Knights of Columbus Council #2663 received the Key Award from the Greater Newton Chamber of Commerce last month during the chambers’ Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner at the Greater Iowa Speedway in Newton. Pictured are, from left, Jeff Hoebelheinrich, Chamber Executive Director KayLea Marchant, Mark Hammer, Bruce Corlew, Tim Bloom and Cory Meyer.
By Lindsay Steele
The Catholic Messenger
NEWTON — The Greater Newton Chamber of Commerce recently presented the Key Award to Knights of Columbus Council #2663. This annual award recognizes an individual or group’s exceptional work on a specific community project or event within the last year, according to the chamber’s website.
Representatives from Council #2663 accepted the award last month during the chamber’s Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner at the Greater Iowa Speedway in Newton. “We’ve never received it before,” said Bruce Corlew, treasurer and program director of the 98-year-old council. “It was a surprise!”
Kelly Sorenson, a Newton Community School District employee and a board member of several community organizations, nominated the council. “I have seen firsthand the impact they have on so many students and families,” she told The Catholic Messenger. “It was an honor to have them recognized.”
The council, which includes members from Sacred Heart Parish-Newton and Immaculate Conception Parish-Colfax, helps fund the local Salvation Army and the Pregnancy Center of Central Iowa. In addition, they sponsor Coats for Kids, a program that helps provide winter gear for local students in need. The council funds these projects through community Bingo events and Lenten fish dinners, Corlew said.
The Knights also host free-throw contests and participate in the annual Campaign for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities, but their support goes beyond funding, Sorenson wrote in her nomination letter. The Knights volunteer to clean up yards for persons in need, ring bells for the Salvation Army and build accessibility ramps for local residents. “They quietly make a substantial impact on many people, both directly and indirectly, simply because it is the right thing to do,” she wrote.
