A century of kindness

This National Day of Kindness is a special day 

My Online Journalism Blog
Melissa Wong

People going to the hospital last Thursday, February 20 discovered a kind surprise waiting for them.

Kinsmen, Kinettes and Kin have organized
 fundraisers for their local communities. 
All the clubs across Canada, have worked
 to raise money and improve Canadian
 communities, such as paying for parking
at the hospital.
Melissa Wong/My Online Journalism Blog

"As part of our celebration for the 100 years of Kin Canada Nationally," Ian Austin, president of Kin Club Paradise, said. "We are (also) celebrating our day of kindness today February 20th by prepaying people's parking tickets."

To accomplish this project, six different Kinsman clubs in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) gathered at a St. John’s hospital from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to spread some kindness to the community.

John Connolly, a Kinsman from St. John's East's club, was at the Health Sciences Centre’s entrance. He and a few other Kinsmen handed out stickers and National Day of KINdness cards while paying for parking tickets.

According to Connolly, the six clubs at the hospital are from St. John's, St. John's east, Mount Pearl, Mount Pearl Kinnettes, Paradise and Conception Bay South. These clubs were divided among the main entrance at the Health Sciences Centre, the Janeway hospital and the Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Care Foundation Centre.

"What we are doing is paying for everyone's parking… (if they bring) their tabs in," Connolly said. "Bring your tab in and we will pay for the parking."

John Connolly, Charles White, Dave Hallett
 and Craig White who are Kinsmen
 from St. John's East's club paying
 for parking at the Health Science Centre's
adult entrance. They are also celebrating
 Kin Canada's 100 years of helping
Canadians and spreading kindness. Melissa Wong/My Online Journalism Blog

According to Kin Canada's pamphlet, from 1920 to 2020, Kinsmen, Kinettes and Kin from different clubs across Canada worked on fundraising projects to help their local communities and contribute to larger goals over a century.

"We have given back to our Canadian community," Connolly said. "An excess of a billion dollars since we started this… that's a lot of dollars. One of our major projects is cystic fibrosis… apart from all the other projects that we do."

The pamphlet reports that "Kin members have also raised nearly $40 million for cystic fibrosis research since 1964."

John Connolly, Charles White, Dave Hallett and Craig White from the St. John's East's club all worked together to greet drivers, give out stickers and pay for their parking at the hospital on the National Day of Kindness.

"There are people that we pay for the parking… (who) really appreciate it," Connolly said. "We get a lot of hugs, a lot of thank-you’s. It is actually an amazing project, and that's just what we do."

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