Annual Shoppers Drug Mart Love You Campaign Raises Over $14,000 For YWCA Peterborough Haliburton

Community support for the 2021 LOVE YOU by Shoppers Drug Mart fall campaign resulted in a $14,081 donation to YWCA Peterborough Haliburton earlier this week.

Tanya Farrow, Store Manager (left) alongside High Street & Lansdowne Shoppers Drug Mart team members. Photo courtesy of YWCA Peterborough.

One hundred percent of in-store donations, made through the purchase of paper icons in Peterborough stores, helped fund YWCA Crossroads Shelter and support programs for women experiencing gender-based violence.

“We are truly thankful for the combined support of our community and the entire Peterborough Shoppers Drug Mart team,” said Kim Dolan, Executive Director of YWCA Peterborough Haliburton. “The need for violence against women (VAW) support services has remained high since the onset of the pandemic. This generous donation will provide much-needed safety, resources and support to women in crisis.”

The LOVE YOU by Shoppers Drug Mart fall fundraising program to grow women’s health is an annual four-week campaign and is one of the leading partnership programs of the LOVE YOU by Shoppers Drug Mart platform.

Since 2011, the fall fundraising program has supported more than 450 women’s charities annually across Canada.

“The YWCA is an absolutely essential resource for women and children living in Peterborough,” said Mohan Joshi, Owner of Shoppers Drug Mart High St., Chemong Road and Landsdowne St. locations. “We are honoured to be able to continue our commitment to their work in partnership with our generous customers and staff team.”

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Local Fraternity Holds Outdoor Campout For 48 Hours To Fundraise For the Homeless

Members of the Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) fraternity slept in a makeshift shelter for 48 hours last weekend to raise money for One City Peterborough to help anyone experiencing homelessness.

(left to right) Christopher Mills, Brendan Alexander, Oscar Fuchs and Marcus Fuchs huddled in a makeshift structure with hay and a tarp in the cold at the Venture North parking lot on George Street North. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

TKE (Upsilon-Kappa chapter) aids men in their mental, moral and social development for life according to their website.

The fraternity slept outside at the Venture North parking lot on George Street North from Friday at 4:00 p.m. to Sunday at 4:00 p.m. The campaign gave their members to experience the hardships and struggles that people experiencing homelessness face according to Christopher Mills, TKE member.

"We will never truly understand what it's like to be homeless because I have a nice car, I can go back home to and a bed but not everyone has that opportunity," said Mills. "So I couldn't even begin to imagine what all of them (the homeless) have to go through being out here in all this weather.”

TKE was successful in reaching its goal of $5,000 on Saturday night raising over $3,500 in an online fundraiser and the rest with in-person donations.

The homeless showed their gratitude as they often paid visits to them and grabbed a snack or drink for their trouble.

"Some of the people experiencing homelessness came by to show their support, thanked us and asked us for any food," said Mills. "Some of them even donated themselves because they were so grateful for the work that we're doing."

The fraternity also had local supporters making food, drink and monetary donations towards the cause. The Peterborough Police Service and MP Michelle Ferreri also paid visits to show their support.

"We're trying to do our part and help make Canada a better place to live,” concluded Mills.

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Rotary Club Performs Armour Hill Stunt To Promote 36th Annual Carl Oake Rotary Swim

To promote the upcoming 36th annual Carl Oake Rotary Swim fundraiser, Wayne Harding, Rotary Club of Peterborough president rode down Armour Hill in a kiddie pool filled with water on Sunday.

Wayne Harding (pictured) has performed past stunts such as being pushed in a shopping cart off a dock into Clear Lake and paddling the Lift Lock while firefighters sprayed him with fire hoses. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

“Last year, we tried to do this stunt but we got four inches of snow on the day. The pool wouldn't move so we wanted to redo that,” said Harding. “It is minus five according to my car. I'm wearing a bathing suit and I'm soaking wet but hey, life's grand."

A goal of $50,000 has been set where fundraising efforts will go towards Easter Seals and the remaining proceeds for Rotary projects in the community according to Harding. To date, over $1.3 million dollars has been raised for Easter Seals and Rotary Projects.

The annual Swimathon is on Feb. 25 at the YMCA of Peterborough. The public is encouraged to participate in the event or perform a virtual swim or splash at home while raising funds and sharing it on social media tagging the fundraising’s Facebook page.

Participants can register as an individual or as a team online where they will be assigned a fundraising page. The public can also make a donation directly via the website and receive an instant tax receipt.

