Programs
Council 6650 is proud to actively serve the communities of Cary and Apex through a broad range of programs. Click the categories below to learn more.
Church
Donations
Our council makes monetary donations to the Church and organizations within the Church. Such donations have contributed to the purchase of a statue in honor of Pope John Paul II for the new Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral in Raleigh, financial support for Divine Mercy Radio (Catholic 540-AM), and the St. Andrew Brown Bag Ministry to name a few.
Seminarian Support
Our council helps sponsor two seminarians each year, providing them with the financial assistance necessary to help cover their expenses as they study for the priesthood.
Keep Christ in Christmas
We encourage our fellow parishioners to remember and honor the true meaning of Christmas with our Keep Christ in Christmas Christmas Cards, which we sell after each Mass during Advent.
Living Rosary
Knights volunteer to be the beads of a Decade of the Rosary during the annual Living Rosary ceremony. Knights have also procured and distributed 'How to Pray the Rosary' cards to attendees.
Community
“Tootsie Roll” program and Charity Golf Event to support LAMB Foundation of NC
Knights volunteer to solicit donations for Operation Least Among My Brethren (LAMB) in partnership with local stores. We also host an annual Charity Golf Tournament to support LAMB. The collective proceeds are distributed locally to public school, special needs teachers to help them secure additional, needed resources to serve children with intellectual Disabilities.
Adopt-A-Highway
For more than 15 years, Knights have volunteered to perform roadside cleanup of a two mile stretch of road in Cary on a quarterly basis.
Feed the Homeless
Monthly, we participate serving dinner meals the homeless at the Men’s Shelter in Raleigh.
Donations
Proceeds from our many fundraisers enable us to provide charitable donations to a number of organizations including NC Special Olympics, Juvenile Diabetes, American Lung Association, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Blood Drive
Our council, in partnership with the American Red Cross, organizes 3-4 blood drives a year at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Cary.
Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian organization dedicated to eliminating substandard housing and homelessness worldwide and to making adequate, affordable shelter a matter of conscience and action. Over the years, fellow Knights have actively participated in Habitat for Humanity programs to build new homes for a qualifying families in the Raleigh area.
Family
Our council periodically gathers for family-focused events, such as:
Picnics at Bond Park and Lake Crabtree Park
Sporting events
Theater Outings
Ladies Appreciation Day
Culture of Life
Baby Bottle Program
Knights raise money to support Respect Life causes by distributing Baby Bottles to parishioners and asking them to collect spare change over several weeks after Mass.
Prayers to End Abortion
Council members pray the Rosary at a local abortion clinic in the hope that expectant mothers reconsider their decision to terminate their pregnancy.
Right to Life March
We support and participate in the January Right to Life March in Raleigh each year.
Youth
Scouts
Our council supports three scout troops/packs with monetary donations and adult volunteer leaders.
Soccer Challenge
Sometimes in the fall we organize and invite community youth to participate in local, district, and state level soccer competitions.
Free Throw Competition
In the winter we organize and invite community youth to participate in local, district, and state level free throw competitions.
Coats for Kids
Our council donates coats to children in need.
Movie Night
We organize a youth movie night for youth to come together to socialize and enjoy a free movie with snacks and refreshments.
Operation LAMB
The LAMB Foundation of NC is a public 501(c)3 not-for-profit charity dedicated solely to assisting people who have intellectual disabilities within the state of North Carolina. Each local council allocates 85% of its collections for donation to local organizations. The remaining 15% is controlled by the LAMB Foundation of NC’s Board of Directors and is given to organizations that serve people with intellectual disabilities regionally, or organizations that may not have a local Knights of Columbus council and that have a special need.
The History of LAMB
Operation LAMB’s story starts in 1960 at the local Knights of Columbus council of William “Bill” Scott. Bill and his wife, Maureen, had two children with intellectual disabilities and experienced firsthand the desperate need to help fund facilities and organizations that care for, educate and support people like their children.
Bill’s idea grew, and by 1974 he enlisted the help of fellow state officers to present his program to the local Knights of Columbus councils across North Carolina. The idea was simple: If each local council collected funds on an entirely volunteer basis, all of the money raised could go directly where it’s needed most: to institutions that care for people with intellectual disabilities.
The program was unanimously approved and adopted, with Knights of Columbus across the state donning iconic yellow aprons and handing out Tootsie Rolls while raising money for Operation LAMB, which is an acronym derived from the Biblical phrase in Matthew to serve the “Least Among My Brethren.” Today, North Carolina has 130 councils with more than 16,000 members who take to streets and storefronts at various times throughout the year, offering Tootsie Rolls to passers-by for voluntary donations. Volunteers range from Knights of Columbus members and their families and friends to teachers and participants with intellectual disabilities from LAMB-sponsored organizations. A substantial portion of the funds raised also comes from the generous donations of local corporations and individuals.
The LAMB Foundation of NC, Inc. was officially incorporated in 1999 to accommodate Operation LAMB’s growth and has raised $23+ million since its inception. Bill’s vision is still alive and well, with a whopping 93% of all funds raised going directly to program support (the 7% pays for our hallmark Tootsie Rolls, yellow vests and a required outside accountant who performs our annual financial review and tax filings).
Our allocation structure also ensures that our funding directly benefits the communities in which we live. Each local council allocates 85% of its collections for donation to local organizations. The remaining 15% is controlled by the LAMB Foundation of NC’s Board of Directors and is given to organizations that serve people with intellectual disabilities regionally, or organizations that may not have a local Knights of Columbus council and that have a special need.
In recent years, the LAMB Foundation of NC, Inc. is proud to have achieved Gold Sponsor status with the Special Olympics North Carolina, one of our larger recipients.
Operation LAMB was conceived from the very personal experience of Bill and his family and has continued to be a passionately personal cause for our members, volunteers and the individuals and families impacted by our funding. We strive to increase our fundraising annually so that year over year we can support the “least among our brethren” in even more meaningful ways. Please join us.