District One Governors

2022-2023

2023-04-02: an excerpt from our zone conference speech showcasing the updates since last fall.

It was SO NICE to be able to have Fall Leadership Conference in person again! Doing the Amazing Race instead of breakout sessions was something that we discussed within a week of deciding to put our names forward as Vice Governors again. We were thrilled with the participation and enthusiasm that everyone showed. To find out more about what we did, check out the post in Kinship One on the district website. Speaking of Kinship One, please send pictures & writeups of your projects to communications@district1kin.ca so we can share them!

Our midterm meeting in January was a jam-packed day and a half of zone conference training. We were able to do hands-on activities where rookie DGs were paired up with a seasoned partner for immediate mentoring, we had private conversations with every DG to find out what further supports and information they needed, and we had a great team-building evening of bowling and games.

Just before midterm, the Spring Convention host club contacted us with concerns that they may not be able to handle the convention and didn’t want to a half (beep) job. So, the District council will be hosting Convention at the Woodstock Quality Inn. We are still working with the hotel to finalize the details and as soon as we work out the particulars, we will let you all know. What we can tell you so far:

Save the date. First weekend in June - June 2nd –June 4th

Lodging is $120 per night

full registration is $120

Just so happens that the theme is Woodstock in Woodstock. We hope to see you there.

We are in the process of entering 3 years of district financials into Quickbooks online. It was used in 2018-19, but not since then, so in order to truly understand where we are financially as a district, all of the information needs to be in one place. This process involves scanning several years’ worth of paperwork, entering the data into Quickbooks, reconciling bank statements, reconciling the new entries with what was reported to the District membership, and ensuring that the restricted and unrestricted surplus amounts are accurate. This wouldn’t be possible without District treasurer Frank and other Kin volunteers putting in many extra hours. We hope to have that completed by mid-March so that next year’s team can have actual information to base their budget on.

Service Directors Brandon and Andrea have done a fantastic job on the Valentine's gala raising around $6000.00 for CF. They’re also looking forward to the upcoming CF trip to Jamaica, and they want everyone to make sure they’ve purchased their CF pins and beer coozies! Talk to your DG if you don’t have yours yet. They’re always happy to come help with your club projects, especially if you’re looking for ways to use those projects to attract younger members to your club.

We must say that this year we are proud to have welcomed the newly chartered Clearview Club. The Mitchell Kin Club is well on the way with approximately 23 new members and is set have their charter night in May. The South Bruce Kin club is also in the works but need a few more people to get the minimum required members in order to charter. If you know anyone in that area who would be interested, please reach out to the Teeswater Kinsmen.

On another note, we wish to speak about something that has impacted not only us as individuals but our clubs as well.

We all know that word, COVID. Our lives are still not the same. Our Clubs are still not the same. We have seen people bunkered down and some of them are still there. I’m not talking about being in their house, it’s their mental health, their way of viewing the world around them. While some individuals appear to have adapted and dealt with the situation, some have had a lot harder time. Attitudes have changed and being less tolerant seems to be one of them. We have all seen it either at the grocery store, waiting in long lines, supply chain issues and I'm sure we have seen it in our clubs. We spoke at spring convention last year about having grace and compassion for our fellow members and ourselves. It is still important to recognize our shared trauma and be understanding of the effects it's still having on our lives.

Because of the pandemic, clubs have found new ways to adapt and make changes to raise money and you deserve a huge pat on the back for...

• Your vitality to stay strong and active,
• your innovation to adapt to the changing world, while investing in your members and impacting your community
• your desire to build new projects and increase membership and
• your efforts to empower your fellow members with new skills, confidence and support during these times.

Members like you are the reason why we choose to be here, and why future leaders are continuing to step forward.

Yours in Kin,
Dutch & Karen

This year has been an absolute whirlwind!

As always, our first council event was District Leadership Seminar (DLS). Past National Director Eli Rizk joined us (his luggage joined us as well, a day later) for a busy learning weekend. We covered Kin protocols, the strategic plan, conflict management tools, council resources, and team building. One of the weekend highlights was supporting the St Thomas Kinsmen at their Steak and Craft Beer night (which means none of us had to cook, either!).

May saw our preparations for the VIBE council being supported by the members of the District at Spring Convention - and boy, was it nice to get together again with everyone after the past two years!

At the end of June we held our Pre-term meeting, where our council members were sworn in. It was a great day where we went over plans and goals for the year. Bonus was being able to tour National Headquarters, and visit the Portraits of Honour.

While most clubs take the summer off, members of our executive stepped forward to help deliver our first ever Club Executive Webinar Series. This just took the information presented in club executive seminars online so that more members could participate. The webinars were also recorded and will be posted online for future reference.

