Get to Know Our Knights of Columbus Council 630: Raising Money for Local Causes & Serving Christ

The Knights of Columbus is a national brotherhood of Catholic men who live out the principles of charity, unity, and fraternity by serving the Church and local community. The brotherhood is organized into parish councils. For decades, Council 630 has been a key ministry here at Our Lady of Hope.

Parishioner Randy Emmons has been a Knight for the past 17 years and is the current Grand Knight for Council 630. For Randy, the Knights are much more than just a social club — the organization offers a way to follow Christ and serve those around him.

“The best part about being a Knight is the ability to help others, especially the kids within our parish and local community,” he says. “It is great to give scholarships to deserving high school seniors and sponsor families for Christmas gifts.”

Randy was a member when Council 630 was in danger of collapsing financially. It was then that he and two other Knights came up with the Treasure Hunt concept. For the past seven or so years, the Knights of Columbus have been hosting a weekly game of chance where people buy $1 tickets that have numbers matching a prize board with 52 spaces. If your number is picked at the time of the drawing, you win the prize that is held in that space. In addition, there is a chance to hit the jackpot, which means you automatically win all the prize money that is up for grabs.

The typical weekly winners can expect a payout anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000. If no one hits the jackpot, the left-over winnings roll over to the following week. This means that the jackpot compounds as time goes on without a winner. This builds both excitement and the opportunity of winning large sums of cash.

Lucky winners of the jackpot have won millions of dollars on a $1 ticket. As a result, the Treasure Hunt has been wildly successful and has brought the entire community of Washington together — even the Chamber of Commerce has taken notice of the positive impact the Treasure Hunt has made.

The condition for winning is that you must be at the drawing in person to win the full amount. If you are absent and your ticket is drawn, then you will only receive half of the winnings. This stipulation has unified the community, boosted revenue for the town’s restaurants and shops, and has raised millions of dollars that the Knights then pour back into local charities.

The Knights are transforming our community through their generosity and service. “We do what we do because it is the right thing to do,” Randy says. The Knights are not just volunteers and fundraisers but are also men of great prayer. Randy testifies to the impact his involvement with the Knights has had on his faith by encouraging him to pray in adoration regularly and immerse more fully into parish life.

“I consistently spend at least two hours a week in adoration, praying to our Lord,” Randy says.

If you are a man who wants to get involved, give back to the community, and grow closer to Christ, then consider becoming a part of the Knights of Columbus!

The Knights need more men to join — there is power in numbers! Their mission to serve is great and their success stems from their devoted members. If you are interested in joining, please visit www.kofc.org/secure/en/join/join-the-knights.html.

Knights sell tickets for the Treasure Hunt jackpot.

The Treasure Hunt has been wildly successful and has brought the entire community of Washington together.