The 20s and 30s

February 20, 1920 – The Kinsmen Club is founded in Hamilton, Ontario by Harold (Hal) Rogers.

Kin expands its mandate to include service, personal development, family values and national pride.

1926 – Nine cities across Canada charter Kinsmen clubs.

National Convention in Winnipeg – The organization adopts a constitution and by-laws. The maximum active membership age is set to 40.

1929 – 24 Kinsmen clubs are formed into five districts under Governors and District officers.

1935 – The first K-40 clubs are formed and give older Kinsmen a chance to stay involved in Kin.

K-ette clubs are started for women.

The 40s and 50s

1942 – At the National Convention, Kinettes are given official recognition in the national bylaws and are duly certified as an auxiliary organization.

1945 – The Association grows to include 150 clubs across Canada.

1950 – The National Awards program is developed to support member retention and to provide clubs and members with goals to strive for during the year, including leadership and public speaking skills.

1956 – The Association now includes 300 clubs across the country.

The 60s and 70s

1964 – The Kinsmen Club of North York begins supporting cystic fibrosis research.

1970 – The Association celebrates its 50^th anniversary by raising $400,000 to assist in the construction of the Kinsmen National Institute of Mental Retardation at York University.

1971 – Sport Participation Canada (later renamed ParticipACTION), a not-for-profit private company is formed on July 12. Rt. Hon. Lester B. Pearson is Chairman and Mr. Philippe de Gaspé Beaubien is President. Sun Life Assurance Company and the Kinsmen Clubs of Canada work with ParticipACTION to build activity trails called "ParticiParks" (fitness-oriented parks) in over 100 communities across Canada.

1975 – The Association includes 500 clubs with 16,000 members.

The 80s and 90s

1980 – The National Headquarters is opened, a three-storey, 14,000 sq. ft. building in      Cambridge, Ontario.

1983 – The maximum age limit for active membership is raised to 45.

1983 – Kinettes are made full partners of the Association.

1985 – Over $1 million is raised for cystic fibrosis research.

1986 – Kin members assist wheelchair athlete Rick Hansen on the final stretch of his world journey.

1987 – Cystic fibrosis is adopted as a National Service Project.

1991 – The Association changes its name to the Kinsmen and Kinette Clubs of Canada

1992 – Over 3 million Canadian children sign specially-designed Canadian flags during Kin Canada’s "Proud to Be Canadian” tour.

1993 – “Raise the Flag!" day promotes Kin's national pride and encourages Canadians to show their love for Canada by raising and flying flags.

1994 – "Kin" or "Kinsmen & Kinette" (mixed) clubs are deemed to be a charter option for new or existing clubs.

1999 – Kinsmen, Kinette and Kin Clubs raise more than $25 million for service projects.

The upper age limit is eliminated as a qualification for active membership.

The New Millennium

2002 – Kinsmen raise over $73,000 for the Hay West project. The project helped transport hay from Eastern Canada to the drought-stricken fields of Saskatchewan and Alberta.

2003 – Devastating fires ravage British Columbia leaving many homeless or living in shelters. Kin Canada pledges more than $50,000 and 30,000 pounds of beef to assist residents and firefighters.

2003 – BBQ Canada supports the ailing beef industry in Canada. On Labor Day, Kin clubs and groups across the country host free barbecues to show the world that Canadian beef is safe and that they support the Canadian beef industry.

This event makes the Guinness Book of World Records for serving more than 280,000 individuals a beef product.

2004 – Kin Canada and Cystic Fibrosis Canada celebrate a 40-year partnership. Since 1964, Kin has raised more than $33 million for CF research.

2005 – Kin Canada makes a $48,000 donation to the Canadian Red Cross for the tsunami relief in Southeast Asia.

2006 – Kin Canada presents a $1 billion cheque to the People of Canada and the World. This amount represented the cumulative total of dollars raised during the Association’s 86-years of service.

2008 – The “We are all Kin” campaign is launched to increase member pride, reduce member/club isolation and highlight the value of friendships formed in Kin. Moose mascots “Pride” and “Passion” are adopted.

2010 – Kin Canada celebrates the Association’s 90th Anniversary.

2010 – Kin Canada raises over $50,000 to support Haiti earthquake relief efforts.

2011 – ‘Portraits of Honour,’ a Kin Canada National Project, begins its tour across Canada to raise money for the Military Families Fund and other charities that support military personnel and their families. Learn more about Portraits of Honour.

Second World War:
Milk for Britain project

Second World War: Milk for Britain project

Responding to a radio appeal for milk for British children, founder Hal Rogers rallied Kin members across Canada to raise funds for the purchase of powdered milk. The goal for the first year was to raise enough money to purchase one million quarts;  within nine months, Kinsmen and Kinettes supplied more than three million quarts.

By the end of the Milk for Britain campaign, the Kin family raised close to $3 million and sent 50 million quarts of milk to Britain. Rogers was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1948 to recognize his efforts as the Chairman of Kinsmen's Milk for Britain wartime project.

In 1963, Kinsmen Bill Skelly met Dr. Doug Crozier, then director of the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Clinic at The Hospital for Sick Children.

Since this chance meeting, Kin Canada clubs across Canada have donated nearly $40 million to Cystic Fibrosis Canada in the fight to cure and control cystic fibrosis. Read more about the Kin / CF partnership.