Today, we're shining a light on the outstanding volunteers who started it all!
1920 Harold (Hal) Rogers started the first Kinsmen Club in Ontario.
1928 Kinsmen Club of Saskatoon was formed KCOS History
1929, 24 Kinsmen clubs are formed into five districts under Governors and District officers. Saskatchewan is District 3
1942 Kinettes are given official recognition and certified as an auxiliary organization.
1971 Kinsmen Foundation is approved at the District Convention (incorporated as a charity in 1972). Two main purposes: to provide fellowship and service on a provincial level; as well as, provide funding to anyone in the province who had physical, mental, or social disabilities and couldn’t get funding from any other source.
Peter Kilburn is selected as first Board of Directors Chair for the Kinsmen Foundation.
1975 It is decided that the financial need in the province surpasses what the Kinsmen and Kinettes clubs can raise on their own, and if the Foundation were to survive it would need a larger source of funds. The idea for a lottery was turned down, so they decided that they would put on a telethon. Urban Donlevy is selected as the first TeleMiracle Committee Chair. He and his team proceed with researching and planning a telethon.
1977 TeleMiracle 1 goes live and raises over one million dollars!
1994 “Kin” or Kinsmen and Kinettes (Mixed) clubs are now an option.
2022 The Foundation has earned the province’s trust as a charity, and the telethon has become part of the fabric of the province. The people of this province are deeply invested in the cause. It has truly become “Saskatchewan’s Charity”. As proof, TeleMiracle 45 raised the 3rd highest total ever, during a pandemic and TeleMiracle 46 broke all previous records by raising over eight million dollars (also during a pandemic)!
Kinsmen, Kinettes, and Kin members from all over the province make up a majority of the volunteers at every TeleMiracle. They volunteer on the TeleMiracle organizing committee; as well as, on the Kinsmen Foundation Board of Directors. On top of that, they fundraise in their own communities for TeleMiracle, their local projects, and Kin Canada’s national projects.
They truly live up to their motto of “Serving the Community’s Greatest Need”.
We want to thank them for all they do for the Kinsmen Foundation, TeleMiracle, and Saskatchewan. Without them, our organization would not exist. TeleMiracle would not have raised over $153 million dollars so far and the Foundation couldn’t continue “Helping People Every Day”.
