Bible Hill Kinsmen – Page 7 – Serving the Community’s Greatest Need

Victoria Park Kinsmen Playground Sign Unveiled

Left to right: Kinsmen Mark Thibedeau, Andrew St. Coeur, Quinn McCarthy, Truro Mayor Bill Mills, Kin Canada National President James Doerr, Kinsmen John Spears, Dave Gillis, Club President Peter Taylor (Photo: James Faulkner)

A sign was recently installed to recognize the Victoria Park Kinsmen Playground. Truro Mayor Bill Mills and Kin Canada National President James Doerr were on hand with a number of Kinsmen for an official unveiling on Thursday.

The Kinsmen Club of Bible Hill is in the middle of a five-year, $25,000 commitment for playground upgrades in Victoria Park. Kinsmen, both the club in Bible Hill and Truro before them, have long supported the park.

The play area was built in 1952 with swings and other equipment. Modern facilities, such as the swimming pool, were built in 1959 with the support of a number of local groups. The Dr. Jim Vibert Trail, dedicated after the prominent Truro surgeon, was established by the Kinsmen in the 1970s.

More recently, the playground and baseball diamond saw major upgrades in 1994 and 2000, when washrooms and new playground equipment was installed. That work was partly funded by the Truro Kinsmen. A joint effort between the Kinsmen and the town led to the addition of the water spray park.

It’s just one way the Kinsmen Club of Bible Hill is able to fulfill its motto of “Serving the Community’s Greatest Need”.

In the Press: Scotia Pool Donation

Pictured, from left to right, are Kinsmen President Peter Taylor, Ewan MacKinnon, Cara MacKinnon, and Garrett Smith, a lifeguard at Scotia Pool. (Jeff Gill – Hub Now)

The Kinsmen Club of Bible Hill recently donated around $2,300 to Scotia Pool for the purchase of 44 life jackets of various sizes. Thanks to Jeff Gill at Hub Now for the photo and coverage.

Kinsmen Report: April 2017

Greetings from the Bible Hill Kinsmen! We’re busy gearing up for the 2nd Annual Colchester Book Fair. The two-day sale will be held at May 12th and 13th at the Truro Mall, in a space near the lotto booth. Proceeds from this year’s event will go to the Colchester East Hants VON, as well as local groups and organizations supported by the Kinsmen. In addition, leftover books from the sale will once again go to Colchester Community Workshops.

Donations have come from a number of places. From estates, to businesses, to people bringing a few boxes at a time to the various drop-off locations around the area, it’s incredible to see how such a large, empty area with tables lined up turns into a packed space. It took a lot of effort in the weeks beforehand to sort the books and have them priced to sell.

In an effort to move as much as we could at the end of the sale last year, you were able to buy the remaining books at a flat rate per bag. This year, the Kinsmen are simplifying the process by selling everything by weight.

There are seven drop-off locations for this year’s sale: Masstown Market, Sobeys on Prince St and Robie St in Truro, the book fair location at the Truro Mall, Shur Gain Feeds ‘n Needs, Fundy Appliance in Bible Hill, and the Truro Farmer’s Market. Donations can include books, puzzles, games, DVDs, CDs, vinyl, and comic books. However, the book fair is unable to accept technical manuals, encyclopedias, textbooks, magazines, VHS tapes, or Reader’s Digest Condensed Editions.

For more information on the sale, or to ask a question, email bookfair@biblehillkinsmen.ca or call 902-895-4533. The Kinsmen look forward to seeing everyone on May 12^th from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and on May 13^th from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Bible Hill Kinsmen hosted the Kin Association’s Annual Spring Zone Convention at the Best Western Glengarry in Truro from March 31^st to April 1st. Over 15 clubs from across Nova Scotia and PEI attended the convention. They were able to take part in some of what our community has to offer, along with having an opportunity to meet with other Kinsmen and have discussions on how we serve our community’s greatest need.

This Convention takes place just over the midway point of our Kin Year, which runs from September to June, and helps our clubs continue their focus on any events, whether they be of a fundraising nature or volunteering hours. It gives the members a chance to meet with other clubs face to face to exchange ideas on fundraising and membership recruitment to name a few. Spring Zone Convention does move to different areas of Nova Scotia and PEI each year, though the Bible Hill Kinsmen look forward to hosting it again in the near future.

