On the warm evening of Saturday, April 2nd, over 200 friends and supporters of the Knights of Columbus funneled into the Parish Center of Mother of Divine Providence in King of Prussia, PA for a wildly fun Night at the Races in support of the Gianna Center of Philadelphia.
Right off the bat, this "KNight at the Races" event was an answer to prayer. The Gianna Center was planning a Life Awards Benefit in October 2021. Due to some concerns regarding Covid, we had to cancel our event on August 17th. Two days later, we received an email from Mark Kochanowsky, the Grand Knight of the Holy Family Council, saying that the directors and Knights of District 21 had agreed to throw a fundraiser in which 100% of the event’s profits would go to the Gianna Center.
This was the continuation of an ongoing relationship of friendship and generosity of the Knights of Columbus. In 2019, local Councils banded together and threw a big Casino Night to raise money for the Gianna Center to cover the entire cost of a $35,000 Ultrasound Machine. We now use our very own Ultrasound Machine daily, a tool that not only helps us with abortion-minded women, but also helps us in the process of treating infertility by monitoring the growth of ovarian follicles. Mark Kochanowsky promised us this would be (in his own words) “bigger and better” than the Casino Night, and that 100% of the profits would go to our Center, and boy, did the Knights deliver!
The “KNight at the Races” event was organized and run, not by one Council, but by all five Councils of District 21! The hall was filled with beaming faces and laughter; friends were cheering as their virtual horses came thundering down the stretch while other individuals eagerly gathered around the money wheel; raffle prize winners were ceremoniously announced throughout the evening and one lucky young lady took home about $900 from the 50/50 raffle; all the guests enjoyed the delectable buffet and bar and there was much bustling and a hullabaloo about the Betting Booth and the Winner’s Circle where participants collected their winnings.
To our friends, the Knights of District 21: Thank you so much for taking time out of your days, and for your dedication to helping the Gianna Center. We are incredibly fortunate to have fellow friends and Catholics who understand the necessity of the pivotal role that the Gianna Center plays in the larger Pro-Life Mission. We are so grateful for your tireless and selfless support. Dear Knights and friends who supported us through the “KNight at the Races,” thank you for sharing our vision by helping us work towards a family-oriented, pro-life culture that nurtures, heals, and honors its individuals, body and soul.
Stay tuned for the upcoming article that will share in detail the selfless and creative acts of the Knights and the blessed encounters that took place around this resounding success of an event.