For 25 years the members of the Kinette Club of Coaldale has been volunteer their time and donating funds to benefit their community and they recently honoured one of their own for her dedication.
Charlotte Van Ryn is one of the longest serving members of the organization in Coaldale with 24 years to her credit.
“I wasn’t a charter member but I joined the following year,” she said. “It’s been a long time but it’s been fun.”
She was recently surprised by the club when they hosted their 25th anniversary celebration and presented her with a lifetime membership. It was an honour and a presentation Van Ryn didn’t see coming until she was actually front and centre at the celebration.
Van Ryn said not only is being a Kinette fun, it has helped her grow as a person.
“You’re helping your community but you’re also helping yourself.”
Looking back over the last two decades or so, Van Ryn said the club has really changed over the years.
“It’s really evolved in 25 years.”
The Kinettes started out meeting in members’ basements and planning bake sales as a way to raise funds for community projects. The club was known for its raffles which included such hot ticket items as a fur coat and a diamond ring. Now the fundraising has shifted to a bigger stage with bingos and casinos.
One year the club decided to host a Christmas tea at the Sunny South Manor and now it and a spring tea are annual traditions.
“We still do that every year.”
The club also involves their children as the Kin Kids come along to help decorate by making ornaments for the special teas.
“It’s a good way to get them involved as well.”
Van Ryn said her own introduction to Kinettes was a natural step as her husband John was a member of the local Kinsmen. She was looking to get involved in the community as she already came from a volunteer background having donated her time to the Big Sister organization.
With two kids of her own to raise, Jeff and Tracy, she decided she wanted to volunteer her time in Coaldale. Now she has a lifetime membership with the Kinettes to match the lifetime membership John has with the Kinsmen.
Van Ryn has no idea how the Kinettes were able to keep the presentation of her lifetime membership a secret until the night it was presented. She said even the club members were surprised she didn’t find out before the official presentation was made at the anniversary celebration in June held at the Gem of the West Museum in Coaldale.
She admits she was so busy at work that the whole thing just flew right over her head.
“It was a fun night.”
Her mother and sister made the trip down from Drumheller to surprise her along with a sister from Calgary, a brother from Edmonton and her brother from Coaldale.
Over the years she has served in all of the executive position with the Kinettes including president, vice-president, treasurer, secretary and bulletin editor.
“Actually multiple times. It’s a small club, we’d like to have more members.”
Over the years the membership in the club has floated from as low as five to as high as 30 but usually sits around 10 active members. One of the permanent projects the Kinettes have undertaken over the years is the Tot Lot in Coaldale. This popular wading pool and playground are busy through the summer months.
Not only has the club helped to finance the building of the site, they also volunteer to clean it up every year.
The club is also a mainstay at Coaldale’s Settler Days every July, hosting the Mennonite Sausage and Perogies supper. The club also helps out the Kinsmen with their events and projects in the community.
Van Ryn said the Kinettes’ mandate is to help groups and organizations in the community. Over the years they have extended financial support to everything from Girl Guides and figure skating to the local food bank and the fire department. They have also helped baseball and hockey teams with fundraising, often donating to those groups who provide volunteer labour to work bingos and casinos for the Kinettes.
The club meets the second Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the community centre in Coaldale. Van Ryn said the Kinettes have not only allowed her to be involved in the community for over two decades but have also helped to foster long term friendships.
“You meet and work with people you might not run into in the course of a day.”
Even just knowing what is happening in the community and helping to keep things going is a benefit of being involved in the organization.
“It becomes part of your life.”
Her community involvement hasn’t been limited to the Kinettes. At one time she was a member of the local fire department but had to give it up when her kids came along. She is still involved with the local ag society and Coaldale’s Ducks Unlimited.
In her spare time, she likes to golf and loves to read. She also likes to cook and bake when time permits. She is also an avid power walker.
Van Ryn grew up in central Alberta and actually followed in her father’s footsteps and became a Alberta Pool agent. Her first job was in Calgary but she didn’t like the city. She applied and was able to take her elevator manager training, only the second women at the time to be assigned to a country elevator.
She took three months training at Old College before tackling her practical training. Her first position was at the elevator in Cardston for a year before she was moved to Coaldale where she worked for 11 years before moving into the farm supply side of the operation.
“Which is where I’m still at it.”
She currently works just outside of Barons as the Ag Retail Manager for Viterra.
Over the years she has worked for several different companies but has never actually left her job. She stayed on through several mergers which resulted in her working for Alberta Pool, Agricore, Agricore United and now Viterra. In all she has been on the job for 34 years, now in her third season in Barons.
“I love working out here.”
She said she loves being back with the farmers where her career began.