and the next morning she had coats for them all,” he said.

So far this year, the Saskatchewan Knights have already distributed more than 7,400 coats to schools, homeless shelters, pregnancy centers, and First Nations communities.
Some communities are so remote that supplies, including children’s coats, must be flown in by plane. The Saskatchewan Knights of Columbus have an important partner in making that happen: the Prince Albert Grand Council, an organization that represents 12 First Nations comprising about 30,000 people. “We have very, very, very cold winters and a lot of people in need have a difficult time affording suitable winter clothing,” said Bey Marleau, an agrologist with the grand council’s Department of Agriculture whose family belongs to the James Smith Cree Nation.

With new coats, children can go to school, play outside and have an ordinary life, Marleau said. “When it’s 30 to 40 below, it’s impossible to do anything if you don’t have
adequate clothing.” She added, “You can feel a little bit better about yourself if you have a shiny new jacket.” The First Nations’ grand council ships the coats as far as the Black Lake Denesuline First Nation, in the north of Saskatchewan, near the Northwest Territories.

Knights in Saskatchewan and elsewhere in Canada have also donated many coats to immigrants and refugees. Some are Ukrainians who fled war, while others come from warmer
climates and have never felt such cold. Sonny Sangemino, an Ontario-based general agent, remembers when he dropped off coats for a Windsor, Ontario, community that was hosting Syrian refugees. “We saw their faces light up. they were truly excited about the prospect of having a new coat,” Sangemino said.

Article from the December 2023 Issue of the International Columbia Magazine.

Exemplification October 2023

Council 8215 Events 2023

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Support of Life

The organizing committee of the Knights of Columbus In Support Of Life gala would like to thank our Brother Knights of Council 8215 for the support they extended to us in helping to make this event as successful as it was. We thank the individual members who participated in the program, made a donation, bought 50/50 tickets, or donated an item or made a bid during the auction. Our gratitude is extended to our Council for their donation of $1000.00

The winner of $2,500.00 in the 50/50 draw was our worthy Treasurer, Brother Diego Monterio. Congratulations Brother Diego.

Check out our video in support of life. (Note that the password is “ISOL”.)

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