Cuddles For Cancer Just Had Grand Opening Of Its First Drop-In Location In Downtown Lakefield

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If you have a dream, you gotta have Faith. Fifteen-year-old Faith Dickinson's dream was to someday open a physical location for her Cuddles For Cancer initiative, a charity she started when she was just 9-years-old that gives hand-made fleece blankets to cancer patients, veterans, soldiers, the homeless and other people in need of comfort around the world.

That dream was realized on Saturday (November 4th) in downtown Lakefield when a big gathering turned out to help the Grade 10 TASSS student celebrate her grand opening of a Cuddles For Cancer Drop-In Centre that opened at 15 Queen Street.

Faith in front of Cuddles for Cancer Drop-In Centre

The idea behind the drop-in centre—which will be open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays—is for students, seniors and everyone in between to come in to this inviting space and help make fleece blankets, aka "cuddle blankets", for those in need.

Since starting Cuddles for Cancer, more than 3,500 blankets have been sent to people in need around the planet, and with more volunteers involved at this drop-in centre, that number and the speed of making them should increase markedly.

Faith's Cuddles For Cancer has brought her attention and accolades around the world. Earlier this year, she met Prince Harry and William after receiving a Legacy Award (established in honour of Princess Diana) from them in London, England. The award goes to youth children making a monumental impact on society.

Faith pictured at Grand Opening of Cuddles For Cancer Volunteer Centre

Faith, who is also Youth Ambassador on the United Way Peterborough campaign cabinet this year, touches people globally and locally with her blankets. In September, she presented Cuddle Blankets to women at the New Canadians Centre in Peterborough.

All the fleece used to make the blankets is stored in the basement of the new drop-in location...

It should come as no surprise to those who know Faith that her ambitions with Cuddles For Cancer do not end here.

She would love to see more Cuddles For Cancer Drop-In Centres open in other cities at some point, and there is even talk and interest in starting one in London, England.

For more info on Cuddles For Cancer, visit the website here.

To inquire about helping out with the Drop-In Centre and making fleece blankets, click here.

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Put Your Director To Work Day For The United Way

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Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington (PVNC) Catholic District School Board is excited to launch the 2nd Annual Put Your Director to Work Day.

Director of Education Michael Nasello is once again raffling himself off to raise money for a local United Way campaign. One lucky PVNC employee will get a day off to kick up their feet, while Nasello rolls up his sleeves and does their job for the day. Last year, the raffle raised $1,485 and sent Nasello to St. Paul CES in Lakefield, where he filled the role of an educational assistant.

Michael Nasello at last year's Put Your Director To Work Day

“I had a great time last year working closely with some great students and all the amazing staff at St. Paul Lakefield,” Nasello says. “Who will it be this year? A custodian? A kindergarten teacher? I can’t wait to find out.”

A single ticket costs $5 or employees can purchase three for $12.

The employee whose winning ticket is selected, whether it’s a supply teacher, a custodian, an educational assistant, a secretary or any other staff position, will get a paid day off while Nasello performs their job for the day.

PVNC is pleased to partner with four United Way campaigns in Peterborough, Durham, Kawartha Lakes and Northumberland. The winner’s work location will determine where the proceeds go.

“Every year we support the United Way’s mission as it works to empower some of our communities’ most vulnerable people and fund important social services that some of our students and their families rely on,” Nasello says. “This raffle is also a great opportunity to recognize the important roles all of our staff play each day in ensuring our students are given every opportunity to succeed.”

Tickets will go on sale to PVNC staff at school locations and the Board office on Wednesday, November 1st. The raffle runs until Friday, December 1st and the winning ticket will be picked at the monthly Director’s Meeting at the Board office on Wednesday, December 13th.

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Bras Around The Building Campaign Collects 7,000 Bras & Raises $17,000

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Country 105, Energy 99.7 and Merrett Home Hardware Building Centre have wrapped up the 7th Annual “Bras Around the Building” Campaign. With the support of the community, a total of 7,146 bras were collected.