In September, we had plans for our fall council meeting and the district's Club Leadership Seminar (CLS). Things got a little hectic when we learned that the facility we had booked last spring had double-booked the venue and we realized that the spaces they had designated for us were far too small for what we needed. With a tremendous amount of work from Governor Dutch and Coordinator Lori Dawn, we found a new meeting space, accommodations, and food for the weekend...although none of us are interested in living through those 4 days again! But once we were on site and people started arriving, our hard work paid off. We had an executive meeting, council training, and DG one-on-one meetings to discuss how everyone was doing with their roles. Come Sunday, our rocking executive members knocked it out of the park with their Invest/Innovate/Impact presentations. They covered everything from public speaking to fundraising, and member recruitment to effective meetings.

As we're progressing through October, we've had the additional excitement of hosting National President Cameron who helped us welcome our newest members: the Kin Club of Clearview!

Plans are nearly finalized for our first in-person Fall Leadership Conference (FLC) since 2019. Check out the Conventions page for more information...it's going to be AMAZING!

Yours in Kin,
Karen & Dutch

2021-2022

Greetings Fellow Kin,

As we start our new Kin year we are hopefully winding down from Covid. We have a great opportunity to take the next 10 months to rebuild our Clubs with energy that has built up during COVID shutdown and Catch the wave to new beginnings.

Let us get back on track to “Serving our Community’s greatest need.” We need to get our projects going again and develop some new ones.
We are looking at two possible charters this Kin year, which is very exciting news.
We want to move forward in a positive direction. We are looking forward to coming out to your clubs in person or via Zoom as the year progresses. We are here to work at and attend your events so please keep us informed as to dates and times.
We will be looking to improve our online initiatives using what we all learned this past year. Our communications Director Tracey Spalding will be looking for your success stories throughout the year so that we may highlight your club and encourage other clubs in their projects.
This year we will also be looking to utilize sponsors to offset some of the costs that will occur this year. The sponsors will be listed in the newsletter so that we can promote them as a thank you for their support.

Also Vice Governors Karen Coutts and Daryl Van Morsel (Dutch) will be reaching out to the clubs to visit or just a phone call to see how your club is doing. We are gladly welcoming their experience and mentoring throughout the year as we look to rebuild. We believe that this will take both the current and Vice Governors teams to help lead all clubs to a successful year.
So fellow Kin let us take all our penned energy that we have and “Catch the Wave” to a successful Kin year.

Governors Chrissy and Dave

2020-2021

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR
On behalf of D1 Don't Stop BelieveKIN Council, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas. We hope that you enjoy your time with whom you can. Please stay safe and healthy. We look forward to seeing you in 2021!! Happy New Year.

2019-2020

End of Term - still mid pandemic !

Well, that is all she wrote, dear Kin! Today, we end a year like no other. Oh to have a Tardis!
Ah well.

To my family- my husband and my beautiful girls, who supported me through the many absences from home and patiently listened to my speeches - I thank you. You are my soul and my heart.

To my co-Governor, Scott Tapley, who bravely agree to go down this rabbit hole with me; who debated policy with me and calmed me down when I needed it - Thank you!

To our executive Team, our We Are ONE team - who signed on with great passion and determination to help us serve this district; you ALL were integral in the development, and the decisions put forth this year; and I cannot express how happy I was that you stood beside us - Thank you!

To the 2019-2020 Deputy Governors, who did their damndest to weather our rhetoric, to plan and implement both their goals and ours; who tirelessly helped at club events, and took the initiative to get tasks completed; for your open hearted efforts to ensure that your zone was well informed, supported, educated and at the very least, entertained- Thank you! I enjoyed your company, comments, jokes and spirit. It is my deepest hope that this year brought you joy and raised your expectations for success personally and in Kin. I celebrate your growth as leaders and wish you all the best for future endeavors.

In spite of all the lost opportunities to get out and see our members being the finest examples of volunteers, and the loss of our spring convention and several zone conference - this year was wonderful, and I am thankful to have had it.

Thank you, District 1 for this opportunity. I wish the incoming Team all the best and offer my help or at the very least, a sympathetic ear.

Yours in Kin,
Francine Burt
2019-2020 D1 Governor

Mid Spring - mid pandemic 2020

Club operations guidelines during the Covid 19 Pandemic

Kin Club meetings should go on, because it is important to maintain our relationships with each other during this unprecedented time. The We Are One team urges you and your club to consider video conferencing with optional phone call in, if wifi is not available. Any cancellations or extensions of your projects and events should be recorded in meeting minutes as well as any discussions of ramifications to the club. Once your club gets these topics out of the way, you could also spend time running an e-learning class or brain storming for new ideas on projects, socials and membership retention. We have listed below points to consider for these meetings.