We’d love to see you at one of our meetings. The Bible Hill Kinsmen hold meetings on the first and third Thursday of the month, from September to June, at 7:30 p.m. at the Douglas Street Recreation Centre. If you’re interested in joining us for a meeting, or would like more information, email president@biblehillkinsmen.ca.

James Faulkner is a member of the Bible Hill Kinsmen.

2nd Annual Colchester Book Fair Draws Near

The Kinsmen Club of Bible Hill Kinsmen continues to prepare for the 2nd Annual Colchester Book Fair. The two-day sale will be held May 12th and 13th at the Truro Mall, in a space near the lotto booth. Proceeds from this year’s event will go to the Colchester East Hants VON, as well as local groups and organizations supported by the Kinsmen. In addition, leftover books from the sale will once again go to Colchester Community Workshops. As you can see in the small gallery below, the space is slowly taking shape.

It took a lot of effort in the weeks beforehand to sort the books and have them priced to sell. In order to move as much as we could at the end of last year’s sale, the public was able to buy the remaining books at a flat rate per bag. This year, the Kinsmen are simplifying the process by selling everything by weight.

There are seven drop-off locations for this year’s sale: Masstown Market, Sobeys on Prince St and Robie St in Truro, Shur Gain Feeds ‘n Needs, Fundy Appliance in Bible Hill, and the Truro Farmer’s Market. You can also drop books off at the Truro Mall, as there’s a red drop-off box in front of where the sale will be held.

Donations can include books, puzzles, games, DVDs, CDs, vinyl, and comic books. However, the book fair is unable to accept technical manuals, encyclopedias, textbooks, magazines, VHS tapes, or Reader’s Digest Condensed Editions.

2017 Truro MS Walk on May 28th

The Bible Hill Kinsmen are once again involved in the 2017 Medavie Blue Cross MS Walk. The MS Walk is a family oriented, community-supported event that raises funds to support innovative research into the cause, treatment, and cure of multiple sclerosis, as well as valuable services, programs, and advocacy for Canadians affected by MS.

There are more than 140 MS Walk events across Canada, with 13 in Atlantic Canada. The venue for the local walk has changed. After years of being held at Bible Hill Central Elementary School, this year’s three kilometre walk will be hosted at Douglas Street Recreation Centre.

Recruit your family, friends, and colleagues and join us on Sunday, May 28th! Check-in time is 10 a.m., and the walk starts at 11 a.m.

For more information, contact Whitney Machin: whitney.machin@mssociety.ca, 902-468-8230 x1008, or toll free 1-800-268-7582. You can also check the MS Walk website.

MS is the most common neurological disease affecting young adults in Canada, and affects 100,000 Canadians. A disease of the central nervous system, MS interferes with the brain’s signals to the rest of the body. It’s unpredictable, and causes different symptoms in different people. The cause is unknown, with researchers looking at genetic and environmental factors.

Kinsmen Report: March 2017

Hello again from the Bible Hill Kinsmen! Spring is here, which hopefully means some warmer weather is on the way and less of that white stuff that keeps falling from the sky.

For the last four years, a considerable amount of time has gone into planning and preparing for our Great Trivia Challenge. We’re pleased to say that it was a huge success once again, and we have you to thank for your continued support of the event. Around 350 people made their way to the Best Western Glengarry earlier this month to match wits through ten rounds of trivia. When the dust settled, the Smartie Pints were the declared winners. The HR Hellraisers finished in 2nd. The Ice Hogs ended their evening in 3rd place, but it took a one question tie-breaker for that finish.

A special thank you also goes to the volunteers who joined our club members to make this the biggest trivia night yet. That also extends to the evening’s hosts, Greg Bishop from Cat Country 99.5 (his 2nd time hosting) and Mitch Johnson from Big Dog 100.9.

This year’s event was in support of the Colchester East Hants Health Centre Foundation’s We Care About Cancer Fund, and to a number of local groups and organizations supported by the Bible Hill Kinsmen. Last week, project chair Dave Gillis and Kinsmen Andrew St. Coeur proudly presented a cheque for $6,000 to Raj Makkar, Manager of Ambulatory Care, Chemo Clinic, and Darlene Holmes, Cancer Patient Navigator.

What’s the next big project coming up, you ask? The 2nd Annual Colchester Book Fair! We’ll have more details for you in the coming weeks, but the event is scheduled for May 12th and 13th. Last year’s event was bigger than we could have imagined, and our members are excited to continue this long-standing tradition in our area. Keep an eye on biblehillkinsmen.ca for all the latest news from the club.

