By Vivian Collings

Kinmount invites you to meet some of the devoted volunteers in your community, and maybe grab a burger and win some prizes, on Saturday, May 28.

Almost 20 Kinmount organizations are hosting a free Meet Your Community event from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m at the Kinmount Community Centre at 2 Dickson Street in Kinmount. The event will feature a free barbecue meal, games and prizes, a meet-and-greet with Kinmount volunteers, and displays of various organizations in the community.

“The Meet Your Community event is something that is important to the organizations and the community as a whole,” said Christine Weerdenburg, member of the Kinmount and District Lions Club. “There have been people living in the area for a number of years that did not realize the work that many people do within the community groups.”

The idea was brought forward to the Kinmount organizations by the Kinmount and District Lions Club and in 2019 the first Meet Your Community event was held.

Lynne Kilby of the Kinmount Artisans Marketplace said that the 2019 event was “a hit beyond our imagination. So many people came to check out the event and see our displays.”

The organizations had planned to host the event again in 2020 and 2021, but COVID-19 health measures caused the groups to put the event on hold until this year.

Kilby said that some Kinmount businesses and organizations did not make it through the pandemic and had to close their doors, so Meet Your Community will be an essential event to show attendees that the town has extensive volunteer and economic sectors.

“We are so excited to be back this year and holding the event for both long-time and new residents to come and see what Kinmount has to offer,” Kilby said.

Each organization will have activities, giveaways, and raffle prizes at the event.

Weerdenburg is looking forward to sharing some history of the Kinmount and Districts Lions Club and what Lions do to help the community.

“We want to make sure that there is something for everyone to be a part of [at the event] if they wish,” Weerdenburg said. “If they are new to the community then it’s a great way to meet new people, but also there is maybe [a volunteer organization] that they would like to be part of.”