In 2015, the Knights of Columbus handed out 16,800 Tootsie Rolls and raised $22,478 with their annual Tootsie Roll Drive, according to a press release from the organization.
This Friday and Saturday, the Knights are poised to do it again in what has become an annual rite of spring. Volunteers, in bright yellow vests, will be waving Tootsie Rolls and collecting donations to support programs for people with intellectual disabilities. Over the years, the Knights of Columbus has collected hundreds of thousands of dollars – $342,000 since 1997 – all of it remaining in the community and donated to Special Olympics, Magical Meadows and Cardinal Services, the release states.
The donation to Cardinal goes to support the community living program empowering people to live in their own apartments with just the amount of staff support they need and want. For people who have been in institutions and group homes most of their lives, it’s an enormous and liberating change, the release states. Rather than being limited to what’s best for the group, they make their own day-to-day choices based on what they want. This independence often leads to tremendous personal growth and increased quality of life.
Volunteers are still being sought to work two-hour shifts, and may call Linda Bruss at 574-371-1312 to sign up.
