JACKSON – Knights from Clinton, Holy Savior build a ramp for the Sisters at the Carmelite gift shop

By R. Allen Scott
JACKSON – The Carmelite gift shop on Terry Road in Jackson is easier to get into thanks to the Knights of Columbus Council 7854 out of Clinton Holy Savior Parish. The knights built a ramp on the side of the steps and cleaned up some of the convent grounds while they were on the property.
At a planning meeting back in the fall council Chaplin and pastor Father Thomas McGing made several suggestions on community service projects. One of those suggestions was to contact the Carmelites and see if we could offer any assistance.
The Council contacted Sister Mary (Agonoy), OCD, the prioress, and discussed several projects with her.
On October 29, 2016 Knights Allen Scott, Chris Halliwell, Jim Sharp, and Steve Miller and Holy Savior parishioner Maureen Scott cleaned all the statues on the grounds and pressure washed the sidewalks.
The Sisters have a gift shop on the grounds and the shop was only accessible to the public through a set of steps. According to Sister Mary this severely limited the ability of the handicapped and some elderly persons from easily accessing the gift shop.
On January 21 and 28, the Knights constructed a handicap ramp to the gift shop. The ramp is about 53 feet long and 4 feet wide and is constructed of treated timber. The Knights solicited funds to purchase the materials and provided the labor to construct the ramp. The total material cost was approximately $2,000. Council 7854 Knights who assisted with the project were: Chris Halliwell, Allen Scott, Craig Harrell, Steve Miller, Mike Kirby, Mike Weisenberger, Mike Booth, Arnie Senger, and Charlie Collins. A total of 206 man hours was donated to complete the construction.
(R. Allen Scott is a member of Council 7854)