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On Feb. 20th, Kin Week will be proclaimed in honour of 100 Years of Kin in Canada

Kinsmen, Kinette and Kin clubs work to better their communities, enhance the well-being of Canadians and improve the environment
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Local Stettler Kinettes pose for a photo during a ‘Highway Hold-up’ event to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. On Feb. 20th, Kin Week will be proclaimed in honour of 100 Years of Kin in Canada. photo submitted

On Feb. 20th, Kin Week will be proclaimed in Stettler in honour of 100 years of Kin in Canada.

Today, there are more than 400 clubs and 6,000 Kinsmen, Kinettes and Kin across the nation who live by the mission set by the founding members - to ‘Serve the Community’s Greatest Needs’.

Donna MacKenzie, a local club member, said that the national celebration on Founder’s Day includes a Canada-wide flag raising celebration for the service organization’s 100th anniversary.

At the Town Office on Feb. 20th, Mayor Sean Nolls will sign a proclamation declaring Feb. 16th to 22nd as Kin Canada Week. The signing will take place at 9 a.m.

Clubs across Canada will also be taking part in the National Day of KINdness on Feb. 22nd.

MacKenzie said that on the local front, club members have been busy joining seniors in various games and socializing, bagging groceries for customers at local supermarkets, taking coffee and donuts to the police and fire stations and the hospital - just to name a few activities.

They’ve also helped build local play fields, pools, parks and splash parks.

Here in Stettler, the Kinettes and Kinsmen have also been instrumental behind projects such as the great number of playgrounds across the community, the years of dedication to the annual rummage sale, the Kinsmen Radio Days and the blood donor clinic.

They are also big contributors to STARS.

Kin clubs have also helped to raise more than $1 billion for Canadian communities to date, including contributing $47 million to the fight against cystic fibrosis. They have a goal to hit the $50 million mark by August, said MacKenzie.

They are also strong advocates for blood, organ and tissue donation.

MacKenzie has been part of the group for the past 10 years, and came to join it through the rummage sale which the club used to host and organize. “I’ve made a lot of good friends. It’s the camaraderie of the group, and doing things for the community,” she said of what keeps her enthusiastic about serving with the club.

Meanwhile, other local recipients of club support include the Stettler Music Festival, Communities Against Abuse, the HYC Bowl for Kids, the Museum’s Light the Night, Heartland Victim Services, the Stettler Hospice, the Stettler Food Bank and the Christmas Hamper program among many others.

Looking ahead for the Kinettes, a ladies’ night out is also planned for Feb. 22nd. Called ‘The Future is Female’, the fundraising event kicks off at 5:30 p.m. at the Stettler Community Hall.

Highlights include entertainment, a delicious meal from Teresa’s Catering, prizes and draws and a dance as well.

Tickets are on sale at Bond-O Communications (the Telus store), CAMIS on Main Street or any Kinette member.

“We also do a ‘Highway Hold Up’ every year in May at the four-way stop here in Town (on Main Street). All of those donations we collect during that go to Cystic Fibrosis as well.

For more information, find the Kinette Club of Stettler on Facebook.



Mark Weber

About the Author: Mark Weber

I've been a part of the Black Press Media family for about a dozen years now, with stints at the Red Deer Express, the Stettler Independent, and now the Lacombe Express.
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