Projects 2004 and earlier

Projects

3rd Annual Kinsmen Dinner & Dance on March 27, 2004

The Kinsmen held a dance to raise money forCystic Fibrosis and AIM Society. The event was a great success again.

BBQ Bash of the Century on Labour Day, September 1, 2003

The High River Kinsmen Club put on a giant feast of beef-on-a-bun and beans on labour day Sept. 1 when they hosted the BBQ Bash of the Century at George Lane Park.
The Kinsmen served more than 2,500 meals during the event which was part of the National Kinsmen Club's effort to raise awareness of the plight of the beef industry since the BSE scare of May 20. The event also raised $2,262.50 through a silver collection.
"We cooked up 750 pounds of beef and served all but 40 pounds of it in four hours," said High River Kinsmen president Mel Rogers. "We kept track of how many people attended by the number of buns we went through. We went through 2,484 of them, and about another 40-50 people just wanted beef and beans, with no bun."
At the height of the, event, the line-up for the food snaked 300 yards from the park's food concession to the playground area near the main entrance. Despite the long line-ups, patrons didn't have to wait long to get fed.
"No one had to wait more than 20 minutes to get served" Rogers said. "We fed a person every 10 seconds."
The leftover food was split up between the volunteers and the Salvation Army food bank. Meanwhile, a Kinsmen ways and means committee has been formed to determine the best way to disburse the money raised 'during the event.
"One of the things we may do with the money is donate it to the food bank on an as needed basis to purchase beef for its clients," noted Rogers. "That way it helps the needy and the beef industry. But nothing is firm yet."
Rogers said the Kinsmen could not have hoped for a better response to the event.
"It was a super event for the beef industry and the town - it was great to watch people enjoy themselves," he said. "The town got behind the event 110 per cent. The sponsorship was amazing. We had 62 sponsors including the four performers who donated their time. The weather was great and there were lots of things for people to do and see."
Ian Livermore in the high River Times Sept 9, 2003

2nd Annual Kinsmen Dinner & Dance on March 22, 2003

The Kinsmen held a dance to raise money for STARS & Cystic Fibrosis for the second time. The event was an even bigger success than the first.

Inaugural Kinsmen Dinner & Dance on March 22, 2002

The Kinsmen held a dance to raise money for STARS & Cystic Fibrosis. The club was able to hand over $5,400 to CF and $1,800 to STARS.

Camp Kitchen Petition

Thank-you to everyone who signed the petition, attended last nights public hearing, or supported us in any way. Council has rejected the developer's proposal. I do believe that a new proposal is in the works, so we may have to continue fighting to keep our parks. Stay tuned.

Events

September 8, 2004	The Kinsmen Club of High River has received the Bill Skelly Award for its assistance to fight cystic fibrosis the third time in as many years.
June 19 2004	Lincoln Frey was named Kinsman of the Year 2003 - 2004 Ken Braat was named Rookie of the Year 2003 - 2004
March 27 2004	The 3^rd annual Dinner & Dance for Cystic Fibrosis will be held at the Memorial Centre.
March 14 2004	High River Kinsmen Club president Mel Rogers, was elected as ‘O’ Zone Deputy Governor
September 10, 2003	The Kinsmen Club of High River has received the Bill Skelly Award for its assistance to fight cystic fibrosis the second time.
September 1, 2003	The club holds "The BBQ of the Century" in support of the cattle industry
June 28 2003	President Mel Rogers was named Kinsman of the Year 2002 - 2003 Milton Sundset was named Rookie of the Year 2002 - 2003 Gerry Mitchell was presented with Kinsmen Club of Canada Life Membership
March 15 2003	The Kinsmen Club of High River will host the annual 'O' Zone Spring Zone.
March 22 2003	The 2nd annual Dinner & Dance for Cystic Fibrosis and STARS will be held at the Memorial Centre.
September 11 2002	Past President Gordon Jackson was named Kinsman of the Year 2001 - 2002
September 11 2002	The Kinsmen Club of High River has received the Bill Skelly Award for its assistance to fight cystic fibrosis. The club received the award from the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for raising $5,400 at a banquet and auction on March 22 at the Highwood Memorial Centre. The fund-raiser also contributed $1,800 toward STARS AirAmbulance.
March 22 2002	Inaugural Kinsmen Dinner & Dance Help us help STARS and Cystic Fibrosis
May 19 / 20 2001	Kinsmen Club of High River 25th Anniversary Celebrations. Article in the High River Times May 29, 2001 BRUCE CAMPBELL TIMES EDITOR Their hair may be a little greyer and there maybe another notch or two on their belts, but the community spirit of High River Kinsmen Club members lives on 25 years after it began. Approximately 60 former Kin, present Kin, Kinettes and various spouses celebrated the High River Kinsmen Club's 25th anniversary with song, dance and reminiscing on May 19 at the Heritage Inn. The Kinsmen Club began in 1976 when first president Doug Ellis and Gerry Coakwell, who had been members of the organization in different communities, decided to start one in High River. 'We were a couple of former Kin who thought that we could provide the needed push to get the job done," Ellis said during his speech at the ceremony.'Little did we know how much fun that it could be." Mitchell and Coakwell began a membership drive in the trendy new district of McLaughlin Meadows. The Kinsmen Club quickly became hotter than K.C. and the Sunshine Band. While the members had fun, they helped make High River a fun place to be. , 'The first big project we took on was the building of the recreation Complex - even though we didn't have a Clue in the -world what we were doing," Ellis said. "We Pledged $50,000 to the project, even though I don't think we had two cents in the bank" Members guaranteed $1,500 each, or about half the cost of a Pinto in those days. Their efforts didn't go up in smoke.They raised the money and thanks in a large part to the club's efforts, the recplex became a reality. Other projects for the Kin included Partici-parks, the upkeep of Birchwood Park and continuing donations to fight cystic fibrosis. High River mayor Dan Campbell congratulated the Kinsmen on their 25th anniversary. "Service clubs are the backbone of the community - they do the work the government can no longer do," Campbell said."There is no better example than the people in this room. I look forward to the club being around for the next 25 years." President of the High River Kinsmen Gordon Jackson said the club is growing. It recently won the 'O' Zone District Expansion award for recruiting the most new members in the past year. It's an award the High River Kinsmen may win again. "We are continuing to grow - we have added five or six members already this year," Jackson said. Glenda Cutforth, former president of the High River Kinettes, also gave a brief history of the Kinettes club. Anyone wishing to join may call Jackson at 652-4455.