1. If possible, please hold meetings virtually. There are a variety of options available to you that can be done via cellphone, computer or tablet.
a. Some Virtual platforms available are:
i. Zoom.com
ii. Google suite
iii. Facebook messenger
iv. GoToMeeting
v. Skype
vi. Webex

2. Tips for holding meetings virtually:
a. Ensure your members have accessible devices to join
b. Ensure your meeting time on the platform is in the correct time zone
c. Before joining the meeting, test your microphone and your camera, remind members that they should do this also
d. During meeting, ask members to mute their microphones if not speaking
e. Ask your members to wait to be recognized by the chair to speak
f. Advise members that they will be visible and to wear appropriate clothing and sit in a well lit area
g. As in regular meetings, advise your members of the time, length and agenda of the meeting
h. If possible, have a virtual co-administrator of the meeting, such as your secretary, just in case you have trouble with the connection
i. Ensure your platform has a dial in option, just in case members have a poor internet connection or none at all
j. Some virtual platforms are slowed by the use of additional apps, or cause the video to freeze.
k. As in normal meetings, Stick to your agenda
l. Some virtual platforms offer video record – be aware that these are very large files, if you intend on storing them online.
m. Remember to have your secretary record the minutes

3. Election and Meetings:
The Provincial Government issued a new regulation under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (Emergency Order or EO) retroactive to March 17, 2020, to temporarily suspend and replace various provisions of the Ontario Corporations Act that relate to members’ and directors’ meetings. The EO provides that meetings may be held virtually even If the letters patent or by-laws of a corporation provide otherwise. A member will be considered to be present at a meeting if the member establishes a communication link to, or votes at, the meeting. Federally, the Canadian Not for profit for Corporations Act also addressed the emergency. It requires corporations to call an Annual General Meeting within 18 months of its previous AGM, and not longer than 6 months after its last financial year. Corporations Canada issued a notice that allows meetings to be held entirely by electronic means. For members meetings held completely or partially virtually, voting can be done electronically, so long as it is not prohibited under the corporation’s by-laws and the corporation can collect the votes in a way that allows them to be verified, tallied and presented with the corporation being able to know how any person voted.

4. Voting:
Normally our house rules require that we elect our executive by May 15th and report to HQ via iKin by June 15th. If your club is small this can be done during the virtual meeting as you would have done at a regular meeting. If your club is large and has multiple candidates running , you will have to alter your procedure just a bit. You should also employ a non-interested third party, a scrutineer team, to receive and tally the results of your virtual vote. This is in order avoid any questions of vote viability. You will need to have a motion made to that effect in your minutes of your meeting. The procedure should be as follows:
a. Announce elections (let everyone know what date)
b. Call for nominations (during your meeting, in email or in communicated agenda)
c. Ask for a motion to employ a not-interested party (scrutineer team) to run the election
d. Ask for a motion on how the vote election results should be announced (during a meeting or email etc.)
e. Ask candidates if they wish to stand
f. Allow time during which the candidates can state their platform (candidates should be given a chance to tell people why they should be elected)
g. Normally at this time you simply hold a silent vote. But, now you have to obtain votes virtually to abide by the social distancing guidelines. Research on online voting shows a variety of avenues. Some Not Profit Organizations have been running virtual voting for years! Listed below are some platforms for enabling the voting of our executives;
https://doodle.com/free-voting-software
https://electionbuddy.com
https://help.surveymonkey.com/articles/en_US/kb/Can-I-create-a-poll-or-voting-environment

As with any new procedure, run a test election to ensure that the chosen platform meets your clubs needs. A time limit on submission should be used to ensure it gets done in a timely manner.
h. For members who do not have virtual meeting capability, you can either;
i. Have the scrutineer team email your members with list of candidates with a time line to respond to the email with their vote preference
ii. Have the scrutineer team call the member for a statement on their vote preference. This call will have to be a conference call – with 2 people receiving the vote from the member
i. The scrutineer team can then inform the club of the election results via club chosen method.

The We are One team wishes you and your families continued safety and good health during this pandemic. We understand that this is new territory for all of us, and hopefully this article will provide you with some tools to get the job the done. We are completely confident that you, our community leaders, will have no problem navigating this new process. Please keep in mind that these are guidelines and are not mandated direction. We ask that you consider giving us feedback on how you and club handle the club elections and virtual meetings. Please know that we are just a phone call away if you need help or have questions.

Yours in Kin,
Francine Burt and Scott Tapley
2019-2020 We are One Governors

Spring 2020

The winter is hanging on by its last breath as we look to our Zone Conferences and on to the Spring Convention in Fort Erie, hosted by the Zone D Kin.
Our report will be in each Conference minutes as well as the listing of the Governors Recognition Award we are handing out on behalf of your fellow kin.
We were lucky to attend some Founders Day celebrations and Flag Raising, which brought a tear or two to the eye! So very proud to be apart of this association! So very many kind, energetic, fascinating and generous members populate this District, Scott and I truly feel it is second to none!
Keep up the fabulous work, dear hearts! We will see you soon.
YIK
Francine and Scott

November -December 2019

Gotta say, we could not have hoped for a better response to this years' Fall Leadership Conference! Record numbers of business attendees, participation in the hospitality room was off the charts and the aplomb with which our hosts, Goderich Kinsmen, handled the entire weekend was amazing. Thank you so much for all your hard work!

