Members of Council 14224 were busy Saturday and Sunday this past weekend raising funds, Holliston knowledge, and spirits around town.

Saturday, the Knights raised over $1,500 offering Tootsie Roll treats as part of an annual national campaign for donations supporting special needs children.

Sunday, a bright sunny autumn day, was a perfect backdrop for back-to-back events. Below, you see entrants signing up for the first annual “History / Mystery Car Rallye.” About 20 carloads of explorers were sent out on four different routes around town to locate the points of interest and answer some Holliston trivia questions.

Below, Knight (and car junkie) Paul Saulnier was co-creator of this new fundraiser and was the official starter sending drivers off with the green “flag.”

Although not an official category, this reporter awarded “The Most Appropriate Car” title to John and Celia Gagno (below) who completed the rallye in this 1995 Corvette (British racing green on an American car?). John and Celia were followed by Ann Tobin and her three “navigators.”

The Knights provided snacks to rallye participants while the “officials” tabulated the results. This was not a timed event to prevent crazy driving – mileage did count and getting lost was not a good thing.

After careful review of the entrants’ worksheets, the winner was declared (the gentleman in the beige cap with his back to the camera). Mr. Saulnier declared a four-way tie for second place and vowed to make next year’s event much more challenging.

Then it was time to draw the winning tickets for the Knights’ 14th Annual Charity raffle. Raffle Coordinator Tom Anguish, below right, provided a recap of this year’s fundraising efforts as Grand Knight Al Scaramella, below left, looks on.

Mr. Anguish reported that 5,466 tickets were sold for this year’s raffle. Mr. Scaramella reported that the Knights were donating a total of $20,000 from this year’s raffle proceeds. Earlier this year, the Knights held a charity golf tournament that raised an additional $9,000 that was earmarked for the Holliston Pantry Shelf, bringing this year’s total to $29,000 added to the $250,000 previously donated (below)

The $20,000 donations will go to the Holliston Senior Center, the Pantry Shelf – and other area food banks, several veterans’ charities, and Tunnels to Towers (T2T) – a charity whose mission is, “Since 9/11, we have been helping America’s heroes by providing mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children and by building custom-designed smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders. We are also committed to eradicating veteran homelessness and aiding the victims of major U.S. disasters.”

Above are the five winning tickets, which were drawn at random out the bin. By now, each has been contacted by the Knights to arrange for their prize to be delivered. For the 5,461 ticket holders who did not win a prize, stay tuned for the 15th Annual Charity Raffle in 2023.