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2021 Intellectual Disabilities Drive
Co-chairs Jim Connelly and Brian Lisek thank the two dozen Knights, their family members, and friends who volunteered almost 90 hours of their time to collect the donations that will benefit our partnering organizations whose programs serve those with intellectual disabilities.
Due to their efforts, over $7700 was collected in our second-consecutive year impacted by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
Thank you, villages (and businesses) of La Grange (Blueberry Hill), La Grange Park (Ace Hardware, and Jewel-Osco), Countryside (Mariano’s), and Western Springs (Kirschbaum’s Bakery), (and Walmart) … for the use of your streets (and storefronts).
Thank you, Grand Knight, Frank Mungo … for the use of your home as the base of operations.
Thank you to our community of supporters … for your continued generosity.
2020 Intellectual Disabilities Drive
Co-chairs Jim Connolly and Brian Lisek thank the Knights who volunteered their time to collect the donations that will benefit our partnering organizations whose programs serve those with intellectual disabilities.
Due to their efforts, over $4800 in cash and digital donations was collected in a year severely impacted by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
Thanks to our community of supporters, our partnering organizations did not have to go without some funding for their programs.
Intellectual Disabilities Tootsie Roll Drive 2018
Worthy Brothers and Faithful Volunteers, Thank you all so much for a successful drive. The monies we generated will go along way in helping the many organizations we support. A heartfelt thanks to Dennis Fitzpatrick and Joe Discipio for co-chairing our ID drive. Their tireless effort and organizational skills are exceptional. $14,305 was collected. Monies are still coming in from a variety of sources. Awe inspiring.
The Knights of Columbus recognizes and thanks the following local corporate sponsors for their kindness and commitment to families in need within our community.
John Gajkowski, Money Managers Financial Group, Oak Brook, www.monimgr.com
Kathy Dierkes, State Farm, La Grange, www.statefarm.com/agent/US/IL/La-Grange/Kathy-Dierkes
Jennifer Nevins, C2 Education of Western Springs, www.c2educate.com/locations/western-springs-il
Patricia Lehman, The Lehman Group, La Grange, www.thelehmangroup.org
David P.Lloyd, Attorney at Law, La Grange, www.davidlloydlaw.com
Intellectual Disabilities Tootsie Roll Drive 2017
LaGrange Council 6483 thanks our neighbors, family and friends, and all of our SPRED groups (St. Francis Xavier, St. Louise De Marillac, St. John of the Cross and Mater Christi)
who donated and volunteered. We want to thank Helping Hand and Aspire for their support. We also want to thank our entrepreneur partners including Jewel and Ace Hardware in La Grange Park, Jewel in Countryside, Blueberry Hill Breakfast Cafe and Walgreens in La Grange, Walmart in Hodgkins, and Mariano’s, Kirschbaum’s, Casey’s Market, Western Springs Fruit Store, Village True Value Hardware and Walgreens in Western Springs. We want to thank the villages of Countryside, La Grange, La Grange Park and Western Springs for their support. Also, thank so much our Worthy Brother Scott and Mary Sue McDonald for allowing the use of their home for headquarters and Worthy Brother Pat and Beth Olson and all the counters for their effort. Thank you all again for another truly remarkable and amazing effort.
LaGrange Council 6483 extends its special thanks to local business benefactors who have contributed generously to the 2017 ID Drive:
· Patricia Lehman, parishioner at St. Francis Xavier Parish and principal with the Lehman Group, Coldwell Banker, LaGrange
· John Gajkowski, parishioner at St. Francis Xavier Parish, Money Managers Advisory, Oak Brook
LaGrange Council 6483 collected more than $15,000.00, another remarkable collection for the Knights Council, now in its 43rd year. Proceeds from the Knights of Columbus 2017 ID Drive will help fund various programs in the local communities who support persons with special needs, such as Helping Hand, Special Olympics, special religious education at local parishes with SPRED programs to name a few.
2016 September Knights of Columbus Tootsie Roll Drive
This I. D. Drive was a huge and amazing success. I would like to express sincere gratitude and appreciation to all of my Worthy Brothers, their families and friends, and all of our SPRED groups (St. Francis Xavier, St. Louise De Marillac, St. John of the Cross and Mater Christi). I also want to thank our entrepreneur partners including Jewel and Ace Hardware in La Grange Park, Jewel in Countryside, Blueberry Hill Breakfast Cafe and Walgreens in La Grange, Walmart in Hodgkins, and Mariano’s, Kirschbaum’s, Casey’s Market, Western Springs Fruit Store, Village True Value Hardware and Walgreens in Western Springs. Also, I want to thank the villages of Countryside, La Grange, La Grange Park and Western Springs for their support. I want to thank Helping Hand and Aspire for their support. Also, I want to thank so much our Worthy Brother Mike and Nancy for allowing the use of their home for headquarters and Worthy Brother Pat and Beth and all the counters for their effort. Thank you all again for another truly remarkable and amazing effort.
