Kin Canada (formerly the Kinsmen and Kinette Clubs of Canada) is a secular

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

service organization A service club or service organization is a voluntary nonprofit organization where members meet regularly to perform charitable works either by direct hands-on efforts or by raising money for other organizations. A service club is defined firstl ...

that promotes service, fellowship, positive values, and national pride. Kin Canada is an organization whose members comprise Kinsmen, Kinette and Kin Clubs (

service club A service club or service organization is a voluntary nonprofit organization where members meet regularly to perform charitable works either by direct hands-on efforts or by raising money for other organizations. A service club is defined firstl ...

s) located in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Membership is open to all persons regardless of race, colour, or creed.

Members

Around 7,000 members belong to about 500 Kinsmen, Kinette and Kin clubs from coast to coast. Kinsmen clubs are predominantly male-only while Kinette clubs are predominantly female-only. Kin clubs have a mixed membership of men and women. The Association was founded in Canada and there are no clubs outside of Canada.

History

In 1920, Harold A. Rogers, known in Kin Canada circles as "Founder Hal", founded the first Kinsmen club in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...

. Rogers, a 21-year-old, had just returned from

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and his father, a well-known Rotarian, encouraged him to join the

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, profe ...

. Rogers was rejected because the Rotary Club would not allow two members from the same business establishment. Not a person to be outdone, Rogers decided to create a new club. As a result of his initiative, a small group of like-minded men gathered for a dinner meeting on February 20, 1920 and formed what became known as the Kinsmen Club of Hamilton – Canada's first Kinsmen Club.

Prominent members

Prominent former and current Kin members include: *

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

John Diefenbaker John George Diefenbaker ( ; September 18, 1895 – August 16, 1979) was the 13th prime minister of Canada, serving from 1957 to 1963. He was the only Progressive Conservative party leader between 1930 and 1979 to lead the party to an electio ...

. *

Governor General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

Ray Hnatyshyn Ramon John Hnatyshyn ( ; uk, Роман Іванович Гнатишин, Roman Ivanovych Hnatyshyn, ; March 16, 1934December 18, 2002) was a Canadian lawyer and statesman who served as governor general of Canada, the 24th since Canadian Co ...

. * Ontario Premier

Ernie Eves Ernest Larry Eves (born June 17, 1946) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the 23rd premier of Ontario from 2002 to 2003. A Progressive Conservative, he took over the premiership upon Mike Harris's resignation as party leade ...

. *

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

MPP

Bruce Crozier Bruce Crozier (June 26, 1938 – June 3, 2011) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the ridings of Essex South and Essex for the Ontario Liberal Party. Background Crozier ...

. *

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

cabinet minister

Rich Coleman Richard Thomas Coleman (born c. 1956) is a Canadian politician and former police officer, who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in British Columbia from 1996 to 2020, and is a former interim leader of the British Columbia Liberal P ...

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

MHA, MP, 12th Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador John C. Crosbie. *

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada (french: region=CA, Sénat du Canada) is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The Senate is modelled after the B ...

MHA, MP, Former Liberal Senator for St. John's East, Newfoundland and Labrador

Eric Cook Eric Cook (26 July 1909 – 23 August 1986) was a Canadian politician. Born in St. John's, Newfoundland, he was a lawyer, businessman and a city councillor in St. John's. He was also the president of the Newfoundland Liberal party. He was s ...

. *

MHA, Former Leader of the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador

Len Stirling Len Stirling is a former politician in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. He was a member of the Newfoundland House of Assembly from 1979 to 1982 and was leader of the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador from 1980 to 1982. ...

. *

MHA, 9th Mayor of the City of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador William G. Adams.

Projects

Clubs independently determine what needs in their community they would like to assist with and often partner with municipalities and/or local non-profit organizations to meet those needs. The projects vary from clubs to club, but some examples include: * Providing funds to hospitals and local organizations * Supplying resources or services to local schools * Assisting with the building of community housing * Building play structures, splash pads and recreation facilities eg. The

Kinsmen Field House The Kinsmen Sports Centre is a multi-purpose sport and recreation facility located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The land surrounding the facility is called Kinsmen Park, part of Edmonton's city-long North Saskatchewan River valley parks system. It ...