With the generous contribution of $1 per bra from Merrett Home Hardware Building Centre, along with other monetary donations from local businesses, the 2017 Bras Around the Building Campaign raised $17,000 which will be donated to the Canadian Cancer Society for breast cancer research.

For the last four weeks, women of Peterborough and The Kawarthas have been donating their gently used bras, and many local women took up collections from family and friends for the campaign.

The bras will hang on the Country 105/Energy 99.7 building at 59 George St. N. in Peterborough, and will remain on display until Monday, October 30th as a symbol of support for women battling breast cancer, to honour survivors and to remember those who have lost their battle.

The public are encouraged to stop by and take pictures over the weekend.

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Peterborough Petes Unveil Plaid Jerseys To Be Worn November 2nd In Support Of United Way

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On a plaidtastic Monday (October 16th) in the Pat Casey Alumni room at the Memorial Centre, Jim Russell CEO of the United Way of Peterborough and District together with the 2017 Campaign Chair Neil Morton (co-founder of PTBOCanada.com) gave more details on Petes Plaid Night for the United Way to take place on Thursday, November 2nd—unveiling the plaid jerseys the Petes will wear for the first time in their storied history.

Here they are - the #plaidtastic jerseys that your Petes will wear in support of @unitedwayptbo on Nov. 2 vs @stinghockey!

A post shared by Peterborough Petes (@petesohlhockey) on

Matt D’Agostini of the Petes front office was unabashed in his support of the night and the partnership with the United Way. He was joined at the podium by three of the Petes players: Cole Fraser, Matthew Tims and Dylan Wells. They all sported redesigned special edition maroon, black and cream, plaid game day sweaters.

Unveiling of Petes Plaid jerseys at Memorial Centre

The jerseys will be worn during the game and be auctioned off, with all proceeds going towards the 2017 United Way campaign. Co-sponsors of the one of a kind sweaters are Cambium Inc. and Patrick McAuley of Bowes and Cocks.

Jim Bailey of Cambium Inc. spoke of the culture of his workplace and the importance to give back to the community: "For us it was a perfect fit, with both the United Way and the Petes being important to Peterborough," he says.

In addition, Ashburnham Realty is sponsoring the Petes Skybox for this special evening. 

Noah Crowley, of Sun Life Financial—Chair of the silent auction table for the event—shared a list of items so far secured including, Gold Leaf Tickets, an Anaheim Ducks game jersey signed by Nick Ritchie, a Fitbit from Best Buy, a signed Kurtis Foster hockey stick, and a special “Suite Night Out” package which will include a box, tickets for 8, and food for the evening sponsored by Ricky’s Peterborough.

United Way organizers want a "a sea of plaid" for the game November 2nd, and encourage everyone coming to the game to wear some kind of plaid. There are $20 tickets still available, $7 of each going directly to the United Way, as well as Plaid scarfs for $25. Both are available at the United Way office.

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With High Patient Volumes PRHC To Open 24 New Unfunded Patient Beds

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With patient volumes above 100 percent of the hospital’s funded bed capacity over the past year, Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) has made the decision to open an additional 24 unfunded inpatient beds later this month.

For the past two years, the beds (located on unit B6) have been temporarily opened and staffed between December and March—providing additional space for patients during the traditional “surge” season, when respiratory illnesses like influenza (flu) have historically increased the volume of patients coming through the hospital.

This past spring and summer, however, patient numbers have continued to exceed hospital capacity, prompting the Health Centre to open 24 unfunded beds on a year-round basis.

“We are facing similar challenges to what is being seen in hospitals across the province,” says Colleen Armstrong, Director, Emergency & Medicine. “This year, we have had record numbers of patients coming through the doors of our Emergency Department and being admitted to inpatient beds every month, and there is no indication that these volumes can be expected to decrease anytime soon."


“Our goal is to continue to provide safe, quality care for our patients, and the addition of these beds will help to support that level of care throughout the organization,” adds Armstrong.

PRHC routinely has approximately 80 patients designated Alternative Level of Care (ALC) in hospital beds who no longer require hospitalization, but who remain in hospital care because there is no safe, suitable alternative available for them in the community.