We managed to get through most of the items we needed to share with the membership and have posted the presentations to the Past Conventions page so that you can re-vist or enjoy them for the first time.

Christmas events are around the corner, we hope that all are successful and safe. We hope to get out to a few, weather permitting! We are starting our planning for the mid-term meeting with council and are eager to make sure that it is an effective and educational use of our time.

So from our families to yours, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, hope to see you soon!

YIK,
Governors Francine and Scott

October 2019

CLS in the bag, we sincerely hope that all that were in attendance enjoyed the day!

2019 FLC in Grand Bend is coming up, we have been furiously planning the day, are super excited about our presenters and eager to see how many 80's rock costumes are on display. We have 2 clubs vying for the FLC 2020 host job-it will be a treat to see what they come up with.

Your DGs have been contacting you to get out to your clubs to see you to share the information they have and see if they can help in any way. Please remember that they are spending extra time away from their families so that they can ensure that their respective zones are successful in all they do. So let us welcome them with open hearts!

Sept. 2019

Scott and I are so excited to get started this year! To date we have attended several functions and are happy to see the invitations roll in from our District.
DLS was an amazing success, and we rolled out some really energized Deputy Governors! They are armed with reams of information and pumped to get out to the clubs to share and lend a hand.

WE ARE ONE, District 1 and we can and will continue to prove that our District, our Zone, our Club are the embodiment of our Founder Hal's vision for Kin Canada!

2018-2018

Final Report from Governor Karen

It's hard to believe that after over 3 years of planning and hard work, it's finally here...the last day as Governor of District 1. I've been trying to figure out what to say in this post, and for once, words are failing me. So for now, I'll just share the speech that I gave at Spring Convention, because it captures most of what I want to say anyway.

As with all of us, my story starts with my parents. Being involved in the community is something that I grew up with. Mom was a member of the Women’s Institute, UCW, and church council, charter member of the Lioness Club, a 4-H leader, and involved both locally and at the district level with the Agricultural Society. I’m not quite that bad…okay, maybe I am. But at least you know now that I come by it honestly!
After being involved with several different organizations over the years, when Will was born I started looking for something to do in the community that could be for me, too. When I was pregnant with DJ, I approached the Walkerton Kinettes and officially joined the National roster. A couple years later, a lot of things happened at once, and our club dropped from 12 members to 3, leaving me as the seasoned member. And THAT’s the story of how I became club president! But it didn’t take long to recover – our club is living proof that if you can find the right new members, membership isn’t a concern.
That’s when I met two Kinsmen who I hold personally responsible for me being where I am in Kin today. I’d like to raise a glass to two members of the Kin Club of Heaven – Red McCausland, and Barry McTeer.
It was their support and encouragement that convinced me to run for Deputy Governor…and in doing so opened the doors to a whole world of opportunity. District executive positions, National committees, public speaking competitions, relationships…and friends who have become family.
This has been a great experience. We tried new things…some worked, some didn’t. We had some ideas that came out well, and some that we had too late to fully realize. We learned, we taught, we mentored, and were mentored. And we had fun.
There are a lot of people to thank, and I’m not going to mention everyone as some thank yous are better done privately and in person, but there are some that do need to be mentioned.

• Henry Paliga – When I was first elected DG, Henry offered to be our zone Cystic Fibrosis chair. He was always there to answer questions, and give a big bear hug. I was so touched when I found out that he was putting his name forward to be DG in my year as Governor. For those of you who aren’t aware, Henry passed away a week after FLC last year. I miss him…a lot.
• My Kin Mom & Dad – Elaine Couch & Norm McColl. Norm & Elaine were Governors the first year I was DG. At our pre-term meeting, Norm found out that I’d never been formally installed as a member, just handed my new members kit and told to look for my name badge & pin in it. By the next morning, he’d managed to pull together everything needed for a formal installation ceremony, and took care of that unfinished business. Just two months later, my counterpart Barry McTeer (one of the ones who got me into this mess), was killed in a car accident. Norm and Elaine were incredibly supportive, answering the millions of questions with tremendous patience and encouragement.
• Our District Council – Team Ohana. We have been so pleased with the cohesiveness and camaraderie we had on council this year. We worked hard at our meetings, and we played hard, too. It’s been a wonderful year.
• Our fellow Governors. Having a peer group to turn to when you have a new issue turn up and you don’t know where to start with it, or even just need someone to vent to when something hits the fan, has been a tremendous support for us this year. These are friendships that I fully expect will last for years to come.
• Kate – thank you for sharing Darryl with me for the past few years, for hosting me when we had weekend long planning sessions, and for sharing your wine supply with me. I’m looking forward to touring in BC with you this summer!
• Dutch – thank you for convincing me to go on this journey with you, for being a partner I could truly count on every step of the way, and most of all for being such an amazing friend.
• Dad – you’ve been a lifelong supporter, but everything that you’ve done for us in the past couple of years has meant more than I can adequately express. I love you.
• My kids. Chey, Will, and DJ. You guys are amazing. You’ve done without me quite a bit in the past few years, and I want to you know that I recognize and appreciate that. You knew how important it was for me to be able to do this, and I couldn’t have done it without you being the wonderful people you are. The fact that I can ask you to do something, and you (usually) do it without me losing my shit means a lot. You haven’t complained with all of the meetings I’ve had – “Hey mom, how many meetings do you have this week” is a regular question in our house. And you recognize when I need space, when I need a hug, or when I need a glass of wine. Perception on that level is a very important trait! You are my rocks, and you’ve kept me grounded and moving forward through all of the stress of the past couple of years. It’s time to plan some adventures for us this summer.

