Peaceful Knights receives $500 grant
Peaceful Knights of Lehighton will have a little extra financial help to better serve its clients.
Recently, the not-for-profit organization was named the 2014 Interagency Council of Carbon County grant recipient. The grant is worth $500 and can be used to help a program that works to help Carbon County residents.Mindy Graver, treasurer of the IAC, presented the grant after the fifth annual Legislative Breakfast on Friday.Before naming Peaceful Knights as the winner, Graver said it was a hard decision because all of the applicants were very deserving.This year, more than 10 organizations applied for the grant, which was the most in the five years it has been awarded.Aggie Shehadeh, president and founder of Peaceful Knights, thanked the group.She said the mission of the organization is to help the homeless of Carbon County by offering temporary housing to those who qualify.This is the seventh year for the group, which is a Christian organization.Clients for Peaceful Knights are required to go to a Christian church once a week, volunteer 10 hours a week, apply for jobs if unemployed and look for long-term housing.Shehadeh said that Peaceful Knights receives no government funding because it requires the people to go to church and share the gospel."I am always humbled because some people sit in courts of presidents and kings," she said as she looked at the agencies in attendance at the breakfast. "I believe in something called divine compassion. There is a level of compassion that most people have and then there is a level of compassion that each one of you has. You don't do it for the paycheck. You do it because you care deeply about each person that comes in front of you, about your community. Carbon County is the best place to live."Shehadeh ended with the quote "divine compassion combined with divine power equals all you need," because God will always lead you to the answers.For more information on Peaceful Knights, visit
www.peacefulknights.org, call 610-393-2536 or email