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PTBOCANADA


Love Lives Here: Peterborough Statement Of Unity Gaining Hundreds Of Signatures

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Peterborough has responded to an anti-immigration "rally" planned by a few individuals for September 30th with a massive show of force, unity and love.

A huge and growing network of Peterborough businesses, organizations and individuals are drowning out the "rally" with the announcement of a Solidarity Weekend—"Love Lives Here", taking place September 29th to October 1st.

Community members and organizations have been meeting and gathering support over the past couple of weeks to organize a response to the "rally", and an online Statement of Unity is gaining momentum with hundreds of signatures from organizations and individuals.

As well, Mayor Daryl Bennett released this statement on the anti-immigration "rally":

“We must stand together against racism and hate. While our Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects freedom of expression, it also seeks to preserve and enhance our multicultural heritage. I trust that our law enforcement agencies will monitor and take action if any situations cross over to the promotion of hate or the advocacy of violence. The freedom of expression is not absolute.

Canada is a nation that was built on immigration. Our farms, our towns and our cities have grown and have flourished through the contributions of immigrants, their children, and their children’s children. To advocate against immigration is to advocate against what defines us as a country.

City Staff received an application for a park rental for a rally. The City is unable to deny an applicant the opportunity to hold a non-violent rally against immigration policies and the Trudeau government. However, the City has notified the police of the event and they have informed the City that they will monitor the situation.

I would assume that these individuals want to create controversy and get media attention. The last time one of these individuals was part of a rally in Peterborough it involved four people standing on a corner. We don’t want to raise the profile of these individuals.

The Peterborough community has responded appropriately to this latest action by showing compassion and support for diversity through creative events such as the Chalk Out Hate initiative that will be held on Friday.”

History teaches us we must not stand by idly: Sign the Statement of Unity here, and spread the word.

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Rotary Club Of Peterborough Installs Buddy Bench At St. Catherines Elementary School

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The Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha presented its first Rotary Buddy Bench to St. Catherines Catholic Elementary School Principal Shelley Adair and the staff and students of the school.

Nate Loch, a former student there and the inspiration for the project, shared candidly with the group in the school library his past experiences in both elementary and high school regarding bullying—of being both the victim and the perpetrator of bullying.

Left to Right: Donna Geary, Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha; Donna’s son, Nate Loch; Past President Kim Winter; St. Catherines Principal Shelley Adair; Rotary Club President Len Lifchus.

Nate closed his powerful talk with this message:

“I am optimistic looking towards the future of the schooling systems, and I’ve seen the great effort undertaken from the school board to try and tackle the gigantic problem of bullying. But this is where it starts, and this is where it can end—right here in this school, in the playgrounds and everywhere in between.

"I hope that as teachers you can guide the students into using this bench to promote inclusiveness and to be open to the idea of socializing with people they aren’t familiar with, or they might not be comfortable around. I hope to see this project succeed, and if it were to change the perception of a single child, I’d say it will have been a success.”

We love this initiative, and hope it spreads to more schools.

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University Students Sarah Ross & Brianna Hamilton Raise Important Funds For PRHC's Adult Mental Health In-Patient

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Two university students, both from Peterborough, have just made an huge impact on mental awareness and treatment.

Sarah Ross and Brianna Hamilton collaborated on a baseball tournament on August 26th—Hitting Back at Mental Illness: In Memory of Jake Stanley and Kathy Ross—that was a home run, raising more than $35,000 for PRHC's Adult Mental In-Patient Unit.

Dynamic duo: Brianna and Sarah at the ball tournament

Sarah, a Trent student going into her fourth year of Nursing, and Brianna, a 4th-year Criminology student at Carleton University in Ottawa, have been good friends ever since Brianna reached out to Sarah in January 2016 to ask her about her own experience in PRHC's Adult Mental Health In-Patient Unit.

