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

Canadian Canadians () 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 their being ''C ...

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

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 firstly ...

. It promotes

service Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the body of employees of a government * Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a ...

, fellowship, positive values, and

national pride Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and a sense of attachment to one's country or state. This attachment can be a combination of different feelings for things such as the language of one's homeland, and its ethnic, cultural, politic ...

. The members comprise Kinsmen, Kinette and Kin Clubs (

service club A service club or service organization is a Volunteering, voluntary nonprofit organization where members meet regularly to perform Charity (practice), charitable works either by direct hands-on efforts or by raising money for other organizations. ...

s) located throughout the country. 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 Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...

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

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

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

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest Service club, service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, go ...

. 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 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

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 of Canada, Progressive Conservative party leader between 1930 an ...

. *

Governor General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

Ray Hnatyshyn Ramon John Hnatyshyn ( ; March 16, 1934December 18, 2002) was a Canadian lawyer and statesman who served as the 24th governor general of Canada from 1990 to 1995. Hnatyshyn was born and educated in Saskatchewan and served in the Royal Canadian ...

. * 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 Party of Ontario, Progressive Conservative, he took over the premiership up ...

. *

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

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 is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

cabinet minister

Rich Coleman Richard Thomas Coleman is a Canadian politician and former police officer who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in British Columbia, representing Fort Langley-Aldergrove from 1996 to 2017, and Langley East from 2017 to 2020 ...

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...

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

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada () is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons, they compose the Bicameralism, bicameral le ...

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 Leonard Walter Stirling (November 3, 1937 – February 12, 2024) was a Canadian politician in the 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 ...

. *

MHA, 9th Mayor of the City of

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador St. John's is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. The city spans and is the easternmost city in North Ame ...

William G. Adams William Gilbert "Bill" Adams (June 17, 1923 – November 12, 2005), born St. John's, Newfoundland, was the ninth mayor of St. John's and a member of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly. Adams educated at Bishop Feild College and Da ...

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. I ...

, 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, often raising over CAD $1 million a year for

cystic fibrosis Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder inherited in an autosomal recessive manner that impairs the normal clearance of Sputum, mucus from the lungs, which facilitates the colonization and infection of the lungs by bacteria, notably ''Staphy ...

(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 Harold Dallas Rogers (born December 31, 1937) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 1981. He is a member of the Republican Party. Upon Don Young's death in 2022, Rogers became the dean of the Hous ...

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 Kinsmen and Kinettes in Saskatchewan, Canada, for the benefit of the Kinsmen Foundation. Initially broadcast on both CTV and CBC affiliates in Saskatchewan, it is now broadcast, commerc ...

is a

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

organized by the Kinsmen and Kinettes in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, for the benefit of the Kinsmen Foundation, a Kin Canada affiliate in Saskatchewan. Initially broadcast on both CTV and

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

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.

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