Nearly 500 years after Christopher Columbus arrived in the New World while searching for a faster route to the Far East, a small group of men from the five councils of the Knights of Columbus met for the first time in Louisville, Kentucky to consider the idea of forming Dismas Charities. Their efforts were obviously successful. Today, Dismas points with great pride to those brave men, like Columbus, who faced sometimes overwhelming odds in order to give their fellow man a second chance. In fact, many members of the Dismas Charities Board of Directors are current members of the Knights, an organization named in honor of the explorer. Originally serving as a mutual benefit society to working-class and immigrant Catholics in the United States, the Knights of Columbus have developed into a fraternal benefit society dedicated to providing charitable services, including war and disaster relief. On October 14, we all have the opportunity to celebrate Christopher Columbus. At Dismas Charities, we’re going to enhance that celebration by recognizing our forward-thinking and brave Board of Directors.
