Kinsmen Club of Winnipeg marking 100th anniversary

Kevin Turney had been aware of the Kinsmen Club of Winnipeg for most of his life, but a tragedy gave him a first-hand look at what they do, and made him want to join up.

“My nephew and godson had taken his own life from addiction,” he said. “When the Bruce Oake Centre was getting talked about, I started getting involved a little more to do with it, since it was in the area I lived in.

“I then realized Winnipeg Kinsmen was a part of it, and were giving money for it. So I looked into it a little further and realized all of the charities that they help and all the wonderful things they do, and I wanted to be a part of it.”

Turney has been a member for the past four years, and currently serves as the vice-president of projects. The club, which is marking its 100th year in 2024, helps charities and organizations around Winnipeg.

“We’re serving Manitoba’s greatest needs,” he said.

A long history in Canada

The Kinsmen Club of Winnipeg held its first meeting on Feb. 20, 1924. Alf Rosevear served as the president. The Winnipeg club was the first located in the Prairie provinces, and the third overall to be created.

“We’re the second-longest serving club in Canada,” Turney said, noting that only the Kinsmen Club of Canada in Hamilton has lasted longer, founded in 1920.

The Kinsmen Clubs are a part of the national Kin network, an association made up of Kinsmen, Kinettes and Kin Clubs.

Volunteers with the Kinsmen Club of Winnipeg paint wheels for a casino event in an undated image. (Kinsmen Club of Winnipeg)

There are 400 volunteer groups in Canada with 27 across Manitoba, including Dauphin, Flin Flon, Thompson, and Brandon. The first-ever National convention was held in Winnipeg in 1926.

National campaigns include Kin Kindness Day on February 24th where members and clubs are encouraged to perform small acts of kindness to give back to their communities.

Their first national campaign was the ‘Milk for Britain’ drive which supplied enough milk powder for more than 50 million quarts to Britain during the Second World War, raising almost $3 million.

A poster advertising the Kinsmen Clubs’ Milk to Britain campaign (Kin Canada)

Each individual Kin club decides where to focus their efforts and throughout its history, the Kinsmen Club of Winnipeg has spearheaded fundraising for Winnipeg’s first Children’s Hospital, founded the Red River Exhibition, and helped fund a building for Winnipeg Harvest and the Children’s Museum.

A donation is made to a hospital in Winnipeg by the Kinsmen Club of Winnipeg in an undated image. (Kinsmen Club of Winnipeg)

The organization has also funded the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and donates an estimated $150,000 to organizations yearly.

Funds are raised through raffles, auctions, and the Kinsmen Jackpot Bingo.

The Kinsmen Club of Winnipeg present a donation of $450,000 to the St. Boniface Hospital Foundation on November 22, 2022 (Kinsmen Club of Winnipeg)

Turney said the Kinsmen currently have 24 members and are looking for more to join and volunteer.

He had this message for people considering joining.

“There’s someone you know at some point in their life that has been touched by the Kinsmen one way or another, whether it be through a charity, through getting a free lunch, or somebody you know plays bingo,” Turney said. “A lot of people don’t realize how much we do and who we serve and who we help, until you start doing a little bit of research and realize all the good that we’re doing out there.”

On Sept. 21, the club is holding a gala to officially celebrate its 100th anniversary at the RBC Convention Centre. More details can be found here.