And finally, thank you to you the members of District One, not just for entrusting the administration of the district to our hands, but for your support, confidence, and friendships.

Thank you.

Zone Conference Update

If you weren't able to attend zone conference this year (or if you did attend and want to review what we said), here is the District Report.

99 years.

That's how long Kin have been making a difference in Canadian communities. We can see the difference in our towns by just driving past parks, and pools, and arenas. But Kin wasn't founded to make a difference in communities. It was all about making a difference in people.

• filling the need for fellowship, camaraderie, the simple desire that we all have to spend time with like-minded folk
• helping each other grow and learn
• creating and becoming leaders

There are big things being planned Nationally for our 100th anniversary...but how are we going to spend our 100th year leading up to that? The Hal Rogers Endowment Fund (HREF) has plans - they want to give away 100 bursaries in 2020, which means that they need a lot of help from clubs THIS YEAR to make that happen - have you donated yet? Please include that in your discussions this spring. Don't forget that a donation of $2500 or more in a Kin year allows your club to submit two applications, and one qualifying candidate will be awarded a bursary.

What will your club do to make the next year memorable? It's time to start your conversations, and set your project and membership goals - have you been talking about community improvements, chartering a new club, or doing a big membership drive?

Now is the time.

Less than 364 days to go...

Yours in Kin,
Governors Karen & Dutch

Where does the time go??? It seems like just yesterday we were being sworn in as District Governors, and suddenly we're just a few short days away from FLC!

It's been a busy year already. I have to admit to getting a bit of a chuckle when people called me in September asking if I was ready to get busy, as clubs were starting to ramp up their regular fall activities. The reason I laughed is because we've been going non-stop since March!

Our vision for District 1 this year is "A welcoming and supportive network that's creating leaders for our communities". In order to create leaders, you must invest in training. This was especially critical this year, since of the 14 Deputy Governors on council, 7 of them were brand new to the role. To that end, we separated District Leadership Seminar and our Pre-term meeting, since there was just too much that council members need to take in to successfully have them the same weekend. That meant that we rolled from zone conference season into DLS planning, into Spring Convention prep, into our preterm meeting. Then we brought back our September Council meeting, and tacked Club Leadership Seminar onto it. We rebranded CLS as KinKollege - which is a program that's taken off across the Association in recent years...we've been ahead of the curve in that regard, since we've had CLS for.ev.er!

When all of that was said and done, we realized that we had planned for 6 major meetings since the beginning of May - FLC is the 7th in 6 months.

But it's been SO worth it! Our entire district council has amazing synergy, and DGs who were very apprehensive after DLS have risen to the occasion and are doing a great job. We can't tell you how proud we are of them. Well, we can, but it'll take too long here!

We know that there's room for improvement. Many members of council are new, and learning their positions as they go - including us! But we always come back to the words of our vision, and make sure that we are providing a welcoming and supportive network. We are all leaders in our clubs & communities already, and if we support each other, we will be able to create more.

See you at FLC!
Yours in Kin,
Karen and Dutch

2017-18

Greetings Fellow Kin
As I write this I’m curled up in front of the fire, just home from our local Remembrance Ceremony. It was colder than usual this year, -5 C before we factor in the wind that was blowing off the head of the mighty Niagara River. Despite the cold a large crowd had turned out, each year over the last several we’ve witnessed the crowds grow. Many young people taking time from their busy lives to actively participate in the act of Remembrance. As I watched Canadians young and old facing that cold, huddled in coats and wrapped in blankets; and as I watched my nephew and his fellow cadets stand vigil as they’d been doing since the wee hours of the morning, I couldn’t help but feel pride at being Canadian.

It’s the same feeling when I see a group of KIN come together for Fall Leadership Conference, a service project or fellowship. In those settings we find such a strong sense of community that is truly heartwarming.

That feeling was truly present at Fall Leadership Conference just a week ago. I always find it to be rejuvenating. Maybe it’s the education, or perhaps it’s just that it’s our first chance in the new KIN year to get together with old friends and make new ones. This year was no different. The weekend was filled with education and fellowship that created KIN memories that will last a lifetime. Kudos to the Stayner and District Kinsmen for reminding us that we need to have a healthy balance of business and fun. For organizing events for our non KIN spouses so that the weekend became something that couples could enjoy together. The efforts they put forward to make this an FLC to remember showed in the number of delegates we had. It’s been years since we’ve seen numbers like that. Hopefully this momentum continues for Spring Convention and that we see record numbers in attendance. I encourage your clubs to already start planning on who will be attending. Pencil June 1-3 into your calendars as I know the Fonthill and District Kinsmen are also looking forward to providing the District with a fabulous convention experience.

