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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1984-02-08, Page 13• ii• 9,09 Serving. over 25,000 homes in I,.istgwei, Wingham, Mount Forest, Milverton, Elmira, Pal. Monkton, Millbank, Newton, Clifford, Wallegstein, Drayton, Moorefield and Atthur. Wednesday, February 8, 1984 en celebrate fifth anniversary An important part of the community.., Service clubsare an important part of every comtmtin ty. They aid minor sporting events, donate money to national causes and help improve the community by con- tributing :their tion and money tp various projects. This year the Milverton Kinsmen are celebrating their fifth anniversary. The club started in August, 1979, chartered by the Harriston Kinsmen Club. The Milverton club is a member of Zone B which encompasses 11 clubs, the oldest in' the zone being the Listowel organization which was chartered on July 20, 1948. Two months after that, the Wingham club was formed. Other members in the zone include Mount Forest, organized in 1963, Harriston, chartered in 1959, Drayton in 1968, Lucknow andkii1onkton in 1976, Arthur in 1979, 'Belgrave, 1977 and Point Clark in 1978. John Day was a member of the Harriston club before he came to work in Milverton in 1979. He enjoyed his time in the Harriston club and was disappointed when no organization existed in Milverton. He took matters into his own hands and started one himself.' The club became the 99th Kinsmen Club in Ontario and the 615th in Canada. Forty-nine members were chartered. Since then the club has performed a number of services to the community. One of its first projects was the Heart Fund canvass which has been held annually in Milverton. Last year the Kinsmen raised over $1,000. Results of the Kin men's work can be seen throughout Milverton. Last year baseball washrooms, a press box and a concession stand behind the arena were constructed, which according to Brian Gropp, public relations officer for the club was the biggest endeavor the organization has undertaken. Ma-ray—fa-naaaaaaag—prnjeaaaa__arP®Boer Organizations throughout the year. A dance is held every As a result of the Kinsmen organization, fall, which raises a huge amount of money several "splinter groups" have been for - and an annual beef barbecueis held in the c�mer, money frojm both , going .towprdS munity Works: One of- the club's greater involvements is in minor sports. Ball diamonds have been fer&d, screens have been built, . and sweaters have been donated to the associations. _.. Every year the Kinsmen host a minor ball tournament with 32 teams coming from as far as Guelph and London. "We want to do something for the children under 12," Mr Gropp said. "It gives them a chance to compete with other teams,. something they usually don't get a chance to do. We don't make any money at it — in fact, AIDS'MfNOR SPIRTS—Kinsmen clubs across the country are known for;, their work in minor sports and other activities. Donating sweaters ands various equipment' is just one of the ways the clubs help out. #w� Hal Rogers:g the foundin . father .„ ,tUgVt+«F=9 Kinsmen take an active part in most communities across Canada. Everyone is familiar with the organization's works, but not too many are aware of the "founding father", Hal Rogers who started the club shortly after the First World War. The beginning started on a rather negative note. Mr. Rogers had been rejected for membership by the Rotary Club in Hamilton. He had come to the city after the war looking for fellowship; however his father was also a member of the club but due to its rules and regulations, he was, rejected. Because he still wanted to belong to some organization, he decided to form his own. He met with another Hamilton newcomer and the two organized a dinner" at the Nanking Cafe. Eleven men gathered for the dinner and within a year Kinsmen had signed 50 members. In the club's first project, members made contact with newcomers in Hamilton and welcomed them to the city. Mr. Rogers was born in London, Ont., in 1899 and went to work as a junior clerk with the Home Bank of Thorndale, Ont. But when his father., Charles Frederick Rogers took over managament of a plumbing and heating supply business in Hamilton, Hal joined the staff and prepared himself for a sales career. Two months later Mr. Rogers enlisted in the war. Overseas, he saw action with the 54th Kootenay Battalion. Corporal Rogers was gassed at Paschendale but continued active duty until wounded at Amiens, Aug. 8, 1918. He was sent to England and returned home to Canada in January,,1919. He wasted no time in resuming his sales career but began to miss the company of men his own age. It was then his chance encounter with the Hamilton Club took place. The official charter date is Feb. 20, 1920. In 1921a one of the new Kinsmen moved to Montreal and a club was formed there. That year the first national convention .pf sorts. was held when the two clubs met in Hamilton. The same process occurred to start clubs in Toronto and Vancouver by 1924. When World War II struck, there were over 24 clubs in existence. Three weeks after war was declared the organization formed a war services committee. • Some of the activities the Kinsmen sponsored included a mobile dental clinic in the British army. Sixty-five tons of magazines were shipped to the merchant , marine. Hostess houses were built for wives and families of—troops at Shilo, Man. and Debert, N.S. Throughout the war, Kinsmen war savings stamps were sold at a peak rate of Stories by Laura Plumtree we usually lose money." In 1981, the Kinsmen took an active part in organizing the town's , Centennial celebration. This year, they are a 'major part of the activities for the Bicentennial. The celebrations will be a joint venture by many of the organizations in town, including the Lions Club, with the Kinsmen making up the