Endowments; Soldiers--Services for; Soldiers--Recreation; New York (N.Y.); Knights of Columbus
Format
correspondence
Genre
Business correspondence
Date
[March 25, 1918]
Physical Description
microfilm, 16 mm, b&w
Note (Reel no.)
Reel 79
Note
PDF may contain multiple grant documents.
War Camp Fund
After the United States entered World War I, Supreme Knight James A. Flaherty proposed to U.S. President Woodrow Wilson that the Order establish soldiers' welfare centers in the U.S. and abroad. The organization already had experience, having provided similar services to troops encamped on the Mexican border during Pershing's expedition of 1916. Staff and chaplains were sent to every Army camp and cantonment. With the slogan 'Everyone Welcome, Everything Free,' the 'huts' became recreation/service centers for doughboys regardless of race or religion. They were staffed by 'secretaries,' commonly referred to as 'Caseys' (for K of C) who were generally men above the age of military service. The centers provided basic amenities not readily available, such as stationery, hot baths, and religious services. One well-known 'Casey' was major league baseball player Johnny Evers of 'Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance,' who traveled to France as a member of the Knights of Columbus to organize baseball games for the troops. A total of 260 buildings were erected and 1,134 secretaries, of which 1,075 were overseas, staffed them. In Europe, headquarters were established in London and Paris. The order continued this work until November 1919, at which point the effort was taken over by the federal government. To pay for these huts and their staff, the order instituted a per capita tax on the membership to raise $1 million. Local councils undertook their own fundraising drives which resulted in an additional $14 million to support the effort. In 1918, just before the war ended, the Knights and other organizations undertook another effort to raise funds to support the welfare of the men fighting abroad. The amount apportioned to the order and the National Catholic War Council totaled $30 million which, when combined with earlier efforts, funded efforts to support troops both in the United States and overseas. After the war, the Knights became involved in education, occupational training, and employment programs for the returning troops." [SOURCE: "Charitable activities of the Knights of Columbus." Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charitable_activities_of_the_Knights_of_Columbus. Accessed 1 Oct. 2018.]