Peterborough Blogs
Enter A Team In Peterborough's Dragon Boat Festival!
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As one of the community’s most important fundraising events, Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival—which PTBOCanada.com is a proud sponsor of this year—has announced their 2014 goal to raise $200,000 to support the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC)’s mammography program, with new reporting workstations for radiologists and new breast viewing software. This year's Festival will be held on Saturday, June 14th.
To help reach this year’s fundraising target, the Festival wants to attract 80 community teams to compete in a number of divisions and categories. There are several new features for the 2014 Festival, including an expanded Junior Division for high school paddlers between the ages of 14-18; and a new bonus 250m Sprint Race for the first eight teams to raise $2,000 in pledges.
Registration for the 2014 Festival is now open. Community team captains can register their team online. An early bird registration rate is available until March 11, 2014, and the registration deadline is April 14th. All materials and packages, including registration details, are available at the Festival’s new website.
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The Amazing Camp That Gives Hope To Those Who Have Lost Loved Ones
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Peterborough's Shelley Hermer is Ontario Program Coordinator for Camp Kerry Society. Here, she gives us an insider look at the impact of Camp Kerry retreats in British Columbia—which use a holistic approach to bereavement care where emphasis is placed on healing both within and between families—and writes about the first Camp Kerry Ontario being established.
Camp Kerry offers family retreats and year-round support programs for children, youth and parents who are grieving the death of a loved one. The camp is named after British Columbian Kerry Kirstiuk, an inspiring mother of two young children, who lost her battle to colon cancer in 2006. Designed and overseen by family bereavement expert Dr. Heather Mohan, Camp Kerry began in 2007 as a pilot project after Kerry's husband Bob requested that donations in her memory be given to Dr. Mohan's program at Lions' Gate Hospital in North Vancouver.
Shelley Hermer (above left) at Camp Kerry in BC
Dr. Mohan's response was immediate, fulfilling a long-standing dream to run a family bereavement camp. Since then, more than 150 families in British Columbia have benefited from these specialized services. In 2011, Camp Kerry officially separated from Lions Gate Hospital and was incorporated as an independent Canadian charity.
In 2011, I traveled to BC to volunteer at Camp Kerry and since then have been working towards bringing this exceptional and unique program to Ontario. With the approval of the Camp Kerry Society Board of Directors, we have set a goal to bring 10 Ontario families to the first Camp Kerry Ontario retreat in October 2014, held in the beautiful Haliburton Highlands.
Camp Kerry retreat in BC.
Parents often describe their biggest worry is that they—and their children—won’t recover from the loss of their loved one. They talk about the balance of needing to keep old memories alive and creating new ones. Children and parents convey their desire to see their family enjoy life.
Camp Kerry retreat in BC.
At the retreats, so much happens for families. Yes, there are tears—the Saturday evening memory service and Sunday afternoon message balloon release allow families the chance to openly remember their loved ones. Parents and children participate in groups led by professional therapists, providing opportunities to share and receive peer support. Key to the model is the therapeutic use of art, music and adventure challenges in a natural setting. In the words of one parent, "we experienced what we never thought possible."
Camp Kerry retreat in BC.
Fundraising and events to help raise awareness about this Camp Kerry Ontario retreat are in the works, involving support from and collaboration with Peterborough and area community organizations. If you would like to be part of the first Camp Kerry Ontario—either by offering financial support, assisting at events, volunteering your time, or if you simply would like more information—please contact me at shelley@campkerry.org.
—By Shelley Hermer
Here's some more pictures below from Camp Kerry in BC, as well as a YouTube video about the camp...
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YMCA Half Marathon 5k & Kids 1k Fun Run Is This Sunday
/This is the YMCA's 36th Annual race in Peterborough. It's their biggest fundraiser of the year, with proceeds going to YMCA Strong Kids.
Old school pic from first race in 1978.
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Spirit Of Play February 16th At Sport And Wellness Centre To Bring Play & Laughter To Kids In Haiti
/There is a special "family play day" this Sunday (February 16th) at Peterborough Sport and Wellness Centre to raise money to bring play and laughter to kids in Haiti. Activities will be coordinated by kids health expert David Kittner. See the poster below for more info.