The Knights of Columbus LaGrange Council 6483 extends its sincere thanks to the communities and residents of Countryside, Indian Head Park, LaGrange, LaGrange Park, Western Springs and North Riverside for their generous support of the Knights of Columbus 2016 Intellectual Disabilities “Tootsie Roll” Drive. LaGrange Council 6483 collected more than $16,000.00, a record collection for the Knights Council, now in its 42nd year.
LaGrange Council 6483 extends its special thanks to local business benefactors who have contributed generously to the 2016 ID Drive:
Patricia Lehman, parishioner at St. Francis Xavier Parish and principal with the Lehman Group, Coldwell Banker, LaGrange
John Gajkowski, parishioner at St. Francis Xavier Parish, Money Managers Advisory, Oak Brook
Proceeds from the Knights of Columbus 2016 ID Drive will help fund various programs in the local communities who support persons with special needs, such as Helping Hand, Special Olympics, special religious education at local parishes with SPRED programs to name a few.
2015 September
I would like to express sincere thank you and appreciation to all of my Worthy Brothers, their families and friends, and all of our SPRED groups (St. Francis Xavier, St. Louise De Marillac, St. John of the Cross and Mater Christi). I also want to thank our entrepreneur partners including Tischler’s and CVS in Brookfield, Jewel in La Grange Park, Jewel in Countryside, Blueberry Hill Breakfast Cafe and Walgreens in Lagrange, Walmart in Hodgkins, and Kirschbaum’s, Casey’s Market, Western Springs Fruit Store, Village True Value Hardware and Walgreens in Western Springs. Also, I
want to thank the Villages of Brookfield, Countryside, La Grange, La Grange Park, and Western Springs for their support. This I. D. Drive was a complete success. Also, I want to thank so much our Worthy Grand Knight and Nancy for allowing the use of their home for headquarters. Thank you all for another truly remarkable and amazing effort.
Our 2014 I. D. Drive was a complete success. It truly has been a remarkable drive. Many thanks to our brothers and their family and friends that volunteered. Also, thank you to our partners including
Thank you to the many volunteers from St. Francis Xavier, St. Louise DeMarillac, St. John Of The Cross, and Helping Hand. Thank you to the numerous amount of people in the community who donated to support our great cause. Thanks to the effort of so many wonderful people, we will be able to continue supporting local Churches and organizations that help our neighbors with intellectual disabilities.
Walmart in Hodgkins, Mariano's in Western Springs, Jewel in La Grange Park and Countryside, Walgreens in LaGrange and Western Springs, Tischler's in Brookfield, and CVS in Brookfield.
What is now known as the Knights of Columbus Intellectual Disabilities Drive was started in Tinley Park, Illinois in 1970 by two members of Father CC Boyle council: Gus Hurt and Gus Sundermeir, as the Mentally Handicapped Drive. In return for a free will gift to the drive, conducted on street corners, in front of churches, stores, banks and other businesses a token of appreciation was given for each donation - a Tootsie Roll. The drive was then and to this day is sometimes referred to as the "Tootsie Roll Drive." However, there is no affiliation between Tootsie Roll Industries and the Knights of Columbus. Tootsie Roll Industries is the company manufacturing the candy given out as the token of appreciation.
Over the years the name of the drive has evolved from the State Mentally Handicapped/Mentally Retarded Program to the Knights of Columbus Intellectual/Learning Disabilities Drive. Regardless of the name, the goal was to help "God's Special People."From that humble beginning, the drive has spread to every state in the United States, every province in Canada and to several countries throughout the world. Although held on different days in the various jurisdictions, and with other tokens of appreciation besides Tootsie Rolls, all proceeds benefit individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. There are no administrative costs except for the cost of the candy and mailing/publicity expenses taken out of the proceeds.
In Illinois, the Illinois State Council is given 10% of the proceeds of each drive for distribution in areas of the state where there is not an active Knights of Columbus Council or where there is a greater need that can be fulfilled by the local council. The state council also built a group home for people with disabilities in each of the six dioceses in the state. The other 90% of the proceeds are distributed according the wishes of the local Knights of Columbus Council from their collected funds.
LaGrange Council began participating in the drive from its founding in 1973. With the help of family and friends, various parish SPRED programs and other organizations which work with individuals with disabilities, the LaGrange Council has collected and distributed over $200,000 to local programs and organizations that benefit "God's Special People."
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