Moose Jaw Kinsmen Named 2020 Group Of The Year

By their own admission 2020 was a tough year for the Moose Jaw Kinsmen Club, they were unable to meet as much as they had planned to plus a major fundraiser for the club could not happen, but despite this the club and its 20 members were able to adapt and overcome in the year of the pandemic and be named Moose Jaw’s 2020 Group of the Year.

“I would like to say we really appreciate it. A lot of the guys in the club are very excited about being nominated for it. A lot of hard work goes into it this,” Kinsmen member Cory Olafson said in accepting the award. “With COVID we could not meet for a good portion of the year and our Kinsmen safe ride program we usually do about 35 corporate Christmas parties for safe rides home this year we did zero as there wasn’t any.”

Despite the impact of the pandemic the Kinsmen have continued with their popular Chase The Ace fundraising event and helped support local businesses by purchasing a large number of gift cards and then auctioned them off and gave the money back to the Moose Jaw and District Food Bank, Olafson said.

“I think the cherry on the top this year was the way we re-vamped the Kinsmen Santa Claus parade. And obviously with the restrictions in place we took the parade to the citizens of Moose Jaw,” he said.

Traditionally the Santa Claus Parade is held in a Downtown route where parade watchers congregate. This year due to the restrictions on public gatherings the Kinsmen took the parade - complete with Santa Claus and Mrs Claus - into the neighbourhoods where people could safely watch it from their homes.

“We went to them instead of them coming to us…it was 17 hours of pulling them around town it was a lot of fun…it blew us out of the water how many people were at their window or out in the street and wherever it was amazing actually.”

Also in running for the award was Wow Factor Media, Moose Jaw Pride, the Moose Jaw chapter of theSasktel Pioneers, the 2020 Scotties Tournament of Hearts volunteers and Seniors Centre Without Walls.

The Group of the Year Award was presented by the Moose Jaw and District Chamber of Commerce, Golden West Radio and CAE Inc. Rob Carnie from 800 CHAB emceed the on-line event.