The Knights of Columbus Endowment Fund through the Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas (CFSEK) is excited to announce its 2025 grant awards to 17 Southeast Kansas organizations for projects to address basic human needs in Crawford County, totaling $77,500. Since its inception in 2021, the fund has distributed over $256,000 to over 40 projects!
“Following in the footsteps of Father McGivney, we are so happy to help each of these organizations continue to provide assistance to those in need,” said Jeff Wilbert, representitive of the Knights of Columbus. “We had really great applications this year.”
As a result of the sale of the Knights of Columbus Tower in 2021, the Pittsburg Broadway Tower Corporation established the Knights of Columbus Endowment Fund with CFSEK.
“By the grace of God, the timing of the sale was perfect,” said Wilbert. “It’s remarkable to know that this fund has awarded over $250,000 and will forever provide support to those in need.”
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Projects funded this year
The 2025 Knights of Columbus grants were awarded to the following organizations and projects:
- Building Health, Inc. will provide overnight hotel accommodations, cold-weather outreach supplies, security deposit assistance, and transportation support for elderly, handicapped, and low-income individuals experiencing homelessness in Crawford County.
- Catholic Charities Inc. will provide case management and resource navigation services to help homeless families secure permanent, stable housing through rental and utility payments and supportive services.
- Children First CEO Kansas Inc. will improve health and human services for children by providing mental health professional services, along with new shoes and uniforms to meet educational, social, physical, spiritual, and psychological needs.
- Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas will furnish one of six suites in the Mount Carmel Hospice House to provide a comfortable, home-like environment for individuals in their final days who lack family support or financial means.
- Cornerstones of Care will replenish its Emergency Client Assistance fund to provide flexible financial support for rent, utilities, and temporary shelter to prevent child removal from families in acute crisis.
- DBLO Association will provide fifty children in Crawford County with complete bed sets, including twin beds, mattresses, bedding, pillows, stuffed animals, and books to ensure restful sleep and improve quality of life.
- Families and Children Together Inc. will remodel a former apartment unit to create a space for independent living skills classes and peer support groups, including purchasing kitchen appliances and remodeling costs.
- First United Methodist Church Wesley House will provide essential winter survival items to the unhoused population in Crawford County to meet their physical and psychological needs during cold weather months.
- Fostering Connections will provide brand-new twin-size beds to children placed in foster care in Southeast Kansas through their Sleep in Safety program to offer security and comfort during placement transitions.
- Habitat for Humanity of Crawford County, KS, Inc. will provide safety and accessibility modifications to two Crawford County homes for families utilizing mobility devices such as wheelchairs.
- Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters will remove four youth from their waiting list by providing them with caring adult mentors in one-to-one mentoring relationships through their professionally managed programs.
- Mosaic will provide funds to assist individuals aged 21 and older with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live independently and access resources for their well-being and community participation.
- Our Lady of Lourdes Parish/St. Mary’s Colgan Catholic Schools will provide rent and utilities assistance for needy families in Crawford County.
- Outside The Wire Veterans Foundation will launch a pilot program offering free mental health services, professional counseling, transportation assistance, and outreach to low-income and disabled veterans facing PTSD and military trauma.
- SEK Community Action Program, Inc. will provide financial assistance through their “Anchoring Progress” initiative to help low-income households resolve rental and utility arrears while offering case management and financial literacy coaching.
- Special Olympics Kansas will provide health and human services to seniors with intellectual disabilities in Southeast Kansas by helping older athletes compete in games that combine skill and social aspects.
- The Salvation Army will provide emergency rent assistance to citizens of Crawford County who need help with housing-related financial crises.
“The Community Foundation is proud to assist the Knights of Columbus in making a true impact in our community,” said Devin Gorman, CFSEK Executive Director. “These grants support critical programs and services for a variety of individuals, from youth to adults.
About the Knights of Columbus Endowment
The Knights of Columbus Endowment Fund was established with the intent to continue the Tower’s mission through an annual competitive grant process aimed at projects that accomplish any of the following for the elderly, handicapped, and low-income families and individuals of Pittsburg, Kansas, and the surrounding area:
- Provide assistance for housing, rent, or utilities
- Provide health and human services to meet their educational, social, physical, spiritual, and psychological needs
- Promote their health, security, happiness, and usefulness
- Improve community services for them
For additional information about granting or establishing a charitable fund through CFSEK, call 620-231-8897 or contact us!