A local Kin member is taking on a big role with the Saskatchewan district, now acting as vice-governor for the province's Kinsmen clubs.
Mark Tribiger was recently elected to the District 3 board, which will see him as governor in a year. The ceremony to introduce the new governing body for Saskatchewan's Kinsmen Clubs was held June 2 in Kerrobert. That's when Tribiger was formally elected vice-governor. Nobody ran against him for the nomination, which he said made the process very easy for him.
Tribiger has been a Kin member for a decade, holding every position, other than treasurer with both the Weyburn and Estevan executives. He was also the deputy-governor of Zone H, the local zone that is part of the Saskatchewan district. Tribiger was most recently the president of the Estevan club before deciding to take his Kinship to the provincial level. His presidential term will be ending any day now.
Kin involvement runs in Tribiger's family. His dad is a charter member of the Radville Kinsmen and is now a K40. He's not an active member but "they have their Christmas party where all the old guys get together."
His mom was a Kinette for a number of years as well.
He first got involved when a Kinsman who knew his father encouraged him to come to a meeting.
"A guy that had brought my dad out actually came up to me and said you're coming to Kinsmen. I said, 'Well, I don't know if I really want to,' and he, 'No, I didn't ask you. You're coming out to Kinsmen.'
"I thought I'd go to the odd meeting and just be a member. I never once thought I'd be governor of Saskatchewan at some point."
Tribiger said he decided to get into the administrative side because he'd developed a good understanding of how everything in the club works.
"I've been around long enough that there are actually people who start to look up to you. People know who you are, and it's a lot easier of a role to do when you can walk into a room and everybody knows who you are."
He said the fellowship and the friends he's made have been the best parts of the Kinsmen Club. He even first met his wife through the Kin Club.
Bringing in the next generation of Kinsmen is an important thing, said Tribiger.
"That was one of the platforms I had when I was going to run for vice-governor. In my governor year, I want to bring in the youth a little bit more."
He said that is one of the platforms the current governor is advocating so the youth movement for the Saskatchewan Kin Clubs will be in full swing for the next couple of years.
"We're going to be going to some of the high schools and trying to recruit from our campus clubs. They are in Regina and Saskatoon."
As vice-governor he will be shadowing the governor, but will step in any time the governor can't make a presentation or meeting.
"I basically oversee all the stuff that's happening within the district," he said. "Any big projects that are being chaired, I'm the one they talk to. The deputy governors will look towards me for any advice."
Telemiracle is the premier fundraising effort for Saskatchewan Kin clubs and he will have a role on the board that decides where the funds will go.
"I will be sitting on the foundation board, for sure, next year as governor. Our foundation is where all the money we raise at Telemiracle goes, and they disperse it out. There's a pretty good chance I'll be a member-at-large and sit on the foundation's board this year as well."
To some extent, Tribiger said it's starting to sink in that he's now committed himself to Kinsmen in a great capacity for the next three years.
"It's a three-year term in a sense because you're vice-governor, governor and then past-governor. Your governor year is your really busy year, your vice-governor year is your learning year and then your past-governor year is kind of just a wind down, where you're just helping fill in all the holes for what's going on."
In November, Tribiger will be heading to Cambridge, Ont. for a week-long session, training all the vice-governors from each of the country's districts.
"Basically, I'm going to be learning everything I need to know and who I need to contact when problems arise. It's like when you get a new job you get the lowdown on everything."
