Peterborough Blogs
New Buddy Bench Installed At Roger Neilson Public School
/The Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha went back to school on Thursday (October 18th) for a special reason: They presented a Rotary “Buddy Bench” to Roger Neilson Public School Principal Denise Humphries and the staff and students there.
It was Kawartha Rotarian Donna Geary and her son Nate Loch that initiated the program and St. Catherine’s Catholic Elementary School was the first recipient last year.
Ribbon Cutting of Rotary Buddy Bench at Roger Neilson School: (Left to Right) Nate Loch, Rotarian Donna Geary, Kawartha Club President Brian Prentice & Principal Denise Humphries
Nate shared candidly with the group his past experiences of both inclusiveness and exclusiveness in both elementary and high school—of being both the victim and the perpetrator of bullying.
“The Buddy Bench is something that I really wish I had growing up, as it’s meant to celebrate friendship with those we may not know and is a good social tool for the kids of Roger Neilson to combat the problem of bullying,” Nate says.
“By understanding one another, we find similarities we might not have found, and unlikely friendships can form from even the smallest of encounters,” he adds. “I hope that the Buddy Bench helps create some of these unlikely friendships and helps keep as a reminder that we all could be on that bench at one point in our lives.”
“We hope that the Buddy Bench provides an opportunity for students to foster new friendships, build empathy and reinforce inclusiveness,” adds Principal Denise Humphries.
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8th Annual Bras Around The Building Campaign Launches
/The 8th Annual Bras Around The Building Campaign is officially underway supporting the Canadian Cancer Society, breast cancer research and awareness, and the services cancer patients use every day.
Energy 99.7 and Country 105, in partnership with Merrett Home Hardware Building Centre, are once again raising bras and funds during breast cancer awareness month. The campaign will continue through October, concluding on Friday, October 26th.
Throughout the campaign, residents of Peterborough and the Kawarthas are encouraged to donate their gently used bras. For every bra collected, Merrett Home Hardware Building Centre will make a $1 donation, with proceeds going to the Canadian Cancer Society to support breast cancer research and cancer services.
Bra donations can be dropped off until Thursday, October 25th at the following locations: Energy 99.7/Country 105 (59 George St. N., Peterborough), Merrett Home Hardware Building Centre (1460 Lansdowne St, Peterborough) , My Left Breast (203 Simcoe Street), The Co-operators on Milroy Drive, and the Canadian Cancer Society of Peterborough & District (750 The Kingsway, Unit 2, Peterborough).
On Friday, October 26th, with help from Peterborough Fire Services, collected bras will be strung together around the exterior of the Energy 99.7/Country 105 building in Peterborough as a symbol of support for women battling breast cancer, to honour survivors and to remember those who have lost their battle.
Upon completion of the campaign, a cheque will be presented to the Peterborough and District Unit of the Canadian Cancer Society for breast cancer research based on the final number of bras collected.
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The Electric City Special Needs Team Just Made 300 Candles To Help Raise Money For The Team & Build Team Chemistry
/The Electric City Maroon & White special needs hockey team gathered at Coach Chris Williams house on Saturday (September 29th) for a candle “pouring party” of 300 homemade candles.
It’s a new fundraising initiative that began with the creation of the “Electric City Candle Company” to assist with the costs of running a special needs sports organization such as ice time, equipment and travel costs.
Candle pouring party at Coach Williams house
“I came up with the idea after seeing a Facebook video on a young girl with Down syndrome who started her own candle company in New Zealand,” Coach Williams tells PTBOCanada. “I reached out to them for advice and was given some great feedback and encouragement on how to get everything off the ground.”
Candle pouring party at Coach Williams house
With very limited financial sponsorship, the money made through the sales of these candles will help the team but more importantly give the opportunity to kids and adults with special needs to be directly involved with the creation and distribution of something beautiful, a product they made from scratch.
“For me, the initiative is important because it gives the players a sense of pride of accomplishment,” Coach Williams says. “They voted on what scents we would use, the dye colours, and of course were involved with the creation of the candles from start to finish.”
Coach Williams (at right) with one of his players
The theme of the 300 handmade soy-based candles made is “Shining A Light On Special Needs”.
It gives the players a chance to get together in a social setting and work together as a team to learn skill sets and build chemistry and confidence—ingredients that will ensure they all have a great season on and off the ice.
One of the players at candle pouring party
The Mason jar style 8.5 oz candles will sell for $10 and are handmade with a focus on seasonal Fall/Winter/Christmas scents including Winterberry, Christmas Garland and Warm Vanilla Sugar. There will be a total of nine different varieties available.
“If we sell the initial trial run of 300, that will give us the chance of getting together again and doing another 300,” Coach Williams tells PTBOCanada.
One of the players at candle pouring party
Players will be selling the candles independently to friends and family, and online sales will be ready by the Thanksgiving weekend through the team’s website electriccityspecialneedshockey.com.
For more information on the candles or if you’re interested in providing financial sponsorship of the team, contact Coach Williams here.
