Kinettes to give out chocolate and hugs for National Day of Kindness

Members of the Kinette Club of New Glasgow will be giving out chocolate and free hugs today at the Highland Square Mall in New Glasgow.

This week is Kinweek and Saturday is the National Day of Kindness.

“We like to do something to extend kindness in the community,” said club president Angel Lefave.

The Kin Canada Association was founded on Feb. 20, 1920 in Hamilton, Ontario by Harold A. Rogers. According to the Kin website, Rogers was 21 and had just returned from the trenches of the First World War when his father, a prominent Rotarian, encouraged him to get together a few young men his own age. However, when Rogers decided to join the same Rotary Club as his father, his application was rejected, because of a policy stating that clubs should not have two members from the same business establishment. As a result of this rejection, Rogers and a small group of men gathered for a dinner meeting and became the first Kinsmen Club in Hamilton, Ontario.

Today more than 8,000 members belong to 466 Kinsmen, Kinette and Kin clubs in Canada.

Lefave said this year is extra special for them because it marks 70 years of the Kinette Club of New Glasgow.

The Kin motto is “Serving the communities greatest needs” and that’s exactly what both the Kinsmen and Kinette clubs of New Glasgow strive to do, Lefave said.

Over the past year they’ve held many activities aimed at making the community better, from the Great Trivia Challenge held in October to helping out with the Salvation Army Kettles around Christmas time. They’ve also partnered with the Kinsmen to run a Christmas program that provides food and presents for families in need, and held paint nights in support of Cystic Fibrosis.

Despite their many activities, she said they’re still trying to spread the word about their organization.

“It’s amazing how many people don’t know what a Kinette is,” she said.

After giving out free hugs and chocolate, the Kinettes will be taking part in the Coldest Night of the Year, which is a fundraiser for Roots for Youth, which operates a youth shelter. The Kinettes have raised $1,000 for the organization.

To find out more information about the New Glasgow Kinsmen or New Glasgow Kinettes, visit www.ngkinettes.com and www.ngkinsmen.com.

SUBMITTED New Glasgow Mayor Nancy Dicks signs a proclamation for Kinweek. Pictured with her are Angel Lefave, president of the Kinette Club of New Glasgow, and Scott Tobin, president of the Kinsmen Club of New Glasgow.