Peterborough Humane Society Is Welcoming Back Volunteers Ahead Of Moving To Their New Home
/The Peterborough Humane Society has put a call out for volunteers on social media, ahead of their big move to a new facility.
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Peterborough Blogs
Springbrook Man Returns From Ukraine Farm With A Full Belly A Grateful Heart And Plans To Return
/Springbrook’s David Black has returned from a three weeks of helping at a Ukrainian farm and is already planning his return.
David, Ivanka and her family. Photo courtesy of David Black.
When Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, Black couldn’t sit back and watch.
His first plan of action was to travel to Poland and help to to transport those fleeing Ukraine away from the Poland/Ukraine border.
He and another man stayed for three weeks, drove thousands of kilometers around Europe and delivered many individuals and families to a safe place. When Black returned to Canada he knew he had to go back to help, but decided after too many hours in a vehicle he needed a different approach.
Through connections he made on his first mission, he was put in contact with a farm in need of help in the rural town of Polonne, Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Government has exempted farmers from military duty, though Black points out that many are still volunteering, leaving many farms without adequate help.
Ivanka and her brother Sasha. Photo by David Black.
Black’s journey began on June 9, when he took off from Toronto with a suitcase of medical supplies he planned to deliver to a mutual friend in Lviv. Thanks to delays, he arrived in Lviv later than expected, when the city was already under curfew, meaning the supplies could not be picked up. The new plan became getting the supplies to Kyiv, no matter what.
Sitting in the cabin of his train, a paramedic from California approached Black. Perhaps grateful he had found another English speaker, Black soon learned that this man was heading to Kyiv.
“I said to him ‘I think we were meant to meet’,” said Black.
The paramedic took the supplies and Black later received an email saying ‘please know you saved lives’.”
David’s host Ivanka. Photo by David Black.
Upon arriving at his new home for the next three weeks, Black says he was greeted with massive servings of borscht, language barriers, incredible hospitality and many new friends.
The permaculture centre, Nasivanky, consists of 5 hectares of greenhouses, fields, flowers, organic crops and plenty of heirloom plants. It is lead by a woman named Ivanka, who Black came to refer to as ‘boss lady’.
“She became ‘Boss Lady’,” he said. “She was so sweet but when it came time to give an order everyone listened.”
Ivanka lives at the farm with her family, while her younger brother Sasha is serving in the military.
Sasha was able to return home for a visit during Black’s stay.
“He volunteered the day the war started. They were so so happy to have him back for a while.”
After three weeks of labour, big meals and tours around Ukraine, Black returned to Canada.
Upon his return, he is already planning his next trip, back to Nasivanky.
“I plan to go in October but even if something happens, if I need to go sooner or later, I’ll get there no matter what.”
Black says that while he did plenty of work there he doesn’t feel like he made a huge difference, but that wasn’t the point.
“People ask me if my labours on the farm really made a difference and no, they did not,” he said. “But what made a difference was the boost to the morale for the people. that somebody else in the world cared. The gratitude that they have for Canada is immense, it really is. A lot of people say ‘Why don’t you just help somebody here?’ well everybody can help somebody here. Not everybody can pick up and do what I did. So let the people here do what they can do, and let me go do what I can do.”
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United Way for the City of Kawartha Lakes Seeking Volunteers For Seniors Workshops
/United Way for the City of Kawartha Lakes is currently seeking volunteers aged 55 or older to collaborate on a steering committee to implement a Seniors Health and Wellness Workshop Series.
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The series of six workshops will be held throughout Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County from July – December 2022, in partnership with local agencies and delivered by industry leading facilitators. Workshop topics, dates, venues and evaluations will be determined through the steering committee
They are looking for individuals who have a strong understanding of the community that they reside in, are sociable and are willing to meet in person or online for planning sessions.
Time commitment for the opportunity will be 3-5 hours per month for 6 months. To apply, fill out the volunteer form at ckl-unitedway.ca/volunteer-form/ or call Jen for more information at 705-878-5081.
This project is funded by the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program.
Peterborough's Pathway to Fame Inducts Eight New Names For 2022
/The class of 2022 Pathway to Fame has been released as eight new names to be recognized as arts and/or humanitarians of the Peterborough area announced on Wednesday.
