Tag Archives: Knights

Knights donate high-tech ultrasound to crisis pregnancy center

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By Gene Buglewicz
OXFORD – New life will be in clear focus in Oxford, thanks to a Knights of Columbus project. Andy Reynolds, Grand Knight, Knights of Columbus Council 10901, delivered the final check to pay for a new ultrasound machine to Rebecca Bishop, Executive Director of the Pregnancy Center, Oxford on Tuesday, November 28.
To celebrate the purchase, the Pregnancy Center located at 295 County Road 101, Oxford, will host a reception and open house December 14th at 1:00 p.m. The Baby Boutique and Clothes Closet will be available for inspection as well as the ultrasound laboratory and the new ultrasound machine.
Donated funds provided through the Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiative enabled the Pregnancy Center to purchase a new, high-tech $40,000 ultrasound machine. Knights from the local Council 10901, the State of Mississippi and the national office enabled the purchase.

A manufacturer’s image of the new ultrasound machine the Knights of Columbus purchased for the Pregnancy Center in Oxford.

The Pregnancy Center provides a multitude of services to clients free of charge without state or federal funds. The Center is solely supported by local churches, organizations and private citizens who believe in the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death.
Earlier this year, Bishop Joseph Kopacz toured the center and got an update on the fund-raising projects underway to purchase the new equipment.
Once a client receives a positive pregnancy test at the center, and is believed to be less than 14 weeks along, the non-diagnostic ultrasound determines if the pregnancy is viable and in the uterus where it should be. A client may be able to hear her child’s heartbeat. While the older ultrasound could determine viability around five weeks, it is hoped the new technology will establish viability even earlier.
The new ultrasound is a Toshiba Xario 100/PS Platinum Ultrasound Imaging System sold by Toshiba America Medical Systems in Nashville, Tennessee. This machine replaces a 10 year-old model used by the Pregnancy Center and provides a significant advance in determining pregnancy using a ultrasound probes with a wider selection of frequencies.
The project’s benefits will spread way beyond just the Oxford area. The older ultrasound from the Pregnancy Center is being given to the Women’s Resource Pregnancy Center in Cleveland to replace their 20 year-old model.

(Gene Buglewiczi is a member of Oxford St. John Parish and the Knights of Columbus.)

Local Knights win national recognition

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JACKSON – Knights of Columbus Council #15131 of St. Richard Parish has earned the distinction of Triple Star Council, for the 2013-2014 fraternal year. The award recognizes overall excellence in the areas of membership recruitment and retention, promotion of the fraternal insurance program and sponsorship of service-oriented activities. State Deputy Jim McCraw presented the award to members of the council at a special ceremony held on Wednesday, October 15.
The triple star refers to the fact that the council reached 300 percent of its quota.
“Please accept my sincere congratulations upon attaining this prestigious award. Your dedication to the Order is seen in the high standard of excellence you have achieved,” said Carl A. Anderson, chief executive officer of the national organization.  “At the same time, I encourage you to carry forward this enthusiasm to meet the challenges that will face the Knights of Columbus in the years ahead.  May this award be a reminder and an inspiration to the members of your council to continue to promote the ideals of Columbianism for the good of the church, your community and the order,” he added.
“Receiving the Triple Star Council Award is quite an honor for us. We’re extremely proud of the accomplishment,” proclaimed David Fisher, head of the local council.
The Knights of Columbus is the world’s largest Catholic lay organization. It provides members and their families with volunteer opportunities in service to the church, their communities, families and young people. With more than 1.8 million members in more than 15,000 councils around the world, the Knights of Columbus annually donates more than $10 million and 70 million hours of service to charitable causes.