Storm Lake Knights of Columbus raise $17,000 for Hope For Life ultrasound machine

A year-long push by St. Mary’s Knights of Columbus Council 2326 in Storm Lake secured the final $17,000 needed for a new ultrasound machine at Hope For Life, the pregnancy resource center serving Storm Lake and surrounding communities. The other $17,000 will come through a matching grant from the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council, putting the $34,000 purchase within reach.

The council’s effort depended on small fundraisers and steady donations rather than one big event. Money came from funnel cake sales at Storm Lake’s Star Spangled Spectacular, support from the Iowa State Knights of Columbus Charity Foundation, proceeds from the council’s Cans for a Cause recycling project and private gifts. The Star Spangled Spectacular, held July 3-4 along the Storm Lake lakeshore, draws thousands, and the council’s funnel cake stand accounted for a large share of the ultrasound total. The 2025 fundraising campaign for that celebration officially kicked off June 1 with more than 700 solicitation letters mailed to past and prospective donors.

Will Swanson, who led the initiative, said the result reflected a true team effort from council members and supporters across Buena Vista County. The same Knights council has also supported Hope For Life, formerly Cornerstone For Life, with diaper donations and cash gifts, extending the group’s work beyond a single capital campaign.

For Hope For Life director Misty Ried, the new equipment is more than a purchase. She said it will improve imaging quality and enhance services, giving women clearer information earlier in pregnancy and affecting the families the center serves. That makes the machine a practical health resource in a community where pregnancy support often depends on small local organizations stepping in to fill gaps.

The Knights’ Ultrasound Initiative has operated since 2009, using local and state council fundraising to cover half the cost of a machine before the Supreme Council matches the rest through its Culture of Life Fund. Knights say the program has helped fund about 900 ultrasound machines at a cost of roughly $44 million at pregnancy care centers in all 50 states and Canada. In Storm Lake, the latest machine now moves from fundraiser to reality, with volunteers, donors and a local pregnancy center turning church-based service into a concrete health-access asset for area families.