The Rotary president has performed past stunts such as being pushed in a shopping cart off a dock into Clear Lake and paddling the Lift Lock while firefighters sprayed him with fire hoses.

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YWCA To Host Empty Bowl Fundraise At The Venue

Tickets are now on sale for the YWCA Empty Bowl fundraiser, which will be hosted at The Venue on Feb. 26.

Photo courtesy of The YWCA.

YWCA EMpty Bowls ticket holders will attand The Venue for a 30 minute slot. During that time they will be able to browse and select a hand-crafted bowl, donated by local artisans of the Kawartha Potters Guild and Kawartha Woodturners Guild.

Each $50 ticket also includes a local restaurant coupon card featuring discounts from various partnering restaurants and businesses, redeemable for 6 months. All proceeds from the event directly support YWCA Nourish food programs throughout Peterborough City and County.

“We’re extremely grateful for the continued support of our community and our sponsors, including Kawartha Cardiology Clinic, Cornerstone Family Dentistry and The Venue, who truly understand that food insecurity is a critical health issue and a core barrier for women experiencing gender-based violence,” said YWCA Executive Director, Kim Dolan.

“In Peterborough, 1-in-7 households are experiencing food-insecurity,” said YWCA’s Joëlle Favreau, Manager of Nourish. “Every ticket for YWCA Empty Bowls helps individuals and families most at risk of experiencing food insecurity put fresh, local, affordable food on their tables, while also supporting the systemic changes required to end food insecurity and poverty.”

A limited number of tickets are available for this year’s event. Peterborough Public Health COVID-19 protocols will be in place for a safe experience. For more information, please visit www.ywcapeterborough.org or contact Ria Nicholson at 705-743-3526 x113.

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Wolfe Lawyers to Match Community Donations for Kawartha Food Share's "Feed the Need" Campaign

To help against the hardships the COVID-19 pandemic has left people lacking in basic needs, Wolfe Lawyers will match up to $5,000 in community donations towards Kawartha Food Share’s (KFS) “Feed the Need“ campaign announced Tuesday.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The fundraiser runs from Feb. 1 to 21 as KFS, Wolfe Lawyers and Corus Entertainment (The Wolf 101.5 and Fresh Radio 100.5) urge the community to donate online.

One dollar becomes six dollars of buying power for much-needed food items to help support the community according to KFS.

KFS will purchase the required goods from the fundraising money and distribute them to their 36 member agencies.

The charity ran the event last year from Dec. 14, 2020 to Jan. 3, 2021 raising $27,450. Wolfe Lawyers matched the maximum $5,000 donation to help KFS with $164,700 of buying power.

If you wish to donate to “Feed the Need,” click here.

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Local Business Owner Garners Support From Community After Break In

Treasures and Memories, a custom engraving business in Brookdale Plaza, was broken into on Saturday though encouragement from the community is helping the business to recover.

Photo courtesy of Treasures and Memories.

“When we received the call from Peterborough Police in the early morning hours, I was panicked.,” said Barb Smith, owner. “When we arrived and saw the amount of destruction and damages, I was completely overwhelmed and a feeling of bleak, desperate defeat came over me.”

Smith opened the shop in late 2019 right before the pandemic hit. Like other business owners she has been struggling to navigate the changing restrictions, though with perseverance she has been able to grow her business.

When the thief broke in they smashed the main window, and merchandise in the store causing about $2,500 in damage that will not be covered by insurance.

“As the day wore on, sitting in the freezing cold, waiting for the window to be replaced, I was ready to give up, call it quits,” said Smith. “Then I started receiving calls from concerned customers. They lifted me up and encouraged me to persevere.”

Smith started a GoFundMe in hopes to recover from this loss.

“It is the wonderful customers we have and the support of our beautiful community that is making it easier to persevere, regroup and carry on,” she said. “The community we live and work in, is overall, very supportive and this is what will allow us to pick ourselves up, dust everything off and be the successful business I know we can be.”

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Carl Oake Rotary Swim To Make A Splash In February

The Rotary Club of Peterborough and Century 21 United Realty Inc. are teaming up again to present 36th Annual Carl Oake Rotary Swim on Feb 25. at the YMCA.

Firefighter sprays participants at the Carl Oake Rotary Splash Challenge. File Photo.

To date, the Carl Oake Rotary Swim has raised over 1 million dollars for Easter Seals and Rotary Projects.

In September 2021 the Carl Oake Rotary Splash Challenge raised over $45,000 for Easter Seals and The Rotary Club of Peterborough.

The swimathon is about fun and welcomes professional swimmers and those there for fun.