Brianna Hamilton and Sarah Ross presenting the cheque to PRHC

"I had previously been a patient in December of 2014 and she knew that and wanted more information before getting help," Sarah tells PTBOCanada. "Since then, we have been very close friends. I have also lost my mother, Kathy Ross, who was the Principal of St. Peter's Secondary School, to mental illness in December of 2012."

"Earlier this year, Brianna mentioned to me about doing a fundraising tournament for PRHC's Unit and dedicating it to my mother and Jake Stanley, also a former St. Peter's student, who lost his own battle to mental illness in September of 2015."

Left to right: Lesley Heighway (Foundation Member), Sandra Hamilton, Brian Hamilton, Brianna Hamilton, Graeme Ross, Sarah Ross, Anne Ondercin (Foundation Member) and staff from PRHC's Adult Mental Health In-Patient Unit

With both of their deaths having such huge impacts on the community, Sarah and Brianna felt it was a great idea to be able to collaborate and honour their memories and raise money for a cause they would both be behind.

They ended up having a huge turnout at Norwood Community Centre ball diamond, with more than 20 teams in the tournament. In addition, they received an anonymous donation from a community member that covered the cost of the location.

On Friday (September 15th), the dynamic duo presented the PRHC Foundation with a cheque for $35,516.25 in support of Adult Mental Health In-patient services at Peterborough Regional Health Centre in the mental health courtyard.

"We were blown away by the amount we raised and we’re so grateful to everyone who donated, participated and sponsored," say the girls.

Members of Jake Stanley Baseball Team

All the proceeds will be used to support PRHC’s Adult Mental Health In-Patient unit and their efforts to create and facilitate a safe, therapeutic environment. The funds will be invested in supports that will enhance the patient experience and aid mental health patients in relaxation, a distraction from other stressors, and self-soothing while they receive treatment.

This includes investments in therapeutic furniture such as rocking and/or massage chairs, iPads with therapeutic applications, exercise equipment, self-regulation sensory items such as weighted blankets and self-harm prevention tools, reading materials and more.

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Maryam Monsef On Her Inspiring Chat With Angelina Jolie At TIFF

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Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef and her mother Soriya Basir had an inspiring meet with actor/activist Angelina Jolie on Sunday (September 10th) at the TIFF screening of The Breadwinner, an animated film Jolie executive produced about an 11-year-old girl in Afghanistan living under Taliban rule.

MP Maryam Monsef and Angelina Jolie at TIFF screening of Jolie's The Breadwinner

The film, about a headstrong young girl who disguises herself as a boy in order to provide for her family, is based on the bestselling book by Canadian writer Deborah Ellis.

Monsef says the book and movie speaks to her for many reasons: "It's the story of an 11-year-old Parvana's journey of survival in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and her attempt to help her family as the breadwinner. Breadwinner tells the story of Afghanistan through the eyes of a child. For years, Ellis has shined light on the struggles and resiliency of Afghan people and the strength of women and girls of Afghanistan. With the animation of The Breadwinner, we are all reminded once again to never underestimate the power of a girl."

Monsef tells PTBOCanada that she and her mom had a memorable few minutes with Jolie: "She is proud of Canada's role in the world as we progress gender equality and promote diversity. She also said that of all the places she goes to, she is happiest when she is surrounded by the women of Afghanistan. She doesn't know what it is about them, she just feels connected to them."

Monsef's mother even received this hug from Angelina...

Photo courtesy Maryam Monsef

Monsef, who says Angelina is beautiful inside and out, adds that she told the actress this at the meeting: "I thanked her for helping to tell the story of Afghan people, and she said she would continue to do so."

Monsef also "fan-girled huge" when she met the Breadwinner author Ellis (pictured 2nd from left below)...

Monsef came away very moved by her experience at the TIFF screening:

"Teachers in Peterborough often call me and Mom to come in and talk to their students after they read The Breadwinner," Monsef tells PTBOCanada. "The kids always had many questions and such compassion. Seeing all the kids in the audience yesterday and talking to Angelina and others involved made me appreciate the deliberate efforts to focus content like this on children as the audience. They will grow up to fix this broken world and it's never too early to teach compassion."

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