It's not all about the fez and mini cars. The Cambridge Shriners are celebrating 50 years in the city and decades of solidarity and raising money for local charities.
Having been a Freemason for over 30 years and recently elected president of the Cambridge Shriners, Bill Kindon wears his fez with pride and looks back on his time with the organization as eye opening.
"We do a lot more for the community than people think," said Kindon. "We are really committed to helping and raising money for the community we live in and to help children in need."
Kindon became a Freemason back in the early 1990s, but had an interest in the organization since he was young. Having been in a part of the society for a few decades, his original perception of what a Shriner has completely changed.
"At first you think it's some mysterious society or something, but it's really just a group of people who want to do good for the community." he said.
Locally the group can be seen in the Canada Day parade in the little red corvettes or dressed as clowns.
The Shriners are connected with the Masonic Temple at 1 Groh Ave. in Cambridge and once members reach a certain level of freemasonry, they are eligible to become a Shriner.
Kindon sums the Shriners up as philanthropists whose goal are to raise money for the community and to be part of a society or "brotherhood," that are like a big family.
"We raise money for mostly children's charities like Make A Wish, Cambridge Memorial Hospital, KidsAbility and a few others," said Kindon. "For CMH alone we've raised over $150,000."
All of the top Shriners from surrounding clubs are in town for the celebration and to partake in a dinner and dance at the Hespeler Legion.
Kindon and his fellow Shriners want the community to know that there are so many opportunities to be active in the community and to give back.
"You never know who could be out there needing help. It could be your neighbour, your friend or someone in your family," said Kindon. "There are so many groups out there, not just the Shriners, but we should all be out doing good in the community."
The Shriners have had a tough time over the past few years attracting new members and they are currently seeing their numbers drop.
Kindon attributes this to the saturation of charitable groups in the area and the commitment it takes to actually be accepted into the Shriners.
"It used to be a lot harder to become a member, but they had to change that about 20 years ago. There could be some more room for improvements to make it a bit easier, but you still have to go through your levels of freemasonry," he said.
Throughout the years with the society, one experience stands out among the rest for Kindon.
"We had this mom whose son we helped with the money we raised. He was diagnosed with a very serious condition and because of the money we raised he was able to get the care he needed to survive," reminisced Kindon.
"She brought her son to the event and he was running around playing and laughing. She broke down and said that he wouldn't be there, able to smile and live a productive life if it wasn't for us."
Stories like this mother's and countless others are the reason the Shriners do what they do and continue to raise funds for local youth.
"We are just ecstatic to be able to have 50 years in the books and are looking forward to the next 50," added Kindon.
