When Mendelt Hoekstra founded the Momentum Choir, it was all about breaking down barriers and providing opportunities for people living with physical and intellectual challenges. That included the cost to participate, said Hoekstra, who now holds a dual role with the group as both its executive and artistic director. And it’s organizations like the Fonthill and District Kinsmen that have help with that, Hoekstra said.
“The reason why we appreciate groups like the Kinsmen Club is that we, from the very beginning, have charged the choir members themselves $5 a year,” Hoekstra said. “Five dollars a year for membership fee in a choir in 2024 is unheard of.”
The Kinsmen wound up their Krispy Kreme doughnut sale for the choir on Wednesday, Sept. 25. The service club took pre-orders from customers and wound up selling 800 boxes of a dozen doughnuts for $12 apiece. Of this, $5 was donated to Momentum, meaning $4,000 was headed the singing group’s way. And Wednesday was delivery and pick-up day with cars streaming into the Merrittville Speedway parking lot.
“We had 339 dozen delivered before we even started (at Merrittville),” said Len Doyle, past-president of the Kinsmen. “We sold out nearly two weeks ahead of time.”
It was the second time that the Kinsmen have come to the aid of the choir.
The group came on the Kinsmen’s radar when Doyle first attended a concert by Momentum at Pelham Community Church last November. He learned that the choir needed a new, adaptable drum set. The Kinsmen subsequently swung into action and donated $2,300 to help with the purchase of a new kit.
Since its inception in 2007 in St. Catharines, Momentum added a chapter in western New York in 2011, and Hamilton in 2017. In all, there are some 100 performers – including 60 in Niagara alone – across the three chapters.
Meanwhile, it was the third time the Kinsmen have sold the popular and sometimes hard-to-get treats. Past endeavours have helped raise money for organizations such as Pelham Cares, and Rose City Kids in Welland.
