City man raises most in state for Pennies for Heaven
K.C. Steggeman poses with the Edward Baltz plaque awarded to the local Knights of Columbus Council 1782 after they earned a state high $10,201.80 for the 2018 Pennies for Heaven campaign. (EXAMINER PHOTO | REUBEN MEES)
A city man lived up to a goal he set himself 10 years ago and a pledge he made to his wife before her passing when he made a local group the top contributors in Ohio to a Catholic charity.
K.C. Steggeman, 85, has been dedicated to the local Knights of Columbus Council 1782 since moving to Bellefontaine in 1967, first helping increase the membership from just four active members to the 79 members now active with the charitable group associated with the St. Patrick’s Catholic Church.
About 10 years ago, he answered a call from the archbishop to increase funding across the state to the Pennies for Heaven campaign, which helps support seminarians en route to the priesthood.
“From 2002 to 2008, the most they ever raised was $64,000 and the archbishop said he wanted to increase this to $100,000,” Steggeman said. “I was so impressed with this, I came back to our council and said we should be able to raise at least $1,000.”
By starting a club in which members paid $5 a month or $60 a year and got admission to a banquet, the local knights were able to raise more than $1,000 in the very first year. That’s when he was challenged by his wife, Mary Margaret, to do even better.
“My wife told me, if you can raise $1,000 in the first year, you should be able to raise $10,000 in 10 years. She died in 2010, but she came back to haunt me in 2015. She said, ‘Honey, I will help you if you try.’”
Read complete story in Wednesday’s Examiner.
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