To all those who attended FLC I want to thank you for taking the time to join us on that weekend. With such busy lives, time is often at a premium and the fact that you chose to spend some of that precious commodity with your KIN family is appreciated. I also want to acknowledge two very special clubs who made the journey to Collingwood in force. Both the Grimsby and London Kinettes each had 10 members in attendance. Kudos ladies!!

So now with FLC completed we return to our clubs to begin prepping for what is for many of our clubs their busiest few months. KIN seems to be synonymous with Christmas. As we listened to the Deputy Governor updates during our Friday council meeting we repeatedly heard reports of upcoming Santa Claus Parades, Senior’s Christmas Dinners, Tree Lighting Breakfast with Santa, toy drives and food hamper programs. Apparently fellow KIN we do Christmas and we do it well. I can’t help but think that these projects as well help rejuvenate our membership. To watch the magic in a child’s eyes as you hand them a cup of hot chocolate at a Santa Claus Parade or to see that grateful smile of a parent as you drop off a food hamper and gifts, can’t help but give you that special KIN feeling. It is why we do what we do.

So fellow KIN as you embark on this very busy time of year I encourage you to take a few moments at each event to pause and appreciate what that project means to your community. Let yourself live in that moment and let it rejuvenate you. The Christmas season can be very chaotic and tiring but that few minutes can bring a whole new perspective to light. Enjoy what we do!

And in closing fellow KIN I hope that this season you are able to enjoy all those traditions that your own family hold dear and that make the season special for you. May your holidays be filled with family, friends, good food and fellowship and when we meet again in 2018 may it bring you and yours health and happiness.

From my home to yours, Happy Holidays.

Governor Debbie

Fellow Kin

Happy Fall and Welcome Back!

Autumn has always been my favourite season. The leaves begin to change on the trees, the days get shorter and cooler, and smells of autumn; from hot apple cider to warm pumpkin pie, seem to be everywhere. The kids are back to school, falls fairs are underway and last night I tied up the skates for the first game of the season. I look forward to Autumn, to me it the best of the comforts of home. I pull my hoodies from the back of the closet, I stack the wood box beside the fireplace and I make sure that I always have hot chocolate and apple cider on hand. I swap out the summer linens for the warm, snuggly duvets and throw blankets. I’m ready for curling up on the deck or in front of the fire.

But I also love Autumn, because it is the beginning of another KIN year. Like the child off to school with new shoes and a backpack full of school supplies, so do our members arrive for that first meeting of the year; refreshed from the summer break and ready to greet old friends and hopefully make some new friends as well. In the early meetings of the fall, our clubs set budgets, finalize plans for the year and strike committees. The excitement of planning the KIN year is evident and the energy is often palpable. The fellowship at those first few meetings is also unique as we catch up with our fellow KIN who we might not have seen over the summer break. We begin to reengage as a club. The feelings of autumn in KIN also leave me with that warm, comfy home feeling.

Not only does the fall see the clubs set their goals and priorities but your District council have also set their various goals and objectives. Following along our campaign platform, we have set our goals based on Fellowship, Mentorship (building leaders), Personal Development and grassroots Service.

We will be promoting our goal of fellowship by encouraging the rebirth of the interclub. We want KIN to reconnect with others in their own zones. Our goal is for each zone to add two more Interclubs for this KIN year.

In addition the Deputy Governors will be seeking potential new zone leaders to participate in zone mentorship programs. Interested in maybe participating on a zone team in the future? These new mentoring programs not only help find our future leaders but help develop them as well. Find out what is all about now; contact your DG for more information. As well from a personal development front in the months to come we will be highlighting the individual awards that KIN members can participate in.

And finally our last goal for this year focuses on grassroots service. With the announcement at National Convention of over $18 000 000 being donated to Canada we have proven time and again how much we give to our communities. Often though clubs become so focused on fundraising that grassroots service gets lost in the process. Being one of the founding principles for the association we would like to see those clubs whose focus are primarily fundraising consider doing one additional Service project. Service projects help reengage our membership and afford those feel good moments that remind us why we are KIN. It also helps us build our brand in our community, those projects often provide excellent fellowship opportunities and when done in the community give us that chance to demonstrate that we are the club people want to be part of. Might even help your club recruit a few new members.

Your Deputy Governors will have more information on each of these goals and they will be addressed at Club Leadership Seminar in Listowel on September 30th and during Fall Leadership Conference November 3rd -5th in Collingwood. Hoping to see you all at both of these events.

