MANSFIELD, Ohio – Richland Newhope’s Gift Fund received two notable donations Wednesday during the Richland County Board of Developmental Disabilities board meeting.
The checks were presented to Richland Newhope Superintendent Liz Prather by two local Knights of Columbus councils, both of which collected donations in their respective communities last spring.
The Knights of Columbus Council No. 1968 in Shelby raised $3,581.96, while Council No. 8357 at Resurrection Parish in Lexington collected $825.60.
The donations will be used to provide support to people with developmental disabilities in the area. Newhope Director of Community Relations and Gift Fund Committee Member Jane Imbody said the funds are not used for operations.
“It goes strictly to our Gift Fund, and our Gift Fund has been set up sort of as a last resort for individuals and families,” Imbody said. “If there is a particular piece of adaptive equipment that they need, and they can’t get funding for it either through insurance or their own personal finances, they can then come to the gift fund.”
The funds can cover the entire cost of a purchase or part of the purchase, Imbody said, depending on the situation.
Grand Knight John Lumm and Deputy Grand Knight Richard “Doc” Doklovic, of Council No. 8357 at Resurrection Parish in Lexington, presented their check first.
“Every year we do what is called a Measure Up campaign – basically we go to three of the businesses around town and take donations during the day,” Lumm said. “All of the money that’s collected is poured back into Newhope, and we got a little over $800 here from maybe 15 people standing for an hour each at the businesses. So it turned out pretty decent for us.”
Members from Council No. 8357 collected donations from customers at Wayne’s Country Market, Geyer’s Market in Lexington and Walmart on Possum Run Road.
“It’s very gratifying to do this,” Lumm said. “Two or three guys on the council have sons or daughters who participate out here also, so it’s a really nice effort.”
Doklovic agreed.
“We’re there to help those in need,” he added.
Grand Knight Ed Kurtzman and Deputy Grand Knight Don Johnson were on-hand representing Knights of Columbus Council No. 1968. Its $3,581.96 check is the largest ever given by the council, Kurtzman said.
Like the Lexington council, the funds also were raised during the Knights of Columbus’ national Measure Up campaign.
“We send the money to our national headquarters, and then they send back to us a check, and for years we have donated it to Richland Newhope,” Kurtzman said.
Johnson said being able to give back to the community in this way is “great.”
“It’s good public relations for the council, and it’s good to give back to special needs people because they really need it,” he said.
Kurtzman added that the Knights of Columbus are “very supportive” of the Special Olympics.
“We had a past Grand Knight – Jim Niese was his name – and he had a son (Keith) who was special needs,” Kurtzman said. “They lived in Crawford County, and they, rather than putting him in a home, kept him at home with a large family and brothers and sisters.
“They would bring him to church regularly, and you’d see them in the front row.”
Niese died Jan. 12 this year and was preceded in death by Keith, who passed away in 2009. Kurtzman said the Niese family asked people who wanted to help to donate to the Measure Up campaign.
Members from Council No. 1968 spent three days in April collecting donations from customers at Cornell’s IGA, Discount Drug Mart, Rite Aid, and the Sportsman’s Den in Shelby.
“Having these donations is so generous and wonderful,” Imbody said. “The K of C councils in this area are so supportive of Richland Newhope, our programs, our individuals, and our families. So without their support, we wouldn’t be able to do a lot of what we do.”
The amount of funds raised speaks not only to the councils but also to Richland Countians, Imbody said.
“They’re so willing to give some of their hard-earned money for this, so I think it’s a great sign of the generosity of the people who live in Richland County,” she said.
Purchases made with Gift Fund money in the past year included a ceiling-mounted patient transfer lift, equipment for a person to ride horses at Raemelton, burial-related costs for three people, and camperships for five Boy Scouts.
Richland Newhope, located at 314 Cleveland Ave. in Mansfield, supports more than 1,800 people through early intervention, preschool, adult, residential, therapy, transportation, and other family-support programs.