Teams or individuals can sign up to participate and start raising funds for The Rotary Club of Peterborough and Easter Seals by going to www.CarlOakeRotarySwim.com

Those interested in participating can join the event at the YMCA at 7 a.m on Feb. 25 or participate at home virtually.

Organizers are monitoring COVID-19 restrictions and hope that this event can go forward as planned.

Updates will be posted to the events Facebook page.

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Dr. J's Is Hosting Gift Wrapping Weekend And Raising Funds For Mental Health

Dr. J’s BBQ and Brews will be offering gift wrapping from Friday to Sunday to support Tackle 55 Suicide Awareness and the Canadian Mental Health Association.

“All the funds will go to the Canadian Mental Health Association in memory of Dan Bois, who was one of my best friends,” said owner Addison Brown. “Unfortunately he struggled with mental illness, and he couldn’t fight it.”

Those interested in participating can bring any and all Christmas gifts to Dr. J’s (282 Aylmer St N) and donate a minimum of $20. 100 per cent of the proceeds will be donated.

This is the second fundraiser Dr. J’s will host this holiday season. On Dec. 5 Santa Claus paid a visit to the restaurant, and for $5 guests could take their photo with him.

Proceeds from that event were donated to Kawartha Food Share.

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Operation Catnip Peterborough Is Hosting An Online Raffle To Fund 2022 Operations

Operation Catnip Peterborough is hosting an online raffle on their Facebook page to raise money for future vet bills and to fund their spay/neuter program.

Operation Catnip is an organization of volunteers that use the ‘trap, neuter, release’ method. They catch stray or feral cats, spay or neuter them and then either find the cat a home or release it back into the wild.

To date the organization has helped over 1700 cats in 380+ colonies.

Only 200 tickets will be sold, and the raffle will occur when all are gone. Tickets are $10 per ticket, or 3 tickets for $25.

They can be purchased by sending an E-transfer to opcatptbo@gmail.com.

Prizes include giftcards to local shops like Juniper, The Food Forest Café, and ‘76 Sips Cafe. There are also items like Petes tickets, christmas gift baskets and candles.

Operation Catnip is also selling mugs with their logo, designed by volunteer and graphic designer Kim Russell, for $20.

Mugs, and more information about the raffle, are available on Operation Catnip’s Facebook page.

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Your Metres Matter Fundraising Campaign Raises Over $10,000 In The First Week To Help Revitalize The Jackson Creek Trail

In just over one week since launching the Your Metres Matter fundraising campaign, the community has raised $10,600 to help revitalize the Jackson Creek Trail in the heart of Peterborough.

The Your Metres Matter campaign is raising funds to resurface and repair points of erosion on the Jackson Creek Trail so that it continues to be accessible and safe for all trail users. Each $50 donation helps to revitalize one metre of trail.

“More than ever, people are accessing trails to get exercise, boost their mental health, relieve stress, and spend quality time with family,” said Dan Marinigh, CAO at Otonabee Conservation, “During the pandemic, the trail is seeing an increase in use as many residents seek the calm of nature nearby, and have taken up hobbies like birdwatching, hiking, dog walking, biking, and cross-country skiing. The trail is in need of repairs to restore its longevity.”

The Your Metres Matter Community Challenge also launched last week; it encourages groups to raise funds and challenge each other in a friendly community competition.

So far, Runner’s Life, Peterborough Nordic Club, Wild Rock Outfitters, and the board and staff at Otonabee Conservation have taken the challenge, already collectively helping to raise $6,500 for the campaign, which translates to 130 metres of trail.

“We are so grateful for the support we are receiving, and especially from the groups and community members who regularly utilize the trail,” said Marinigh. “The response we are having with this friendly community competition unites us with a common goal to care for and revitalize a trail we all love.”

Each $50+ donation to the Your Metres Matter campaign will receive a charitable tax receipt, photo card, sticker, and a commemorative Jackson Creek Trail badge to wear proudly while visiting the trail. A donation of $500+ dollars (or 10+ metres of trail) will be recognized on a new trailhead sign to be placed along the Trail.

“While we have raised $10,600 in just over one week of the campaign, we still have a ways to go,” said Marinigh, “As of December 8, we have raised enough to repair 211 metres of trail; the Jackson Creek Trail is 4,500 metres long so we encourage more groups to join our Community Challenge and more trail enthusiasts to consider a donation or a gift to the trail lover on their holiday list this year.”

To make a donation, track progress of the campaign, learn more about the Your Metres Matter campaign or the Community Challenge visit otonabeeconservation.com.

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