So for now fellow KIN enjoy all the great joys of Fall including the beginning of a new KIN year, and may our paths cross soon.

Yours in KIN

Governor Debbie

2016-17

Here we are, entering the "home stretch" for the 2016-2017 Kin Year, and what a year it has been! District One, you should be proud!
Proud of the great membership numbers.
Proud of the support and donations to Cystic Fibrosis.
Proud of the submissions for awards both personal and for your club.
Proud of the impact that your fundraising has made within your communities.
Proud of the personal growth of your members by attending Club Leadership Seminar, FLC, Zone Conference and Spring Convention.
Proud of your part in making Kin Canada the strong and vibrant association we are a part of.

We are so very proud of all of you and have been truly blessed to be a part of YOUR growth this past year.

Our Kin "summer break" will soon be upon us. For some, a chance to sit back and relax and enjoy social time with family, friends and Kin. For others, it's the busiest time of year with your club and Kin Family with a multitude of projects and fundraisers. To you all, enjoy what our "break" brings to you. Remember all of your successes and joys of this year, and plan your goals to meet and or beat them next year.

We are looking forward to the Building on the Basics team and what they will offer this District. Debbie and team, here's to you! We know you will rock it!!

Don't forget to fill out and submit your Accredited Delegate form. We are looking forward to representing District One in Halifax this August, and would be honoured to carry your clubs' wishes with us.

Til next we chat ....

IT'S ZONE CONFERENCE TIME AGAIN!!

We simply cannot believe that we are already into March and have two Zone Conferences completed at time of writing. Truly, where has this Kin year gone? Apologies to all for the late update, we have been remiss in making this page current.

Zone Conference travel is so much fun as we are able to spend the day with members of the association that we may not see at FLC or Spring Convention. We have the opportunity to listen to clubs reporting on their events during the year, talking about their successes, their challenges and their goals to finish the year. We are able to see those who take on the challenge of public speaking or submitting awards, and their joy when awarded for their efforts. We also have the pleasure of seeing your Deputy Governors putting all of their skills to work to give you a fun, informative and productive zone conference.

Take the time to thank your Deputy Governor for the countless hours of travelling and working they do on your behalf. District One would not be what it is without their tireless efforts.

A member of the District Executive will be visiting each zone conference and sharing important information with you through their presentation. We are there FOR YOU, so if there is anything that you would like addressed, please don't hesitate to talk to your representative.

Safe travels on the road all, we shall see you soon.

WELCOME BACK KIN!!!

Can you believe that the kids are heading back to school today and that's a sure sign that we are back into the swing of all things Kin as well.

We are excited about the upcoming year and all of the great things that you as members have to look forward to, coming out of National and supported by your District Executive.

National Convention in Edmonton this year was nothing but inspiring. The movement toward better educated Kin is exciting to say the least. The affiliation with Toastmasters will open many doors for our membership, both in Kin and externally to Kin. Thank you for bringing this to us. The creation and implementation of Kin U is exciting beyond words. Education at our finger tips! Education for which we will be given certification of course completion to use in our personal / professional lives is one of many goals for the future. WOW .. great job National Education and Training Committee!

Member recognition is also high on the radar and the new National President's Commendation Letter for those you wish to have acknowledged for their hard work, is a great way to get this started. Thank you National Awards and Recognition Committee!

We are looking forward to sharing much of the information from National Convention and a lot of our District specific information with the membership at the Club Leadership Seminar on the 17th of September. We hope that all of the membership takes advantage of this learning opportunity and attends. Please contact Co-Ordinator Lisa to reserve your space and your meal asap.

In the meantime, enjoy watching the kiddies head back to school and be ready for a great learning year yourselves and we head Back to the Future .. Part Deux .. the Adventure Continues ..

2015-16

Guess what week it is? You may not think it is something special, however this week is National Volunteer Week! National Volunteer Week runs from April 10th to April 16th and gives us the chance to thank over 12.7 million volunteers.

Volunteers are the roots of strong communities. Just like roots are essential for trees to bloom, volunteers are essential for communities to bloom. Thanks to volunteers, our communities grow strong and resilient. Even the tiniest volunteer effort leaves a profound and lasting trace in a community, much like tree rings that appear over time.

I want to thank each and every one of you for sharing your time, energy, ideas and support as a member of Kin Canada. We are so very lucky to have the opportunity to give back during our lives, and I am gratful you have chosen the nation's largest all Canadian service club organization to do that with.

Please keep doing what you're doing - you are all awesome!!!

Yours in Kin,
Governor Kat

Where is the time flying?

We can't believe it is already zone conference season in District One. We hope you take the time to attend your zone conference over the next while - your Deputy Governor's have worked hard to put this day together and there is a lot of business to cover.

Our Distict One Spring Convention is about 75 days away!!! If you haven't done so already, please ensure you register for the weekend - it's going to be awesome! We are unable to provide a detailed agenda at this time, however below you will find a rough agenda that is subject to change. If you have any questions, please contact us and we will do our best to provide any clarification.