Last year’s induction ceremony was limited to 50 people due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo courtesy of the Pathway to Fame, Peterborough & District.
The inductees will be honoured on Sept. 10 at Showplace Performance Center. Their stones with names and categories will be marked at Del Crary Park on the same date.
The following is a list of the inductees:
David Carley (Dramatic Arts)
With more than 450 Canadian and American stage, radio and television productions having resulted from his storytelling talent, including several locally-staged plays, David Carley has won and been nominated for, a number of honours, including a Governor General’s Award finalist distinction.
Kate Suhr (Entertainment)
Blessed with abundant musical and theatrical talent, PCVS graduate Kate Suhr has sung and acted her way into the hearts of audiences both near and distant while always taking the time to unselfishly perform in support of organizations and causes right here in her native Peterborough.
Ryan and Sam Weber (Entertainment)
Ryan and Sam Weber came to Peterborough from Maryland in 2000 to learn all they could about making and performing music from the legendary Ronnie Hawkins, learning very well to the tune of numerous studio albums, memorable performances locally as well as across North America and Europe and charitable support of several local causes.
Donald Glen Forde (Cultural/Community Betterment)
As a former executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Peterborough, Donald Glen Forde set the organization on the path to success, all while contributing to his community as a minor hockey executive and as a multi-instrumentalist who performed with the likes of Del Crary and Bobby Kinsman during big band music’s heyday.
Jacob Rodenburg (Cultural/Community Betterment)
For more than 30 years, Jacob Rodenburg has made environmental stewardship, sustainability and education his business, not only as executive director of Camp Kawartha and as a Trent University environmental education teacher but also as a developer of forward-thinking ‘green’ related programs and initiatives.
Lois Tuffin (Cultural/Community Betterment)
From the time she arrived in Peterborough, former newspaper editor Lois Tuffin has tirelessly employed her considerable communication and organizational skills to the benefit of a number of causes and events including the Great Turkey Exchange that she started and has since fed more than 17,000 people during the holiday season.
John F. (Jack) Bardeau (Community Builder)
A combination of musicianship, service work and sports involvement saw John F. (Jack) Bardeau rarely sit still during his 44 years in Peterborough, the RCAF veteran’s work supporting the hearing impaired as a member of the Telephone Pioneers earning him Bell Canada’s Community Chest Award for Outstanding Citizenship.
David Adams (Community Builder)
For 26 years, David Adams was the face of the Five Counties Children’s Centre as its foundation’s executive director, endlessly promoting and heralding the groundbreaking treatment provided children with physical, communication and developmental needs while volunteering his time for a wide variety of community organizations and events.
2022 is the 25th anniversary of The Pathway of Fame, Peterborough and District.
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Rotary Club of Peterborough Holds Gala To Celebrate Centennial Anniversary
/The champagne bottles were popping for the Rotary Club of Peterborough as they celebrated their 100th anniversary with a gala at the Fleming College Ballroom on Saturday night.
The group is known for connecting leaders, exchanging ideas, sharing interests and taking action on several social challenges with donations turned into grants that fund community improvements according to their website’s mandate.
"Rotary has its own inertia. It's not about one person or the leader, we do service and we always have projects,” said Atul Swarup, former Rotary president. "Members bring projects to the table so that keeps our club fresh and new and keeps our members invigorated."
The club honoured members and presidents (both past and present) during the ceremony with a presentation and speeches while reflecting on the 100 years of service to the local community.
Mayor Diane Therrien commemorated the occasion with the City officially recognizing the club’s accomplishments and milestones.
The Rotary Club was first founded on Apr. 1, 1921. They wanted to host the gala last year but had to pivot and reschedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When we started planning it, we had all these wonderful events planned and basically we had to cancel pretty much everything,” said Wayne Harding, club president. “Getting to the gala after having to reschedule it three times, having to change the venue, it's just been great to see everyone tonight and thoroughly enjoy the community.”
The gala featured dinner (made by Fleming culinary students), live music from The Dreamboats, a DJ and dancing.
The Boro Is Calling All Budding Or Seasoned Gardeners To Help Beautify Downtown With Planters
/The Boro has put a call out for anyone, experienced or not, that would like to volunteer to plant patio planters on Saturday from 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. or 4 p.m. - 8 p.m.
