PAST PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN:

KINSMEN CLUB OF KELOWNA

Kin in the Community: Outlined below is a brief time capsule of the Club and its many projects. Time does not permit the coverage of everything that has been done which includes sponsorship of minor sports teams; post secondary education bursaries; emergency and financial assistance to needy families, CF patients, and others; PAC programs & school playgrounds; and many more.

Highlights
1944: Right from its inception the club took an active part and interest in the community. It took over the operation and repair of the Scout Hall in the mission, a building that was the centre for sports activities, dances and service activities. Some $8,000 was spent in its renovation plus $3,000 annually for its operation. This was necessary as it was the only large hall in Kelowna and was in desperate need of repair, as it was being used continuously.
1946: The Kinsmen took on a project known as “Skid Road” at the 39th Annual Regatta and extracted some $3,000 from the local citizenry. The event continued to be operated as the Regatta-midway, but with many changes and gross receipts increased to about the $15,000 mark.
1949: The club developed Strathcona Park and worked on its updating at several intervals since. The most recent was the alteration to the boathouse in 1967. Members also dug, placed sod, fenced and painted the Kinsmen Park at the end of Wardlaw Avenue and finished in 1968. Richmond Park and the Instant Park on Bankhead Crescent were memorable work projects.
1951: The club did the paneling and decorating of the memorial room in the Memorial Arena and undertook the children’s ward in the old section of the Kelowna General Hospital.
1952: The Kinsmen and Kinettes organized the first Mothers March in BC to fight against Polio. The Mother March raised approximately $150,000 from the community and much of these monies have been returned in the form of grants from the Kinsmen Rehabilitation Foundation to the building of health centres in Rutland and Kelowna. The Foundation serves people with disabilities of all ages throughout BC. The Kinsmen Club of Kelowna would raise an average of about $22,000 per year during the Mothers Marches.
1971: Saw the introduction of a car raffle incorporated into the Regatta project and the implementation of a Skate-a-thon and Bavarian Night
1972: The club offered the tidy $1,000,000 bill raffle into the Kelowna Regatta project.
1972: The possibility of adding a brace-making shop to the Kelowna General Hospital was investigated and in October of 1973 this project, in conjunction with the Kinsmen Rehabilitation Foundation, became a reality.
1974: Major fundraising activities changed over the years with the introduction of a TV Bingo. Funds from these projects have been used to continue such service projects as Christmas hampers to needy families, underprivileged children’s parties and numerous yearly requests for financial assistance.
1977: The club built the second Participaction Park in BC on the Rec. Centre grounds, costing about $15,000 and hundreds of man-hours. Another spearhead was its endeavors toward the building of a heated indoor pool and the raising of the required $450,000 to erect it in the Parkinson Recreation Centre.
1980: The Kinsmen Club of Kelowna introduced its first Kinsmen Regatta Van & Boat raffle. This has been an ongoing project even though no Regatta has been held since 1988. The club raised an average of $30,000 to $90,000 per year until 1996, which was its final year for the draw.
1982: The club did a $100 per ticket house raffle and raised about $70,000.
1986: to the present bingos have been the main fundraising activities for the Club, raising on an average of about $30,000 annually.
Early 1990’s: The Club’s greatest contribution to Kelowna has been in the Mission Sportsfields. The Kelowna Kinsmen became the first organization in Kelowna to become involved in the City’s successful “Partner in Parks” program. From this partnership the Kinsmen have developed and built the Kelowna Kinsmen Fieldhouse, the Kinsmen Softball Complex and Media Centre and the Kelowna Kinsmen and Kinettes Kids Playland. All this totaling over $450,000. Another such project was the Pirate Water Park at the Parkinson Recreation Centre.
The club has donated time, money and labor to many other projects such as sod placement and sidewalks for Sunnyvale School, ground clearing and monetary assistance to the Guide Association’s Arbuckle Camp. Contributions have been made toward Pleasantvale Homes for senior citizens, the Kelowna Community Theatre building, an air horn for the search and rescue unit, equipment for the Kelowna General Hospital, and a Centennial picnic for the people of Kelowna.
The Okanagan Neurological Association received monetary assistance on its Okanagan Mission Home as well as considerable man-hours on grounds and building renovations. Members assisted the school for the Hard of Hearing Handicapped. They have also helped in killing the dreaded Polio with Salk vaccine clinics, oral vaccine clinics, and more recently, with rubella clinics to wipe out measles. The club initiated the babysitting course for the safety council in Kelowna.
Through the Club’s efforts, a Kelowna Boy’s Club became a reality. Since its formation Kinsmen supported it financially for many years.
The Kelowna Kinsmen helped form the Kelowna Help Society and donated $15,000 plus a $10,000 loan to the Main River Wilderness Camp; a special camp designed to meet the needs of children with spinal cord injuries and other disabilities.
The club purchased a sip and puff sailboat for the Kelowna Paraplegic Society which is housed at the Yacht Club on
The Club also purchased wheel chairs worth $15,000, given to School District 23 for its wheel chair program. The Kelowna Kinsmen has donated substantially to the Kelowna Community Foodbank and will continue to do so in the future. We are the founding sponsor for the Glenmore Scouting troop, and have funded and participated in the restoration of the KVR Trestle #11; the Mission Creek Greenway Project and the corridor around the Capital News Centre.
One of the bigger projects undertaken was the Kinsmen Jubilee Bowl in City Park, which was used for outdoor entertainment in the summer months. The Club had committed $130,000. The bowl met its demise in 1999 when it burned to the ground.