When Tom Therien joined the Flin Flon Kinsmen Club more than two decades ago, he was looking to give back to his community.
Now he will have a greater opportunity to also contribute to his country.
Therien is about to be appointed a national director with Kin Canada, the national umbrella group for Kinsmen and Kinette clubs.
“You don’t want to pat yourself on the back, but I think we do provide a great service for this country,” he says of the Kin movement. “I really feel very proud to be on this board and to serve this organization.”
Sworn in
This August, Therien will be sworn in as the first Flin Flonner ever to join the 11-member national board, which includes representation from each region of Canada.
In that role he will help shape national policy and direction for the Kin movement, which has 7,000 members across the country.
Throughout his three-year term, Therien may attend meetings virtually through Skype or in person in Cambridge, Ont., where Kin Canada is headquartered.
Therien feels up to the job, a sentiment bolstered by a resume that includes nearly 25 years with the Kinsmen Club, most of them in Flin Flon.
Therien is no stranger to the national Kin scene. Just as he assumes the post of director, he will end a one-year term as national chair of the Kin Canada Bursaries / Hal Rogers Endowment Fund committee. He is also a Kinsmen Club life member.
Therien is one of Flin Flon’s most familiar faces, having spent 15 years on city council. He is now president of the Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce and a director with Community Futures Greenstone.
He invites anyone interested in becoming a Kinsmen or Kinette club member to contact him at 204-687-0311 or 204-687-6731.
