Star Council Award
The Star Council Award recognizes outstanding achievement in membership, insurance and service program activities. There are NEW requirements to earn the Star Council Award.
• No Supreme per-capital requirement for Star Council. • No minimum new insurance member quota. • Councils must have a minimum of two benefit seminars by a Field Agent or General Agent during the Columbian year.
• The Columbian Award will no longer have mandatory “required programs”.
• You still get 2 credits on the SP7 if you meet the minimum requirements of a featured program but now there are 16 featured programs. Four per activity category.
• Councils must be safe environment compliant. Grand Knight, Programs Dir., Family Dir. and Community Dir.
SUPREME FEATURED SERVICE PROGRAMS
This year we no longer need “required programs” to qualify for star council but the featured programs have been expanded. We currently have sixteen “Featured Programs” providing councils with two ways to qualify for the Columbian Award. Traditionally a council needs to sponsor four programs in each of the four Service Program categories (Faith, Community, Family, Life Activities) and reports them on the Columbian Award Application (No. SP-7), which is due by June 30.
The second way to qualify is to sponsor one or more of the sixteen “Featured Programs,” and receive two credits towards meeting the minimum participation criteria for that program. A council does not need to conduct all sixteen. For example, if a council participates in RSVP and sponsors Coats for Kids distribution with a minimum of eight cases of coats given away, they’ve met two of four needed credits in the Faith and part of the Community categories.
To qualify for the Columbian Award, they would report these programs on the Columbian Award application. The sixteen “Featured Programs,” and the minimum participation criteria for each, are as follows:
Faith Programs:
RSVP – Qualify for and receive the refund for supporting at least one seminarian or postulant.
Holy Hour – Organize hour of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.
Spiritual Reflection – Organize a spiritual retreat for the council members and family.
Into the Breach – Organize a Into the Breach men’s study group.
Family Programs:
Food for Families – Council provides 100 man-hours of service and collects at least 1,000 pounds of food to be given to a parish food pantry or community food bank.
Family of the Month – Promote a family from your council each month as the family of the month.
Family Prayer Night – Organize a family night of prayer.
Building the Domestic Church – Make the Building the Domestic Church reading series available to the parish.
Life (Culture of Life) Programs:
Walk for Life – Council organizes parish and community participation to provide at least 100 marchers for a local, regional or national walk.
Ultrasound – Council raises at least half the funds for purchase of ultrasound equipment for a pregnancy care center (Balance comes from Supreme Council)
Special Olympics – Contribute at least 200 man-hours of service to state/local Special Olympics activities; donate at least $2,000 for Special Olympics.
Pregnancy Center Support – Partner with qualified pregnancy centers to raise money for the procurement of an ultrasound macine.
Community Programs:
Habitat for Humanity – Council sponsors at least one Habitat project providing a minimum of 200 man-hours of service and donates at least $1000 to Habitat.
Global Wheelchair Mission – Council raises the funds for 100 wheelchairs at $150 – distributed by American Wheelchair Mission.
Coats for Kids – Council purchases at least 8 cases of warm winter coats through Coats for Kids to give to needy kids.
Leave No Neighbor Behind – Fundraise for a local food bank or directly assist a shelter-in-place person in need. Report your activities with the Leave No Neighbor Behind survey at www.kofc.org/neighbor.
State Goals For Specific Featured Programs For 2020-2021
FAITH
REFUND SUPPORT VOCATIONS PROGRAM (RSVP)
Every active council to support at least one Seminarian or member of a religious order.
FAMILY
FOOD FOR FAMILIES
Every active council to collect and deliver can goods for a food pantry during the Christmas season.
COMMUNITY
COATS FOR KIDS
Every active chapter to have one major Coats for Kids event with all councils invited with the coats to be distributed with coordination from local Archdiocese.
GLOBAL WHEELCHAIR MISSION
Every active council involved with the wheelchair fundraiser with a minimum purchase of two wheelchairs ($300).
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
North, Central and South California regions to each participate in a major build with coordination between Chapters with all councils invited.
LIFE
SPECIAL OLYMPICS
Every active council to participate in The Feed the Athlete initiative with a $300 donation.
MARCH FOR LIFE
Each active council to participate in one of the three major marches for life in the State.
ULTRASOUND
Every chapter to sponsor an ultrasound for a qualifying pregnancy center.
Here is your: “Star Council Checklist”