• Spring Convention - Rough Agenda

We are so excited to have National President Kim Peters, National Vice President Candidate Terri MacCannell, National CF Liaison Helen Meinzinger and Cystic Fibrosis Director of Community Engagement Alice Awweh joining us for the entire weekend!

The entire Back to the Future Team is looking forward to seeing you over the next few months!

Happy 2016 District One!!!

As we enter into a new year, we have no doubt that each and every member of District One is going to continue doing great things for their community's.

This year, why don't you...
Wake Up & Be Awesome.
Try, Try, Try.
Dream Big.
Live Life Colourfully.
Relax.
Create Every Day.
Choose Happy.
Dance in the Rain.
Stay Weird.
Chase Adventure.
Do What You Love.
Think Outside the Lines.
BELIEVE YOU CAN.

As we post this today there are only about 4 months left until Spring Convention in Fort Erie. The BTTF Executive is already working on what will be an awesome weekend! And some little birdies from Fort Erie have mentioned they have some pretty cool plans up their sleeves. Registration forms will be out the beginning of February, don't miss it!

We are very excited to be meeting with our Back to the Future Council at the end of January in Stratford. The weekend long meeting will be covering lots of different topics. Our face to face meetings are extremely valuable and we are keeping our fingers crossed that the weather cooperates with us!

Just a friendly reminder to make sure you invite us out to any of your upcoming events. Our calendars have started to fill up and we don't want to miss a thing!

All the best in this first month of 2016 - we will definitely see you around the District!

K&C

Wow can you believe it is already December?! The countdown is on to spend time with family and friends celebrating the holiday season... and I'm sure everyone is looking forward to a break!

Just a quick shout out:

We know this time of year is super busy, but don't forget that we are here to help you out with anything you need. There have been numerous parades, events and celebrations - this year is going to end on an awesome note!

From our families to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday Season and all the best in 2016!

Catch ya on the delorean!

Yours in Kin,
Katie & Curtis

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”
- Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

We are very excited to announce our line up of workshops being offered at Fall Leadership Conference in London on November 6-8, 2015. If you haven't done so already, make sure to book your hotel room and register with the St. Thomas Kinsmen ASAP - you don't want to miss out on this educational and fun weekend!

• Fall Leadership Conference Workshop Announcement

UPDATE: See draft agenda for the weekend here... final agenda will be circulated prior to FLC with the electronic brochure

• Fall Leadership Conference Agenda
• Fall Leadership Conference Brochure

If you have any questions about the workshops being offered or events throughout the weekend, feel free to contact us.

Katie & Curtis

Hey District One!

We hope that your first meetings of the year are off to a great start! We would like to say thank you to everyone who attended our Successful Kin Seminar on Saturday September 12th in Cambridge. With over 60 District One members in attendance, we are very grateful for your support and eagerness to learn. Thank you to our awesome presenters - you brought back a form of education that we are thrilled to have been able to share with everyone!

Below you will find our President / Vice President handouts from our breakout seminar. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact your Deputy Governor or any of the BTTF Executive - we are here to help!

• Successful Kin Seminar President/Vice President Breakout Session 2015
• Successful Kin Seminar President/Vice President Breakout Session 2015 (2)

We are working on finalizing our FLC seminars... stay tuned for the final verdict on the awesome topics we will be covering to bring you more education and fun!

See you around!
YIK
Katie & Curtis

Welcome to the 2015-2016 Kin year! We hope that you are all taking the time over the summer to relax and unwind after a fantastic year with the GO team. We know there are plenty of events still happening over this next month and we are very excited to come out and support you in any way that we can.

As you are relaxing over the summer break, think about some potential new ideas that you can share with your club… different fundraisers, service projects and socials.

Please mark it on your calendar to attend the BTTF Successful Kin Seminar hosted on Saturday September 12th at the Preston Kin Club. The BTTF team has put together a day of education (and fun) for all members of District One. Contact Co-Ordinator Monika (mmckean [snail] rogers [period] com) for further information and to save your spot. We are really looking forward to this day and hope you enjoy the new “spin” we’ve taken on education.

We will be heading to National Convention on August 19th in Brandon Manitoba – celebrating with a Back to the Future theme (how awesome is that). If you have anything you would like us to inquire about or mention when we are there – please let us know ahead of time. We are looking forward to bringing back some exciting information and education presented at National!

Enjoy the rest of your summer and the beginning of the new kin year. Do not hesitate to contact any of the Back to the Future team for anything you may need… we are here to help you!

Catch you on the delorean!
Katie & Curtis

2014-15 Governor Report (Joanne Bint & Marty Makins)

Hello District 1,

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support this past year. We have had a wonderful journey with the members of the district.

As our year comes to an end, a new one begins. Your continued support and belief in this Association will move this District to number 1. Let’s “Serve our community’s greatest need “and look forward to the upcoming year.

Have a safe and happy summer!

Governors Jo & Marty
2014-2015