The Kinsmen Club of Moose Jaw has been a staple in the community for nearly 80 years, and it's no secret that the non-profit charitable organization has lent a helping hand to tons of projects over the years.
Kin Canada is celebrating it's centennial this year, making now a perfect opportunity to spotlight the ways in which Moose Jaw’s local Kinsmen Club stays involved each and every year.
The Kinsmen motto is “Serving our community’s greatest needs,” and Moose Jaw member Cory Olafson feels like the local club really works hard to do exactly that.
The club has just over 20 members this year, many of which have been part of the Kinsmen for over 20 years. The service club makes an estimated $100,000 in donations around the community every year, and they make sure each dollar goes to a good cause right here in Moose Jaw.
“I think every Kinsmen Club does something a little bit different for their communities,” said Olafson. “I guess around town here, we focus on wherever we think we can make a difference.”
For starters, a large number of Moose Jaw Kinsmen initiatives focus on supporting kids and sports, often at the same time.
The Kinsmen make an annual donation to KidSport, to help make athletic activities available to every child in the city, and they run the Kinsmen Beaver and Cub Scouts group for boys age 5 to 10.
They also have many long-standing partnerships with lots of athletic groups in the city, helping cover the costs of uniforms, equipment, or training space to keep fees down for athletes — like the Moose Jaw Kinsmen Wrestling Club, Kinsmen Minor Football, Moose Jaw Kinsmen Speed Skating Club, and the Kinsmen Flying Fins and Aqua Otters, to name a few.
“Our take is that the more kids that you can keep involved and keep playing sports, the more they have some sort of organization and structure,” said Olafson.
One of the club’s largest fundraisers every year is the much anticipated Sports Celebrity Banquet, which is always a fantastic night out on the town for attendees.
It’s not surprising in a sports town like Moose Jaw that a service group like the Kinsmen are involved in so many different sports, but they also offer a hand in other ways as well.
“We take multiple requests every year,” said Olafson. “There’s so much that we do.”
The Kinsmen give a standing donation to the Moose Jaw Health Foundation every year and are just coming to the end of a sponsorship contract with Mosaic Place.
They offer high school scholarships to the students in the city and co-sponsor the 10-foot tall Christmas tree that goes up in front of Mosaic Place every holiday season.
They also sponsor other non-profit groups like Moose Jaw Families for Change. The Kinsmen helped MJFFC open the Kinsmen Inclusion Centre in 2018 and then the Kinsmen Cafe at the end of 2019.
They also have a few notable Moose Jaw spots named after them: the Kinsmen Sportsplex, Kinsmen Wellesley Park in Wakamow Valley, and a green space in West Park that will soon be upgraded.
Of course, all of the Kinsmen’s supports are provided through the club’s ongoing fundraisers throughout the year.
In partnership with the Kinnettes Club, the Kinsmen Safe Ride program is able to provide safe transportation for about 30 holiday parties every season, getting party-goers home safely and collecting donations for the club.
The Kinsmen Club also organizes the annual Santa Claus Parade every December, and it was the Kinsmen who put on the International Band and Choral Festival in the spring for decades before handing the reins over to a committee.
There’s also the club’s Chase the Ace fundraiser that takes place at Cask 82 every Wednesday night, which is on it's way to becoming the group’s number one fundraiser in the last few years.
“I think what matters the most to us is that all the money we raise stays in town, here in Moose Jaw, and it's Moose Javians and organizations in our city that are benefitting from the work that we do,” said Olafson.
For Olafson, being a member of the Kinsmen Club is a satisfying way to serve the community alongside a positive group of guys.
“When you give a cheque to an organization or an individual, it really makes you feel good as a member. It’s really self-fulfilling for most of us, I would say,” said Olafson.
Olafson is proud to see that the service club has enjoyed such longevity in the community, which he attributes partially to their continued success in finding new members but also because the Kinsmen always work very hard to be there for Moose Jaw.
The Kinsmen Club can be contacted by email at mjkinsmen@outlook.com.