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Watch This Promo With Cancer Survivor Courtney Druce For Pink In The Rink
/Courtney Druce is a 4-time cancer survivor. Watch this promo she did for Canadian Cancer Society's Pink in the Rink fundraiser taking place February 6th at the Memorial Centre when the Peterborough Petes play Oshawa. Learn more about her here and how to donate.
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3rd Annual Mayor Bennett Giving Gala Raises $75,000 For Community Foundation Of Greater Peterborough
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Two hundred members of the Peterborough community gathered Saturday night (January 18th) for the third annual Mayor Bennett Giving Gala.
The special night raised over $75,000 in support of the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough—an organization working with and supporting charities throughout the City and County of Peterborough.
This brings the grand total of dollars raised by the Mayor Bennett Giving Gala to over $205,000 since its inception.
“I am delighted with the tremendous support for the Giving Gala in this our third year,” says Mayor Bennett. “Our community members have once again demonstrated their generous and caring spirit, which serves as an important reminder of who we are as a community.”
The proceeds from the evening support the Community Foundation in its mission to improve the lives of people in the City and County through local giving, grant making and community development initiatives.
Learn more about the foundation here, and check out pictures from the Gala here.
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Project 10K: Two Trent Students Aim To Raise $10,000 In One Day For Free The Children
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On January 24th, Trent University students Scott Pharand and Dexter Fichuk will be attempting to raise $10,000 for their Project 10K, a fundraising event working in partnership with Free the Children to promote children’s education in developing countries around the world.
Their amazing goal is to raise $10,000 in one day in order to build a school in a developing nation. To reach their goal, Pharand and Fichuk will be having events set up around Trent University and the Peterborough area such as a bottle drive, ice cream bar, T-shirt sales, bracelets, Aria passes and much more!
Buy a bracelet to join them for the official afterparty at Shots Lounge, then free cover to Aria Nightclub before midnight! They will be using the hashtag #Project10K on Twitter to promote the fundraising event. 100% of the proceeds go to Free the Children.
This special event is sponsored by Shots Lounge and ARIA.
For more info, go to the Project 10K Facebook Page. You can donate online here.
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Free Two Hour Parking Downtown Peterborough For The Holidays
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Thanks to the DBIA and the City of Peterborough, our little annual holiday treat of 2 hours of free parking is happening until the end of December. Any money that is put in the meters will be donated to local charities. Be sure to shop local this holiday season in our amazing downtown.
[Contributed by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]
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YMCA Chairs For Charity Event Is This Saturday
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Rusland’s Auctioneers and Appraisers will start the bidding at 7 p.m. Saturday (December 7th) when the YMCA hosts their 2nd Annual Chairs 4 Charity auction. This innovative fundraiser is the brainchild of Emily Gray, who not only finds the chairs but, with the help of volunteers, also refurbishes them to get them auction ready.
When Gray and her team are done refurbishing the chairs, they look totally different and appear brand new; it’s amazing what these creative, talented people can accomplish. This year was extra special as Gray's crew also received help from 21 youth from the New Canadian Centre, who are also one of the event sponsors. Other sponsors include Barbeside Salon, Circus, Gypsy Barn, KMD Community Planning and Consulting INC, Lakeshore Designs, Rainbow Youth Coalition/PARN, Rambling Rose Flowers and The UK Shoppe.
Proceeds from the auction go to the YMCA Strong Kids Campaign and thanks to the sponsorship of many local businesses, the cost of the chairs and materials is covered. Last year they raised over $2,000, which allowed several children to participate in camps and programs that they otherwise would not be able to afford.
The event will take place inside the YMCA but it’s open to the public so anyone is welcome to attend and place a bid. If you can’t make it there on Saturday, advance bidding is available with a credit card by phoning the YMCA at 705-748-9622. Here are the chairs that are up for auction at the YMCA’s 2nd Annual Chairs 4 Charity event.
For more information, you can check out the YMCA’s Special Events page.
—PTBOCanada's Scott Arnold
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