Kin History
On Feb. 20, 1920, Hal Rogers and 11 men gathered for a meeting at the Namking Cafe in Hamilton,ON. This group formed the first club in our organization – the Kinsmen Club of Hamilton (ON).
Soon, one of these enthusiastic members moved to Montreal and formed a second club; later a member moved to Winnipeg and formed a club there; then before long a member moved to Vancouver, and a fourth club was formed. Thus, in a short span of four years, Kinsmen clubs had a foothold from Montreal to the west coast.
During the Great Depression, the Association grew in numbers of members and clubs and began to become structurally organized with districts and a national executive. The outbreak of the Second World War saw Kinsmen serve their country on the battlefields and through supplying the British armies with the first mobile dental clinic, which was built and financed by Kinsmen.
After the war, the Association continued to grow and adopted even more ambitious projects. In 1949, the Association set up a Cancer Scholarship Fund to help train doctors in treating the dreaded disease.
The Association experienced continual growth and expansion up until late 1970. A project that gained Kinsmen great public profile during this era was the founding and construction of the Kinsmen National Institute on Mental Retardation in Toronto.
These men found that budding relationships alone were not sufficient enough to sustain a continued interest and decided to perpetuate the ideal of service in peace time as they had done in the war years; thus our organization became a service organization.
At a national convention in Winnipeg in the summer of 1926, the course of Kinsmen became more clear. After a hotly debated session, it was decided Kinsmen would not become an international organization but a national service club; a new constitution and bylaws were presented and adopted, and a maximum age limit of 40 for active membership was set. An important factor in setting this age restriction was that it was part of the agreement that convinced the four Eclectic clubs of Saskatchewan to join our Association. A prominent member of the Eclectic Clubs was John Diefenbaker, who argued effectively for the age restriction.
The national project during the war years was to supply Britain’s children with milk, and to this end the Association shipped over 50 million quarts to Britain. This could be considered, to date, the single most effective national Kin project.
Assistance to flood and hurricane devastated areas of the country and beyond demonstrated the Kinsmen commitment. By being dedicated to fellowship and service, the Association grew to more than 300 clubs and 10,000 members by 1956.
Kinsmen and Kinettes today support cystic fibrosis research and have promoted much publicity and fundraising to try to defeat this disease. Members have made a dramatic impact on life in Canada.
Cystic Fibrosis
Kin Canada is a proud national partner of Cystic Fibrosis Canada.
Each year Kinsmen and Kinettes host a variety of fundraising and awareness-building activities in support of the battle against cystic fibrosis.
Since 1964, Kin members have raised more than $55 million for cystic fibrosis research and patient care.
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When Kinsmen and Kinettes first joined the fight against CF in 1964, children with the disease were not expected to live past the age of four. But today, children and young adults with cystic fibrosis are often living into their mid-50s and beyond. An extra year of life for a CF child has been earned for almost every year of Kin support. Cystic Fibrosis Canada could never have come so far, so fast, without the continued support of Kin.
Your Links to Kin
Kinsmen Partners
Kin Canada
The Association of Kinsmen, Kinette and Kin clubs is proud to be an all-Canadian service organization made up of outstanding community volunteers. From coast to coast, members are enhancing quality of life in their communities by promoting service, fellowship, positive values and national pride. The Association boasts a proud 89-year history dedicated to fostering lifelong friendships while “Serving the Community’s Greatest Need.”
Kinsmen District 5
Kin Canada is divided into eight Districts, themselves comprised of several
Zones, which in turn host individual community Clubs.
District Five encompasses BC and Yukon, with a total of seven Zones
hosting approximately 60 Kinsmen and Kinette Clubs.
The intent of this website is to showcase District Five to the public, and to
provide information to its Zones, Clubs, and General Membership.
Kinsmen Foundation of BC
The Kinsmen Foundation of BC offers direct funding to individuals with disabilities throughout British Columbia, enabling them to lead more independent lives. We also collaborate with other organizations to maximize our impact and reach as many people as possible. We have been able to provide resources such as wheelchairs, lifts, automatic door openers, and environmental control systems. We partner with organizations like Technology for Living to offer the most advanced and innovative equipment, empowering individuals with disabilities to live their lives to the fullest, improving their overall quality of life.