Kin Canada honours local man with Lifetime Achievement Award

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Published on Monday, September 10, 2018

Photo submitted

Gord Patterson receives his award from Kin Canada national president Terri MacCannell in Sarnia On.

By Amanda Naughton-Gale

Submitted

From Aug. 15-18, 2018 members of Kin Canada gathered in Sarnia, Ontario for their National Convention. District two (Manitoba, Northwestern Ontario, Nunavut) had 19 delegates representing the district and local clubs, including representation from the Neepawa Kin Club and the Gladstone Kinsmen Club.

National Convention is an opportunity for members to celebrate the past year, to make an impact in the local community, to learn, and of course for some fun and fellowship.

Throughout the week, members participated in a day of service in the local community. Members picked garbage along the beach, entertained seniors, did some upkeep projects at community living residences, and helped at a local food bank. The National Speakers Competition saw 12 members from across the country compete for one of the most prestigious awards in Kin Canada. A full day of education touched on subjects such as Possibility Thinking, Social Media Strategies, Community Asset Building and Assessment, Diversity and Culture, Volunteer Screening and Emotional Intelligence.

One of the highlights of the year is the celebration of the service that clubs do across the country. This year Kin Canada raised $20,082,012 for communities across the country. In doing so members put in 422,284 hours of service time. Clubs also raised $1,256,695 for their national partner Cystic Fibrosis Canada. District 2 contributions were $943,918 total service dollars raised, 31,048 service hours and $65,279 donated to Cystic Fibrosis specifically. At the Convention there was a fundraiser held for the Hal Rogers Endowment Fund. Over $30,000 was raised to help meet the goal of providing 100 bursaries to post secondary student in the 100th year of Kin in 2020 through the Kin Bursaries program.

Kin Canada also celebrates the successes over the past year through an Awards Gala. This year District 2 was awarded the Outstanding District Award to Governor Dave Roberts. This is the third year for District 2 winning this award, starting with Neepawa’s own Amanda Naughton-Gale (now a member of the National Board of Directors) in 2015-16 and John DeBeer (a member of the Club Support Committee) in 2016-17.

Gord Patterson of the Gladstone Kinsmen Club was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award. Gord is a passionate and dedicated member of the Gladstone Kinsmen for 27 years. He was recently presented with his Life Membership to Kin Canada in June of this year. The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a member who exemplifies what Kin Canada is about. Gord has taken on many leadership roles within the Association including being awarded the Outstanding Governor Award, has been on numerous National committees as well as serving on the National Board as well. He also has taken on many leadership roles within the Gladstone community.

“I never set out in Kin just to get awards. I never ran for the positions I served in to get my name put on a chain of office or a plaque. I did it because I wanted to give back to an association that has given me so much. That there is the key. If you do the job for the right reason you will be paid back tenfold what you put in. Thank you Kin for a great 27 years so far. Who knows what is next. The possibilities are endless!”

September is the start of a new Kin Year. If you are interested in becoming a part of the great things Kin Canada does in Neepawa or Gladstone, feel free to contact your local club. You can find contact information on www.kincanada.ca