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KINSMEN SERVING THE COMMUNITY
[Welland Tribune]
WELLAND- The Kinsmen Club of Welland was officially chartered in April, 1942.
Among its charter members were such well-known Welland citizens as Ted Spencer, Fred Stahlschmidt and Harold Fox and the club quickly became busy “serving the community’s greatest need,” as the Kinsmen motto goes.
The club was the idea of Hal Rogers, a native of Hamilton, Ont. When he returned from service after the First World War, Rogers missed the camaraderie he shared with fellow soldiers.
In an effort to find some of that lost camaraderie, he applied for membership in another service club, but was turned down because his father was already a member of that club.
Rogers then started his own men’s club with a group of 12 young men.
Today, the all-Canadian Kinsmen organization numbers 22,000 members, including Kinettes (wives of Kinsmen}, K-40, K-ettes and even Kin Kids clubs.
Members are between 21 and 40 years old.
The Welland Kinsmen Club took on many projects and later formed a bond with the Mentally Handicapped Association of Welland, a bond which still exists today.
With the support of the people of Welland, the Kinsmen built Pauline McGibbon School.
During 1984, members of the club were involved in many community events. Bicycle rodeos, a casino tent at the NRE, helping All People’s Coop Nursery School, Community Christmas Toys ’84, buying a van for the ARC industries cleaning service and bringing a magic show and circus to Welland are only some of the projects undertaken by the club.
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