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Family

Steve Joutras, Family Chairman

Knight of the Month
By Clicking here, you can recognize a member who has done something extra or special this month. Your council should have at least 9 men nominated during the year. The guy that washes dishes is also a good pick as is the father in your Family of the Month nomination. Each month State will recognize a Knight of the Month with a certificate to be presented by the Grand Knight or District Deputy.

The following Brother Knights were selected as State Knight of the Month award winner

Family of the Month

Worthy Grand Knights, Financial Secretaries, and District Deputies:

For those of you that may not know me, I am James R. Almeida, Jr., the State Family Chairman. I just want to start the fraternal year off by letting our District Deputies, Grand Knights and Financial Secretaries know about Family of the Month. I know a lot of councils already are a part of it, but there are many that are not. I just want to emphasize that the family does not have to include a Knight to be submitted. We all know that family in the parish that seems to do a lot for the church, school and community. They usually do the work that no one else is quick to volunteer for. Families like those who always seem to donate the most food on a small household budget, find clothes to donate and pick up other children in case of emergency if the parents cannot make it. I have included a flyer to use for Council Family of the Month; it can be modified if needed. We also have a State Family of the Month Certificate which will be presented, following selection from the Family of the Month nominees submitted by Councils to Supreme and to the State.

Family of the Month nominations using Form 10784 for each month are due to Supreme by the 15th of the following month. Following is the link:

https://www.kofc.org/en/forms/spa/invite.html?lang=en&form=10784C.02

Please remember to send a copy of your Council nominations to the State Fraternal Office at illinoiskc@illinoisknights.org

I will keep you all posted on what is coming next. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

Thank you all for what you do and God Bless!

James R. Almeida, Jr.

July, 2024

Jose Guajardo is a first generation American and was born in Mission, Texas in the Rio Grande valley on January 11, 1965. Shortly thereafter, Jose’s family moved to West Chicago, IL where Jose’s dad worked at Campbell’s Soup, Inc. The family grew up in the company town with other new immigrants near the plant. The environment was small, cohesive, and safe for all the new kids who did not speak English at all until a bilingual schoolteacher was hired by the local school district. Along with learning both languages Jose and his siblings were taught that if you work hard and were dedicated, you could achieve your goals.

The family’s Parish, St. Mary’s Catholic Church in West Chicago, was instrumental in providing a welcoming and safe environment for all the new arrivals into the community from Latin America, mostly from Mexico. It was here that he received his first communion, first reconciliation, and Confirmation.

After graduating from West Chicago Community High School in 1983, Jose joined the Chicago based electric utility ComED where he worked in a variety of jobs, including in corporate security working with retired Chicago policemen and FBI agents conducting background checks at all the nuclear sites in Illinois. While working at ComEd, Jose completed his associates degree at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn. After graduation, he applied and was accepted at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, where all of his COD credits were accepted. While completing his studies, he participated in volunteer activities including being the Vice President of Student Programs at Northwestern University and Vice President of Individual Development with the Chicago Junior Chamber of Conference. His affiliation with these groups led him to get involved rehabbing homes with Habitat for Humanity, working in the pantry at the Christian Industrial league and at a transition home for battered woman and children just North of Wrigley Field.

After graduating from Northwestern University with a human resources degree, Jose transitioned to the Human Resources profession working in the manufacturing, distribution, and retail industries. About ten years later, Jose enrolled and graduated from Loyola Graduate School of Business with a master’s in human resources management. He also volunteered in the community and was elected to be Vice President in the Oakhurst Homeowners Association and the Vice President of the Raul Rivera Baseball league. When he moved to Naperville, he was asked to be the Vice President of the Brookdale PTA.

Most recently, Jose joined the St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church Knights of Columbus Council 15822 where he has been hands-on with numerous volunteer events including fish dinners, tootsie roll ID drives, Top Golf fundraisers, and Men’s prayer breakfasts. Additionally, he has served as Financial Secretary, and most notably as the Council’s Membership Director. Thanks to his efforts, the Council was awarded Double Star Council for the 2022-2023 Fraternal year and Star Council for Fraternal Year 2023 – 2024. He was also nominated to help with the Stewardship Committee and the St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church Leadership team.

January, 2025

Richard Marsh

Cardinal Bellarmine Council 4849 Aurora

Rick has done an outstanding job transitioning to his new role as Grand Knight in July. He has quickly accepted the leadership role and has led the council to excellent results including a very successful ID Drive in September. Rick daily attends 6:30 AM Mass and is part of the team that visits the Pearl nursing home the first Sunday of each month. Rick has excellent organization skills and keeps the council members up to date and prepared for future council events. Rick's past experience with the council includes six years as the Financial Secretary and helped to found and start the annual 5K Race with Phil Brink in 2017. This race was renamed in 2018 to honor Brother Knight Mark Bancroft who passed away suddenly. Rick is a member of the Marquette Assembly and a member of the Color Guard. He was Past Faithful Navigator of the Assembly and currently holds the position of Admiral.