Kin Canada

Kin Canada (formerly the Kinsmen and Kinette Clubs of Canada) is a Canadian non-profit service organization that promotes service, fellowship, positive values, and national pride.

Kin Canada is an organization whose members comprise Kinsmen, Kinette and Kin Clubs (service clubs) located in Canada. The individual club members are known as Kin.

Members

More than 8,100 members belong to 570 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.

Kin Alumni

"Once a Kin, always a Kin". The Kin Alumni Association has been challenged with re-establishing and maintaining contact with as many past Kinsmen, Kinettes, K-40, K-Ettes, and Kin Kids as possible. It is estimated that there could be as many as 200,000 Alumni. The purpose is to maintain a link with valued past members that contributed so much to Kin with a view of allowing former members the opportunity to continue the fun and fellowship they enjoyed as active Kin. The mandate is simply to create opportunities where former Kin may gather to experience, once again, the spirit of Kin without the obligations of active membership.

History

In 1920, Hal Rogers, founded the first Kinsmen club in Hamilton, Ontario. Rogers, a 21-year-old, had just returned from World War I and his father, a well-known Rotarian, encouraged him to join the Rotary Club. Harold Rogers was rejected, because the Rotary Club would not allow two members from the same business establishment. Not a person to be outdone, Founder Hal 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 Former Members

Many business and civic leaders attribute there success to their involvement in Kin. Among the more prominent of these former members are:

The thirteenth Prime Minister of Canada, John Diefenbaker
Canada's twenty-fourth governor general, Ray Hnatyshyn
The twenty-third Premier of the province of Ontario, Ernie Eves.
The current Minister of Forests and Range and Minister Responsible for Housing for the province of British Columbia, Rich Coleman.

Mission

"Kin Canada is a dynamic volunteer organization enriching our communities through service while embracing national pride, positive values, personal development and lasting friendships."

Motto

"Serving the Community's Greatest Need" Each club raises funds and determines how to spend those funds in its community. Together, these clubs raise CAD $15 million a year.

Cystic Fibrosis

Since 1964, Kin Canada has supported the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CCFF), raising as much as CAD $1 million a year for cystic fibrosis (CF) research and treatment. Since 1964 Kin have raised more than $34 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

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.

Headquarters

The Kin Canada headquarters is located at 1920 Hal Rogers Drive, in Cambridge, Ontario, about 100 kilometres west of Toronto on Highway 401. Eight full time staff provide administrative services to various Kinsmen, Kinette and Kin clubs. The chief executive officer is Executive Director Ric McDonald.