NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Knights of Columbus set record highs in 2009 for charitable donations and volunteer service hours, according to the results of an annual survey.
The Knights’ Annual Survey of Fraternal Activity for 2009, released June 4, indicates that the Catholic fraternal organization contributed more than $151.1 million to charitable causes in 2009.That amount exceeds the 2008 total by more than $1 million, said the survey.
Group members also collectively contributed nearly 68 million volunteer service hours to charitable causes in 2009 – an increase of more than 468,000 hours over the previous year, the survey said.
The survey reported that group members volunteered 227,900 hours to Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit Christian housing organization that builds affordable housing in partnership with people in need. It was the most common service program for Knights.
The survey also recorded more than 413,000 blood donations from members in 2009.
Knights have donated more than $1.37 billion, and nearly 640 million volunteer hours to charitable causes in the past decade, according to cumulative totals from the group.
Father Michael J. McGivney founded the Knights in 1882. The group has members throughout North and Central America, the Philippines, Guam, the Caribbean islands and Poland. In May the Knights announced its membership had topped 1.8 million.