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Volunteers do not need any gardening experience, or equipment. Kids are welcome though they must be accompanied by an adult.
A complimentary, local lunch provided for the morning shift and dinner for the afternoon shift.
Volunteers are to meet at the Peterborough Square Mall courtyard at Water Street and Charlotte Street. Washrooms will be available at the mall all day.
Both sessions will include a brief introduction to gardening.
Those interested in volunteering should email dawn@ptbodbia.ca to sign up and to share any allergies or dietary restrictions.
Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre Urgently Seeking Volunteer Drivers
/The Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre is seeking volunteer drivers to be turtle taxis, transporting injured turtles from around the province to the clinic announced Wednesday.
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Drivers would carry turtles after meeting with other taxis and transport them in roughly 60 to 90-minute interval trips to their destination.
The Centre is the only accredited turtle hospital in the province.
"They (turtles) come in from all over Ontario, we have 1,500 turtles that come in per year approximately," said Dr. Sue Carstairs, Conservation Centre executive and medical director.
Anyone can register to be a volunteer or get more information by emailing volunteer@ontarioturtle.ca.
If you see an injured turtle in Ontario, you can contact the centre to get it transported from one of 900 volunteer drivers across the province or bring it in yourself.
Campbellford Memorial Hospital Celebrates National Volunteer Week
/In honour of National Volunteers Week, Campbellford Memorial Hospital (CMH) is celebrating the return of their volunteers, who were not able to be onsite during certain waves of the pandemic.
“Our volunteers play an integral role in CMH’s patient experience, governance, design of patient care solutions, and fundraising,” said Eric Hanna, Interim President and CEO, CMH. “Until the restrictions were eased recently, many of our volunteers could not contribute in the same way that they had before the pandemic. We are thrilled that we can welcome them back to our team, and we can already see the difference they make to the patient experience.”
Volunteers at CMH help in a variety of different settings including:
The CMH Board of Directors
The CMH Foundation Board of Directors
The Auxiliary (The Gift Shop and fundraising events)
Patient Family Advisory Council
Foundation events support
Patient portering (e.g. from Day Surgery to Diagnostic Imaging)
Pet therapy
Recreational programming assistance
Spiritual care visits
Friendly visits
Information desk and wayfinding support
Currently, there are 25 volunteers who have returned to the hospital to support patient care as the Volunteer Program ramps up with the easing of COVID-19 restrictions.
To learn more about volunteer opportunities at CMH, visit: cmh.ca/about-cmh/volunteers/how-to-become-a-volunteer.
Street Level Advocacy Partners With Starbucks And Second Harvest To Feed Vulnerable Population
/Street Level Advocacy, an organization that works with the vulnerable population in Peterborough has partnered with Second Harvest and can now take leftover food from Starbucks.
Scott Couper at ‘The Coldest night of The Year’ event. Photo courtesy of Scott Couper.
Scott Couper from Street Level Advocacy says Kevin the manager at Starbucks on Chemong reached out to him inquiring about the food the coffee shop has to throw out at the end of the day.
Before he could take the food Couper had to register with Second Harvest, a food rescue organization that aims to connect restaurants and organizations to reduce food waste.
Second Harvest ensured Couper had proper food handling training, and provides an app that notifies him when there is food to pick up.
Photo courtesy of Scott Couper.
Couper can often be found handing out warm clothing and food to vulnerable people in Peterborough.
“I’m building trust and a relationship with these people,” he said.
He notes that not only does the Second Harvest program feed hungry people, it also cuts down on food waste that is prominent in the restaurant industry.
While Second Harvest services various restaurants, Couper says for now picking up packaged sandwiches from Starbucks is all his organization can handle.
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Two Local Men On A Mission In Europe To Transport Refugees And Deliver Supplies
/For John Graham and Dave Black, from Campbellford and Springbrook, donating money to Ukrainian relief efforts was not enough. The two packed up their lives and are currently in Europe, transporting refugees farther west from the Polish/Ukraine border with a rented van, plenty of patience and over 10,000 km of European highways under their belt.
David Black and John Graham before leaving. Photo sourced from their Facebook page.
