Christmas Index Program – Bible Hill Kinsmen

Kinsmen Report: December 2018

Season’s greetings, Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays everyone! The Kinsmen Club of Bible Hill is as busy as ever, with a lot of projects underway and more in the works for 2019.

The Truro Bearcats partnered with our club for the 6^th annual Teddy Bear Toss on December 2^nd. The Bearcats scored early in the game against the Miramichi Timberwolves, and 319 stuffed animals were tossed on the ice! That’s a record, and means nearly 1,500 have been collected at the event over the last six years. Once again, the stuffed animals will be distributed through the local Christmas Index Program.

Speaking of the Christmas Index Program, our members were at Wal-Mart this week to do some shopping. We’ve been lucky enough through your continued support to be able to expand the number of families we help each year. As Christmas gets a little bit closer, we’ll deliver the gifts to the selected families, and ensure they have groceries as well. It’s a project our club looks forward to the most each year. Not only is it a perfect way to give back to the community around the holiday season, but it’s also a great night of fellowship.

Brittany Smith, Community Engagement Coordinator for the Atlantic Region with Cystic Fibrosis Canada, and Bible Hill Kinsmen President John Spears.

At our most recent meeting, Brittany Smith, Community Engagement Coordinator for the Atlantic Region with Cystic Fibrosis Canada, spoke with our club. Kin Canada is a proud national partner of Cystic Fibrosis Canada. Each year Kinsmen and Kinettes host a variety of fundraising and awareness-building activities in support of the battle against cystic fibrosis. Since 1964, Kin members have raised more than $45 million for cystic fibrosis research and patient care. The Kinsmen Club in Bible Hill supports this cause in a number of ways, including through the Powerplay Program with the Truro Bearcats. Smith presented Club President John Spears with a Certificate of Appreciation for our “outstanding dedication and commitment in the fight to end cystic fibrosis.”

Another way our club supports Cystic Fibrosis Canada is through the Ultimate NHL Road. This is an annual fundraiser, and the grand prize will send you and a guest to three NHL games in three nights: Pittsburgh at Montreal on March 15th, Dallas at Ottawa on March 16th, and Montreal at Toronto on March 17th. Tickets are just $10, are only sold in Atlantic Canada, and just 9,000 have been printed! Contact us on Facebook or by email at info@biblehillkinsmen.ca for tickets, or contact one of our members.

If you’ve been around Downtown Truro, you’ve probably noticed we still have two KINdness Meters up and running at the Farmer’s Market and by the Marigold Cultural Centre. These parking meters will gladly gobble up your loose change! Money raised is used in a variety of our initiatives throughout the course of the year.

We’re also preparing for our annual New Year’s Eve Dance at Bible Hill Junior High School. DJ Harv will be the entertainment, with a 9 p.m. start time. There’s also a cash bar, and attendees must be 19+. Tickets are $25 each and are available from any of our club’s members or by emailing newyearsdance@biblehillkinsmen.ca. They’re also available at MacQuarries Pharmasave on the Esplanade.

Finally, there are a few rumblings about our annual Trivia Night. Expect news on this early in the New Year, but it’s never too late to start putting your team of eight together so you can grab a table as soon as they’re available! For details, email trivia@biblehillkinsmen.ca.

The Kinsmen Club of Bible Hill meets 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 the Communications Director for the Bible Hill Kinsmen.

Kinsmen go shopping for the local Christmas Index Program

Our members were at Wal-Mart last night to do some shopping for the local Christmas Index Program. We’ve been lucky enough through your continued support to be able to expand the number of families we help each year.

As Christmas gets a little bit closer, we’ll deliver the gifts to the selected families, and ensure they have groceries as well. It’s a project our club looks forward to the most each year. Not only is it a perfect way to give back to the community around the holiday season, but it’s also a great night of fellowship.

Kinsmen Report: January 2018

Hello once again from the Bible Hill Kinsmen!

The club is busy getting everything ready for the 5^th Annual Great Trivia Challenge. Can you believe it’s been five years? The event, one of our major fundraisers of the year, takes place Saturday, March 3^rd at 7:30 p.m. at the Best Western Glengarry. Proceeds of this event will go towards the Central Nova Women’s Resource Centre’s Girl Power summer camps, which offer empowerment activities, science experiments, recreation and physical activities, arts and crafts, and support for young women in our area.

We anticipate another packed venue for Trivia Night, with a number of teams from last year’s event re-entering. However, there’s still room for more! Hundreds of people, in teams of eight, will compete to test their knowledge in sports, music, entertainment, and history, just to name a few topics! There will be lots of food, music, a cash bar, and a silent auction that will take place throughout the night.

The deadline to register is February 17^th, at a cost of $300 per team. If you have any questions, feel free to send an email to trivia@biblehillkinsmen.ca.

At the start of December, the Bible Hill Kinsmen lost a key member of the club. Kevin Croft spent over 18 years as a Kinsmen member, involved in any and all events over the years, and was a tireless and dedicated volunteer. There aren’t enough words to express our deep sadness at his sudden passing, but again extend our sympathies to his friends and family. A moment of silence in his honour was held before the Truro Junior A Bearcats first home game in January.

The club isn’t quite as busy this month, which is a bit of a welcome pace given how crazy things can be in December, including the Christmas Index Program. We also held another successful New Year’s Eve dance at Bible Hill Junior High. Thank you to everyone who came out, who had a great night by all accounts! Earlier this month, members also attended a curling event in Moncton, which is one of the major events for all Kinsmen in the region for fellowship.

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. We’d love to see you there. If you’re interested in joining us for a meeting, or would like more information, email president@biblehillkinsmen.ca.

James Faulkner in Communications Director for the Bible Hill Kinsmen

2017 Teddy Bear Toss

It’s that time of year! The Bible Hill Kinsmen have again partnered with the Truro Jr. A Bearcats for the annual Teddy Bear Toss, in support of the local Christmas Index Program. The event takes place Wednesday, November 29th at the Bearcats game against Yarmouth, which is also Truro’s last home game until the new year.

The Teddy Bear Toss is always a lot of fun. Please place the teddy bears in a plastic bag and get ready to throw them on the ice after the first Bearcats goal! Kinsmen members will be on hand to collect them, count them, and deliver them to Christmas Index.

Shopping for the Christmas Index Program

Members of the Bible Hill Kinsmen grabbed shopping carts and ran around Wal-Mart in Truro on Tuesday night. Each year, the club supports the Christmas Index Program. In recent years, our efforts have slowly expanded to help more and more families in need during the holiday season.

It’s one of the projects club members look forward to the most each and every year. Not only is it a perfect opportunity to give back to the community, but it’s also a great night of fellowship with smiles and laughs all around.

As the day gets closer that we deliver the gifts to the selected families, we also ensure they have groceries as well. It’s just another way, along with the recent Teddy Bear Toss, that the Bible Hill Kinsmen are able to help people in our community.