Florenceville Kins Club celebrates 50 years of service

The club will host the Atlantic Fall Leadership Conference in October

October marks the 50th anniversary of the Florenceville Kins Club, one of the approximately 1,000 groups belonging to Kin Canada, the only all-Canadian service organization.

The club will mark the occasion by hosting the annual Atlantic Fall Leadership Conference on Oct. 27 to 30. More than 100 delegates from across the Atlantic provinces will attend the event, hosted at the Amsterdam Inn.

The event will include seminars, mentoring sessions, anniversary celebrations, and tours of local businesses. The conference will dedicate one afternoon to volunteer work as the group and attending delegates work on community service projects.
Community service projects are the backbone of the Kin Club. Director of Operations.

“Our national slogan is ‘serving the community’s greatest need,'” said Kin member Jody Foster. He explained that at their general meetings held twice a month, they would find out about existing needs in the community and decide how they could help. And help they do — from fundraising events aimed at supporting their Atlantic and national partners,
Multiple Sclerosis and Cystic Fibrosis, to community service projects and supporting local children and seniors, the club is always working for those in need.

“We’re a small club but a busy club. We’re always looking for volunteers,” said Foster.

The club recently finished its Kin Care for Seniors program that ran during COVID.
For 38 weeks, every Saturday, the club provided 100 meals to local seniors. They cooked the meals themselves and then had volunteers deliver them to shut-ins.

“It was more than just delivering meals,” Foster said. “It was a wellness check, too.”
He noted that the seniors appreciated the face-to-face connection during the COVID-isolating days. Foster said the club’s largest fundraiser is their annual Christmas Miracle Telethon.

“We typically raise $35,000, which goes towards food boxes and toys for up to 200 [community] families, to ensure they are able to have a Christmas.” The club also hosts smaller community events throughout the year, such as the Mayor’s Breakfast on Canada Day and a free skating party on Family Day.

They also run a weekly bingo, all of which help raise funds to support their service work.
For upcoming events, the club will be hosting its Kin Fall Craft Fair on Oct. 22, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Florenceville Kin Club.
There will be a small admission of $2 charged to attend the event, with more than 80 tables booked. There will also be a canteen on site. The proceeds will go to their General Service Account to fund upcoming project.