, a sports venue in Edmonton * Organizing Christmas parades * Holding toy and food drives * Hosting community carnivals, festivals or events Since the Association's founding, clubs have raised over $1 billion for Canadian communities. Together, the clubs raised CAD $20 million and volunteered over 500,000 hours in the 2018–2019 Kin year.

Cystic fibrosis

Since 1964, Kin Canada has supported

Cystic Fibrosis Canada Cystic Fibrosis Canada is a national charitable not-for-profit corporation established in 1960. Cystic Fibrosis Canada's mandate is to help individuals with cystic fibrosis, principally by funding cystic fibrosis research and care. The organizat ...

, often raising over CAD $1 million a year for

cystic fibrosis Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a rare genetic disorder that affects mostly the lungs, but also the pancreas, liver, kidneys, and intestine. Long-term issues include difficulty breathing and coughing up mucus as a result of frequent lung infections. O ...

(CF) research and treatment. To date, Kin have raised more than $47 million for CF. This makes Kin the country's largest single fundraiser for cystic fibrosis.

Kin Canada Bursaries

Kin Canada Bursaries
a program of the Hal Rogers Endowment Fund, provides financial assistance to eligible persons in their quest for higher learning. Kin Canada established the Hal Rogers Endowment Fund upon the passing of founder Hal Rogers.

Kin Canada Foundation

The Kin Canada Foundation is an incorporated and federally chartered charitable organization established in 2005 to help Kin Canada achieve the objective of "Serving the Community’s Greatest Need". The Foundation's primary goal is to work hand-in-hand with Kin Canada to help resource and develop many of the programs provided for the benefit of the members across Canada.

Canadian Blood Services

Kin Canada established a national partnership with Canadian Blood Services in 2014, however Kin clubs have been involved with blood donation in various ways over the decades. Since 2014 Kin members have donated over 4000 units of blood.

Organ Donor Awareness

The Kin Organ Donor Awareness Campaign (Kin-ODAC) was established in 2001 at National Convention to improve awareness and education about the importance of organ donation across Canada.

Telemiracle

Telemiracle ''Telemiracle'' is an annual telethon organized by the Kin Canada, Kinsmen and Kinettes in Saskatchewan, Canada for the benefit of the Kin Canada, Kinsmen Foundation. Initially broadcast on both CTV Television Network, CTV and CBC Television, ...

is a

telethon A telethon (a portmanteau of "television" and "marathon") is a televised fundraising event that lasts many hours or even days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political or other purportedly worthy cause. Most telethons f ...

organized by the Kinsmen and Kinettes in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

, for the benefit of the Kinsmen Foundation, a Kin Canada affiliate in Saskatchewan. Initially broadcast on both CTV and CBC affiliates in Saskatchewan, it is now broadcast, commercial-free, exclusively on the province's CTV stations. The first telethon, in 1977, raised more than CAD $1 million, which at the time was considered a record for per capita telethon fund-raising in a 20-hour period (the province had a population of only about 1 million people at the time). The telethon passed the $2 million mark for the first time in 1983. And in recent years, the telethon has routinely raised between $3.0 and $5.0 million each year.

Cultural references

* A late hockey player’s “picture in a case in the Kinsmen’s Rink” is mentioned in the folk song “Glory Bound” on the album ''My Skies'' by

James Keelaghan James Keelaghan (born October 28, 1959) is a Canadian folk singer-songwriter. Born in Calgary, Alberta, Keelaghan is now based in Perth, Ontario. Many of the lyrics in his songs display a concern about social problems and justice in society. E ...

References

External links

Kin Canada website

Kin Canada Bursaries website

Telemiracle website

Preston (cambridge) Family of Kin website

Kinsmen Club of Brantford website

Brantford Kinsmen Ribfest website

Kin Club Of Woolwich website

Kinsmen Club of Cornwall website

Cystic Fibrosis Canada website

Kinsmen Club of Edmonton Legends Experience website

Kinsmen Club of Calgary website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kin Canada Clubs and societies in Canada Organizations established in 1920 Service organizations