Spread the word on your social media channels about these unique candles for a great cause!
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Watch: Dave Pogue On Team 55, Mental Health, Peterborough Petes & Community
/On Episode 23 of our show PTBOCanada, Dave Pogue talks about the impact Team 55: Let's Tackle Suicide Awareness is having in raising awareness and funds around mental health programs.
Dave Pogue on "PTBOCanada" show
Dave's son Mitchell took his own life in 2013, and shortly thereafter he decided to start the Team 55 program after approaching the Canadian Mental Health Association local chapter. He had no idea at the time the impact it would have, as the program is going stronger than ever since its inception more than five years ago.
Watch the episode below as Pogue—also President of the Peterborough Petes—talks about Team 55, Friday Night Lights, the Canadian Mental Health Association, the Petes and community love...
Trailblazing Peterborough Lakers Organization Sport A Rainbow On Their Helmets During Mann Cup
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Laker helmet (picture via Sport a Rainbow Facebook page)
Peterborough-based Sport A Rainbow, a movement where athletes, coaches, support staff and competitors take a pledge to stand up against hurtful speech and actions in their sport, has a huge supporter in the Peterborough Lakers.
Indeed, the Lakers have taken the Sport A Rainbow Pledge and will be sporting the Inclusion For All Logo on their helmets during the 2018 Mann Cup in Peterborough.
"I approached the Captain of the Lakers Robert Hope and he was very open to supporting Sport A Rainbow and Inclusion in Sport," Sport A Rainbow founder Rose Powers tells PTBOCanada. "From there, I spoke with Paul Day (Lakers GM) and Bill Joiner (Lakers Chairman). Both men were very open to the Lakers leading the way on Inclusion in Sport."
Lakers captain Robert Hope (picture via Sport A Rainbow Facebook page)
Powers considers the Lakers organization trailblazers for wearing these on their helmet, and showing their commitment to speaking out against hateful and derogatory speech in all sports. Indeed, the Lakers are taking a major stand on being inclusive by supporting Sport A Rainbow.
Powers hopes Sport A Rainbow Pledge cards will catch on with many sports teams far and wide. They are ready to be distributed to individuals or teams, and their logo sticker is CSA approved for helmets.
picture via Sport A Rainbow Facebook page)
After taking the pledge, the Inclusion in Sport Sticker logo can be placed on a helmet, stick or uniform. A percentage of all sales from Sport A Rainbow merchandise goes towards helping youth register in a sport they may not have been able to otherwise.
Visit sportarainbow.ca to order your Sport A Rainbow Pledge cards and stickers or email here for more information.
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Fleming College Installs Permanent Rainbow Crosswalk To Celebrate Diversity And Inclusion
/To celebrate its spirit of diversity and inclusion, Fleming College has installed a permanent rainbow crosswalk at its Sutherland Campus in Peterborough.
Fleming believes that both diversity and inclusion are pillars of global citizenship, equity and success for students and staff. Fleming’s promise is an inclusive community where students can Learn, Belong, Become, and the introduction of the rainbow crosswalk opens the door for an evolving culture of respect.
The newly installed permanent rainbow crosswalk.
On Friday, September 7th, Fleming College President Maureen Adamson, Vice-President Academic Tom Weegar, Mayor Daryl Bennett and members of the Fleming community will officially unveil the first permanent rainbow crosswalk at Fleming during a ribbon cutting.
The ribbon cutting ceremony takes place at 3:30 p.m. after the Knights Colour Fun Run at Sutherland Campus, (599 Brealey Drive).
The rainbow crosswalk is painted on the College’s main crosswalk, at the intersection of Fleming College Way and Groombridge Way, leading towards the Kawartha Trades and Technology Centre building.
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United Way Of Peterborough's 6th Annual Paint The Town Red Raises More Than $16,000
/On Wednesday, July 18th, hundreds of people dined out at 32 participating local restaurants for Paint The Town Red. They donated 25 percent of their daily sales to support the work of United Way Peterborough & District.
On Thursday (August 30th), the United Way announced a record breaking tally from the event, saying it raised over $16,000! This is a six percent increase from last year, bringing the grand total to more than $75,000 raised since the event was launched in 2013.
Left to right: Paint the Town Red ambassadors Ashley Vititoe and Laura Crann, DBIA Executive Director Terry Guiel, and 2018 United Way Campaign Chair Megan Murphy
There were some new participating locations this year and the event even featured a special charity ride from Full Tilt Cycle where riders were encouraged to Ride Then Dine. In addition, the infamous Red Spoon introduced last year toured the vicinity throughout the day and folks were clamouring for a spoon spotting, or even better, a spoon selfie!
“Our restaurants and food are second to none in the province," says 2018 Campaign Chair Megan Murphy. "Once again, we thank the entrepreneurial spirit of our restauranteurs and their commitment to building local economy while at the same time giving back to community.”
The Big Red Spoon was a hit again this year
