Knights' Family of the Year delights in community service
Friday, Jun. 19, 2020
Courtesy photo
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The MacGilvery family finds joy in feeding other people. Courtesy photo/ Kevin MacGilvery
By Linda Petersen
Intermountain Catholic
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Knights of Columbus Family of the Year 2020 was announced May 30 in a special web/phone conference. The Knights held the virtual event after their annual convention was canceled due to restrictions as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic
The MacGilvery family of Sandy was named as recipients of the award. Kevin MacGilvery, who has been a member of St Thomas More Council 11479 for 14 years, is employed by the Housing Authority of Salt Lake City. In that position, he oversees the operation of several facilities and helps provide services for 715 homeless veterans and special needs seniors. He is also a former paramedic.
MacGilvery is a veteran himself, having served as a boatswain mate in the Coast Guard from 1985 to 1991. While filling in for the ship’s chef who fell and broke his leg, he shared his cooking skills with the crew. His captain was so appreciative of his efforts that when they returned to port, he sent him to the Seattle Art Institute’s culinary academy for nine months.
MacGilvery’s grandfather was a Knight of Columbus, and he has clear memories of the camaraderie and service of his grandfather and his fellow Knights.
“There was never a bad moment with all those men,” he said, so when he moved to Utah and was invited by his father-in-law to join a local council, he immediately agreed.
Kristen MacGilvery, who describes herself as an “Army brat,” said she was “adopted” by her future husband and friends shortly after they first met. She and Kevin married in 2000 and moved to Utah in 2006. She is a recreational therapist at the VA medical center, a member of the Ladies of St. Thomas More and the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Home School Association.
Their daughter Keira, 13, just finished seventh grade at Blessed Sacrament School. She is an honor roll student who acts in school plays, sings in the choir, and is also an alter server. She swims competitively, plays basketball and volleyball, and is a member of a local junior roller derby team.
The whole family is deeply involved in St. Thomas More Parish and in the Blessed Sacrament school community. They serve in any capacity asked, but particularly enjoy being part of any events that involve food and are often the driving force behind those events.
Kevin MacGilvery’s love of cooking was formed at the knee of his Italian grandmother.
“Cooking was always a passionate thing of mine,” said MacGilvery, who is originally from San Francisco, Calif.
It was natural for him to gravitate toward types of service that allowed him to feed others.
“I run the kitchen for any big events that the Knights are responsible for,” from Oktoberfest to wedding receptions, he said.
Service is important to the family because “it’s who we are,” Kristen MacGilvery said, and Keira has followed in her parents’ footsteps.
However, while they love to serve, the MacGilverys are uncomfortable in the spotlight.
“I do what I do because it fills my cup to feed people,” said Kevin MacGilvery, who remembers going hungry many times as a child. “It’s about giving back; I always want to be in a position of giving back.”
“It’s humbling; it’s heartwarming; it’s incredible” to receive the Family of the Year award, Kristen MacGilvery said, “because we try to be true to who we are and be authentic in how we care,” she said.
State officials hope to present the MacGilverys with their award in person at a June 27 organization meeting at St Olaf Parish in Bountiful.
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