By Tyler Waugh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Members of several local Kin Canada clubs spent the day spreading smiles at St. John’s hospitals as part of Kin Kindness Day, held February 21. Volunteers from the Mount Pearl Kinettes, Mount Pearl Kinsmen, Paradise Kin Club and St. John’s Kin Club, gathered at the Health Sciences Centre and the Janeway Children’s Hospital to pay the parking fees of patients and visitors.
Kin Kindness Day, formerly known as National Day of Kindness, is held annually across the country in honour of Harold (Hal) Rogers, the founder of Kin Canada. The day celebrates the organization’s long-standing mission of ‘Serving the Community’s Greatest Need’ by encouraging members to perform simple acts of kindness in their communities.
The hospital parking project began many years ago through the efforts of the former Kinsmen Club of St. John’s East. Today, the St. John’s Kin Club has taken the lead in continuing the tradition and expanding it to include other clubs in the region.
Throughout the day, volunteers paid parking costs for visitors arriving at the hospitals, many of whom were there supporting loved ones facing serious health challenges. The gesture was met with heartfelt gratitude from patients and families alike.
Kin members said they were often humbled by how much such a small act meant to people during difficult times. After long and stressful days in the hospital, many visitors expressed appreciation for the unexpected kindness. For the volunteers, the experience was equally rewarding. Members described the day as a privilege and a reminder of the impact simple acts of generosity can have.
Kin Kindness Day is also an opportunity to recognize the ongoing support communities provide to Kin Canada clubs. As a volunteer service organization with a 106-year history, Kin Canada clubs rely on the generosity of citizens across the country to carry out their work.
The local Kin members say they look forward to continuing the tradition in the years ahead to bring a little kindness, and a few more smiles, to those who need them most.
Mount Pearl Kinettes, from left, Evelyn Butt, Kim Smith, Susan Ayers, Deborah Noseworthy, Nora O’Brien and Sandra Anstey spread a bit of kindness recently by paying the parking charges for visitors to the Health Sciences Complex and Janeway Children’s Hospital.