committee. With this help the Kinsmen hope to see such activities as a parade, a carnival, a ball tournament, dances, soap box derbies, and a tree planting ceremony. Kinsmen' clubs in the zone have a close relationship, and visitation within the zone is encouraged. An Arnie Zimmerman Award has been established to help promote this activity. "Arnie used to love visiting the different clubs," Mr. Gropp said. "When he died, the award was set up. The award goes to the club that has done the most visiting, and is decided on a point basis." Service clubs in Milverton work hand in. hand. With the help of the Lions Club a playground was built. The Lions' and the Kinsmen also organize the Santa Claus parade every year. The Kinsmen and the snowmobile club co- sponsor the annual rally, which was recently held in Milverton. Not all the activities are designed to raise money. A bicycle rodeo is sponsored every year in cooperation with the Milverton Police Department, to promote safety and awareness among children. Smaller events are held throughout the year to raise money. A Grey Cup draw, Easter basket draw, and New Year's dance are just some examples of their work. A K-Ette organization has likewise been formed for the Kinettes. They act mostly in the same capacity as the K-40 club. The Kinsmen Association and •several young men's service clubs similar to Kin- smen formed a World Council of Young Men's Service Clubs in 1945. At that time, Active 20-30 International from North and Central American, Round Tables Great Britain and Kinsmen were the founding members of this international organization. There are now more th than'60 associations in more than 80 nations belonging to World Council and the Young Men's Service Club movement circles the globe. A World Council Conference is held an- nually allowing thousands of young men and their wives to get together for the purpose of understanding each other and bringing a greater respect for each other's way of life. National Commitments Zone B participates in a variety of ac- tivities designed to raise money for the association's national commitments, such as cystic fibrosis and mental retardation. Each club has its own fund-raising event, a such as Harriston's Peanut Drive, which has raised $1,500 for C.F. The Palmerston organization has sponsored Terry Fox runs in the past to raise money for the Terry Fox Achievement Centre. Listowel hosts the annual Paddyfest, Monkton holds its Win- terfest and Greaser weekends, and Arthur hosts a chicken barbecue and tractor pull. Drayton annually hosts a beef barbecue and farm show, Belgrave holds a pork barbecue and dance, and Mount Forest holds a beef barbecue as its annual,project. Dan Lamey is the executive director of the Kinsmen Association, headquartered in Cambridge, Ont. He explains the club has three major national„ projects. There are eight districts across Canada and six of these are involved in cystic fibrosis. Last year, they raised $1 million for C.F. med. One that is taking a prominent role is -or esmt Tlie ess li ' e sponsor service projects and provide sup- port to their community and to the spon- soring Kinsmen Club. Because the Kinsmen clubs are made up of younger men, usually from ages 20 to 40, a K-40 °chubwas formed.' Kinsmen who ,are beyond the age group can either become privileged members of their club or join this organization. It acts on mostly a social level but often assists sponsoring Kinsmen clubs in service projects, conducts educational seminars, recruits new members and provides public relations contacts. In Saskatchewan; the Kinsmen Foun- dation for the Disabled has ,been established. A telethon is held annually in 11arch, whiehralsg00,million'last,year., • Ix Brittili "°Coli thbia the Kinsmen Rehabilitation Foundation raised in excess of $2 million last year. , . At' -the. headquarters in Cambridge; 13.. people work. full-time. The headquarters were established in 1980, when Mr. Lamey took -his -position as executive director. Although money is raised by individual clubs fortotal projects, Mr. Larrey said they are required to -report how much money they've collected over the year. Last year approximately $23 million was raised - across Canada, all of which will go towards community or national projects. ,..,.r... ;A. J t 144.14 FOUNDING FATHER—Hal Rogers was the founding father of the Kinsmen .back in 1920. When he found he was unable to join a Rotary Club in Hamilton, he formed the club, which eventually grew to its current size 9nd status. honored with the Order of Canada, presented by former Governor General Jules Leger. More than 300 individuals wrote in with his nomination. The Kinsmen are still involved in world- wide affairs. They have become involved in medical research funds for mental retar- dation, cystic fibrosis and others. On Feb. 20, 1979 the Kinsmen National Institute on Mental Retardation opened in Toronto. More than $400,000 had been raised by members for the facility. Mr. Rogers himself lives in retirement in Toronto and still enjoys participating in national conventions, special Kinsmen "events and community work. $225,000 per week. A Milk -for -Britain fund raised close to $3 million, resulting in 50 million quarts of milk being shipped to the children of Great Britain and $106,000 was raised for food parcels for Britain. After the war,Kinsrnen took an active part in disaster relief. Major donations were made to flood -ravaged areas, including Winnipeg ir1 1950, Europe in 1952-53, Hurricane Hazel's path in Southern Ontario in 1954, Frejus in 1960 and Hamburg in 1962. Mare recently the Kinsmen helped organize funds for the Woodstock tornado victims and the Dover floodxelief. Several years ago, Mr. Rogers was AUXILIARY GROUPS—Kinettes, K-40 and K -Etter have beeh• Kinettes received its charter last summer. • formed out of the original Kinsmen groups. The Milvertbh