The Ontario Branch Starlighters Junior Circle was established in 2003. The Starlighters Junior Circle is one of a number of Circles that are part of the Ontario Branch of the International Order of The King’s Daughters and Sons – a Christian service organization with members in both the United States and Canada.
Junior Circles are formed with three or more members. They have adult supervision and are usually sponsored by an Adult Circle. The adult leader’s role is to be there for support, encouragement, and ideas.
Each Junior Circle organizes Bible studies, activities, projects, and programs that are age appropriate. These young members will continue to grow in their spiritual life and leadership skills. They will begin to hold leadership roles, learn the history of The King’s Daughters and Sons’ organization, and learn basic parliamentary procedures as they start their journey.
For many years, the Starlighters Circle held joint meetings with the Scholarship Circle and their meetings were usually lunch or dinner meetings that were followed by an activity. Some of those activities included making key chains and bookmarks for sale at Conventions, and making mats out of milk bags. The completed mat was sent to a country where a lot of people sleep on the floor. Some of the older Starlighters have helped out serving food and helping out in the kitchen at Ontario Branch Conventions, and one Starlighter helped with closing the houses in Chautauqua one Fall. Recent meetings have been held virtually and include devotions and games.
Recent events:
In 2003, inspired by the spirit and compassion of the late Roger Neilson, a much-respected member of their coaching staff, the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and its Foundation approached the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). The vision of the Hockey Club was to improve the quality of life for children and families going through the most difficult time imaginable. The result of this was Roger Neilson House which opened in 2006 thanks to the Ottawa Senators raising five million dollars. It is the only one of its kind in the area.
On Thursday January 2, 2020 several Circle members had a tour of the pediatric residential hospice and presented gift cards from Costco for $440, Walmart and Dollarama each for $100 to the Manager of the Palliative Care Team. These cards will greatly help the families of patients of this eight-bed facility. There are over three hundred who volunteer at Roger Neilson House as it needs the community support both physically and financially to continue functioning.
For more information on the Starlighters Junior Circle, please contact: info@thekingsdaughtersandsons.ca.