April 23, 2008/- The Knights of Columbus (K of C) made a $25,000 pledge to the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation to support the redevelopment of Hotel Dieu Hospital and the pediatric oncology unit at the Cancer Centre of Southeastern Ontario at Kingston General Hospital.

“Our hospitals have been very lucky to have the support of so many steadfast community groups, like the Knights of Columbus,” said Peter Merkley, Vice Chair of the Foundation. “We are truly grateful to the all the members of the Knights of Columbus, their families and their parishes for their ongoing support and we hope this pledge will inspire others to give.”

More than 12 K of C councils across the Kingston area contributed to the donation. The Knights of Columbus have been supporters of the university hospitals of Kingston, especially Hotel Dieu Hospital, for decades.

“We are very pleased to support the redevelopment of Kingston’s university hospitals. The Knights of Columbus is all about families and we can think of nothing more important to our families and the entire community than investing in our hospitals,” said Howard Gallivan, Kingston Diocesan Director of the Knights of Columbus. “This gift will be a legacy for all the families in Southeastern Ontario for generations to come. We hope others will follow our lead and support the redevelopment of our hospitals.”

The first K of C council in Canada was created in Montreal in 1897, just 15 years after Father Michael J. McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus. Today’s Canadian Knights continue in the spirit of Father McGivney and Dr. James Guerin. In the past decade, the Knights of Columbus in Canada have collectively donated more than $226 million and 83 million volunteer service hours to charitable causes. There are more than 231,000 Knights in nearly 1,900 councils throughout the country. The Knights of Columbus has $9.4 billion of insurance in force in Canada, protecting the financial futures of Knights and their families.