BRIDGTON — Knights of Columbus Council 11376 of Bridgton/Fryeburg has earned the distinction of Star Council, one of the organization’s top awards, for the 2011-12 fraternal year.

The organization’s headquarters, in New Haven, Conn., made the announcement. The award recognizes overall excellence in the areas of membership recruitment and retention, promotion of the fraternal insurance program and sponsorship of service-oriented activities. The award was presented to the membership by District Deputy Joseph Mathew at a recent business meeting.

“Receiving the Star Council Award is quite an honor for us. We’re extremely proud of this accomplishment,” said Roland Dube, head of the local council.

The Knights of Columbus is the world’s largest Catholic lay organization. It provides members and their families with volunteer opportunities in service to the church, their communities, families and young people. With more than 1.8 million members in more than 14,000 councils around the world, the Knights of Columbus annually donates more than $158 million and 70 million hours of service to charitable causes.

For more information, visit www.kofc.org.