James Faulkner is a member of the Bible Hill Kinsmen.

Drop-offs Open for the 2nd Annual Colchester Book Fair

Preparations are well underway for the 2nd Annual Colchester Book Fair. Proceeds from this event will go to the Colchester East Hants VON and local groups and organizations supported by the Bible Hill Kinsmen. We’re moving the two-day sale to the Truro Mall this year, and have a number of collection points throughout the area. Donations can be made at those locations at any time.

Book Fair Dates:
May 12th, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
May 13th, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Location:
Truro Mall, 245 Robie St., Truro

What we’re collecting:
Books, Puzzles, Games, DVD’s, CD’s, Vinyl, and Comic Books

We appreciate donations but are unable to accept:
Technical Manuals, Encyclopedias, Textbooks, Magazines, VHS Tapes, or Reader’s Digest Condensed Editions

Contact Info:
bookfair@biblehillkinsmen.ca
902-895-4533

Collection Points:
Masstown Market
Trunk 2, Masstown

Sobeys
68 Robie St. Truro
985 Prince St. Truro

Truro Mall
245 Robie St. Truro

Shur Gain Feeds ‘n Needs
50 Juniper St. Truro

Fundy Appliance
178 Pictou Rd. Bible Hill

Truro Farmers Market
15 Young St. Truro

Great Trivia Challenge Donation

Due to the money raised through the Great Trivia Challenge earlier this month, the Bible Hill Kinsmen have donated $6,000 to the Colchester East Hants Health Centre Foundation’s We Care About Cancer Fund!

Pictured are project chair Dave Gillis (far left), Darlene Holmes, Cancer Patient Navigator, Raj Makkar, Manager of Ambulatory Care, Chemo Clinic, and Kinsmen member Andrew St. Coeur.

Thank you once again for all of your support in making our event a smashing success for a fourth straight year!

The 4th Annual Great Trivia Challenge

What a night! Nearly 350 people joined us at the Best Western Glengarry for a few hours of trivia, fun, and prizes. Thank you to everyone who took part, from those who entered teams, to the people and businesses who donated prizes for our silent auction, and those who made other contributions to ensure the 4th Annual Great Trivia Challenge was another huge success! We hope everyone had a fun night.

As the dust settled, the Smartie Pints were the declared winners. The HR Hellraisers finished in 2nd. The Ice Hogs ended their evening in 3rd place, but it took a one question tie-breaker for that finish.

The community always comes out in support of the projects we put together, big or small, and for that we are grateful. Funds raised this year are going to the We Care About Cancer Fund and to a number of local groups and organizations supported by the Bible Hill Kinsmen.

Kinsmen Report: February 2017

Greetings from the Bible Hill Kinsmen!

We’re just days away from the 4^th Annual Great Trivia Challenge. Last minute preparations are underway and we can’t wait to see everyone as the massive room at the Best Western Glengarry fills up Saturday night. It was humbling to see how quickly you, the community, responded to this event and how many names were be added to a wait list. Thank you for your part in making this a fun evening. We will, as usual, have a balloon pop and silent auction to along with food, music, and a cash bar. Proceeds of this event will once again go towards the Colchester East Hants Health Centre Foundation’s “We Care About Cancer” Fund and other community projects.

Our members were at a Truro Junior A Bearcats game earlier this month to distribute a total of $5,000 between several groups and organizations through the Power Play Program. The Kinsmen donate $100 at every home game, or $200 if the Bearcats score a powerplay goal that night. A charity is chosen for each home game and they rotate throughout the season. The charities this season were the CEC Scholarship Fund, the Children’s Wish Foundation, the Colchester Food Bank, the Colchester-East Hants Hospice Society, the Truro Boys and Girls Club, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Our club has now donated $70,800 through the 15 years of the program. We’d also like to say thank you to a number of Bearcats players who helped with the presentations.

The National Day of KINdness was last weekend, and we invited you to join us at the outdoor ice surface at Truro’s Civic Square. We worked with the Great British Grub at the Farmer’s Market to cover the cost of the first 100 hot chocolate and hot dogs served by Great British Grub at the Market.

Capping off a busy and exciting month was a night of fun and fellowship as a number of our members and their partners celebrated the beginning of the Kin Association 97 years ago and the start of Kin in Truro and Bible Hill.

James Faulkner is a member of the Bible Hill Kinsmen.