“The Knights of Columbus Council 11357 of St. Hubert Church in Langley has earned the distinction of Star Council, the international organization’s top award, for the 1999-2000 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 Fred Abraham, Jr. presented the award to the membership at a special ceremony Dec. 9.The dedication to the principles and aims of the order shown by your officers and members is exemplified by the high standard of excellence you have achieved, said Virgil C. Dechant, president of the international organization.The Star Council is quite an honor for us. We’re extremely proud of this accomplishment, said Lyle Spink, head of the 68-member St. Hubert Knights. Spink said the group reports monthly on its programs and activities.There are five areas in which we are expected to be active: church, family, council, youth and community, he said. The council’s efforts have ranged from charity raffles, canned food drives and highway cleanup to support for the family of the month and the Lollipop Program.Kids with baskets of lollipops ask for donations after mass on Sunday for the pro-life fund, Spink said. When you donate they give you a lollipop.The lollipop kids raised $680 in 1999 for Pregnancy Aid and $1,300 in 2000, Spink said.Our charity raffle always raises from $600-$800, he added. Last year’s beneficiaries included the In a Pinch Childcare and Crisis Nursery, the South Whidbey Youth Center and the Red Flyer reading program (one of the Knights is also a tutor in the program, Spink said). In all, the St. Hubert Knights of Columbus are involved annually in about 25 programs. You name it, we do it, Spink said.* They collect pennies for heaven in a barrel to help support a seminarian, last year with $500;* They host a Valentine’s breakfast and a Mother’s Day event;* Members help at the community Thanksgiving dinners; * The council sponsors the annual Hoop Shoot basketball competition for young players;* Members staff a booth at the Island County Fair. Funds raised from the fair booth go into the general fund, Spink said, which is then used for unforeseen accidents or misfortunes.One year a house in which a parish family was living burned down, he said. The St. Hubert Knights were able to make a significant contribution toward helping them.The Knights also host a Father Appreciation Dinner every year for their parish priest Father Jerry Moffatt.This year it was at the Bayview Senior Center, Spink said. We have a prime rib dinner and ‘roast’ Father Moffatt. The proceeds (around $1,000) are put into his retirement fund.The Knights also take part in unplanned opportunities to help the community. This past fall an Anacortes farm offered to donate three tons of red potatoes. All three Knights of Columbus councils in their district — Langley, Oak Harbor and Anacortes — trucked up north and bagged the spuds, then transported them to their communities.We brought one ton of potatoes back to South Whidbey, Spink said. The bounty went to Good Cheer, the Senior Center and, through the St. Hubert church outreach, to the more than 40 families church members annually adopt at Christmastime.The families also received gifts, toys and food, Spink said.This is the third Star Council Award given to the St. Hubert Knights, and one of the years in which all three district councils were so honored.We’re a very working district, Spink said. It’s very worthy, very gratifying.The Knights of Columbus is a Catholic, family, fraternal, service organization with nearly 1.6 million dues-paying members in more than 11,000 councils worldwide. In 1999, they gave more than 55.3 million hours of volunteer service and donated $108.9 million to charitable and benevolent causes. “