Selwyn Couple and Local Charities Win Over $27,000 From Lions Club Raffle

The Lions Club lived up to their motto of “We Serve” as the Fowlers Corners’ branch ran their “Catch the Ace” raffle where over $27,000 was given to a lucky couple and local charities on Tuesday.

(left to right) Brent Shepherd, Big Brothers, Big Sisters Peterborough; Lyn Giles, Five Counties Children's Centre; Alison Casey, Hospice Peterborough; Ria Nicholson and Kim Dolan of YWCA Peterborough Haliburton as the respective representatives for accepting the $14,400 cheque. Photo Courtesy of The Fowlers Corners Lions Club.

The Ace was caught at the end of September by Dave and Barb Edgerton of Selwyn, who won the jackpot of $13,333. Clients of four charities including Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Peterborough; Five Counties Children's Centre; Hospice Peterborough and YMCA Peterborough Haliburton won a share of $14,400.

The contest was launched in April to help local charities continue their work by supporting those in need in our community.

(left to right) Front row: Paul Ranger, Kristin Allen, Cathy Langlois, Bernie Baudisch and Carl Young.

Back Row: Chris Allen, John Dewar, Scott Mason, Brent Shepherd, Lyn Giles, Alison Casey, Ria Nicholson, Kim Dolan and Larry Franks. Photo Courtesy of The Fowlers Corners Lions Club.

Ticket sales will also support activities for children on the waiting list at Big Brothers Big Sisters Peterborough; treatment for children with physical, development and communication needs at Five Counties Children’s Centre; care for people who are at end-of-life at Hospice Peterborough; and, help local women and their children escaping gender-based violence at YWCA Peterborough Haliburton.

“Lions’ fundraising activities have been significantly impacted by Covid-19 the past two years so new opportunities were explored. In the absence of face-to-face fundraising, we turned to the internet and options for the public to participate in our fundraising from home,” said Chris Allen, Lions Club president “A Catch the Ace raffle seemed like a reasonable opportunity and fortunately it helped us raise funds for four very important local organizations. The support of the public in this fundraiser was both key to its success and appreciated.”

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Lindsay Creative Quilters' Guild and Five Counties Children's Centre are Hosting an Online Auction

The Lindsay Creative Quilters' Guild and Five Counties Children's Centre are working together to present their online Fall Auction, which is live until Friday.

SCOTT STARTED COMING TO FIVE COUNTIES WHEN HE WAS A WEEK OLD. HE HAS MADE TREMENDOUS PROGRESS SINCE THEN. (PHOTO COURTESY FIVE COUNTIES)

There are over 100 items up for auction, with the majority of them being handmade.

Items available include hand knit sweaters and mittens, quilts, Christmas stockings and much more.

All items have been donated, meaning 100 per cent of the proceeds will support the treatment of children who attend Five Counties.

Five Counties provides therapy services that assist children who are delayed in their development to develop the skills they need in everyday life such as walking, talking, and activities of daily living.

Some of these services are speech therapy and physiotherapy. The centre also provides assessment for children suspected of having Autism Spectrum Disorder.

To view and bid on items click here.

Bidding closes at 6 p.m. on Friday.

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Colossal Pumpkins Earn Donations For Local Shelter

The Brock Mission will not be scared this Halloween as $400 from the sale of two colossal pumpkins will go towards the shelter sold on Thursday.

(Left to right) Kirtus Evoy, PTBOCanada owner; Pete Dalliday, Fresh Radio DJ; Reese, Canadian Tire PitStop and Dale Strano, Farmboy Markets Ltd. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Pete Dalliday and Dani Guppy of 100.5 Fresh Radio put out a call to Peterborough to buy the pumpkins to support the shelter and quickly found homes.

Canadian Tire PitStop and PTBOCanada purchased the two pumpkins for $100 each with all proceeds going to Brock Mission. Dale Strano of Farmboy Markets Ltd. matched the raised money totalling $400.

The pumpkins were donated by a frequent customer to Farmboy where Strano quickly put them on display.

“A great customer of ours came down and was willing to put these here,” he said. “(They) hoped that they could get the donation for the Brock Mission and help with Thanksgiving dinners.”

The PTbocAnada Staff displaying newly purchased pUmpkins and a straw bale from Farmboy At their front window. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Straw bales and pumpkins are available for purchase at Farmboy for Halloween decorations.

@ptbo_canada

Colossal pumpkins at Farmboy Markets! All proceeds go to Brock Mission so we decided to bring one to the office!

♬ Monster Mash - Bobby "Boris" Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers

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City of Peterborough Announces 2022 Community Grant Program

Peterborough City Council that the application process for the 2022 Community Grant Program will open in October announced on Wednesday.

Photo courtesy of the City of Peterborough

The Community Grants program provides financial assistance to non-profit, community-based organizations that provide direct programs, services or activities that enhance the quality of life for Peterborough residents in the areas of social services and health, arts, culture, heritage, recreation or the environment.

Each year Peterborough City Council dedicates funds to be allocated to various community groups within the City. All grants are subject to evaluation and final approval by Council.

There are three streams of grants available.

The Community Project Grant offers $250 - $1,000 and is intended to be used to kickstart a project or special event.

The Community Investment Grant offers $1,000 - $15,000 to support larger projects or special events, specific programs of larger organizations, or operating budgets.

The Community Service Grant is not available through the application process. Eligible organizations will be identified by City staff and approved by Council. They will be required to enter into a Service Contract with the City in order to receive the funding. This grant will offer support for municipally mandated services for which the requested amount is more than $15,000.

For more information contact the Community Services department at 705-742-7777 ext. 1822 or email communitygrants@peterborough.ca

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Youth Group Prepares to Welcome 78 Afghan Refugees to Peterborough

The New Canadians Centre (NCC) Youth Welcome Team prepared signs and cards for the 78 Afghan refugees coming to Peterborough, on Thursday.

Ava Williams and Maryam Abdella, members of the youth welcome team, make signs at the silver bean cafe on Thursday. Photo courtesy of Lubna Sadek.

The group met at the Silver Bean Café, with NCC group leader and youth worker Lubna Sadek to help make Peterborough a more welcoming place for the refugees.

“We’re very pleased with the positive response from the community regarding the refugees arriving,” she said.

The Youth Welcome Team meets once a month to plan projects and activities to welcome new Canadians to Peterborough.

They allow high school students to complete the required 40 hours of volunteer work they need to graduate and has approximately ten members.

“I’m a refugee too,” said Sidra Abdulla, a 16-year-old member of the welcome team. “When I came to Canada I saw a lot of people help me so I like to give back too.”

(Left to right) Sidra Abdulla, Aya Darrouba, and Angel Ngwepo present their finished welcome sign at the Silver Bean Cafe on Thursday. Photo courtesy of Lubna Sadek.

Almost 2000 Afghan refugees have arrived in Toronto according to an NCC press release. COSTI Immigrant Services, the main settlement agency in Toronto, has asked the NCC to support the settlement of 78 Afghans.

Andy Cragg, NCC executive director says they anticipate many newcomers will stay in Peterborough for four to eight weeks but will ultimately settle in Toronto.

During their stay in Peterborough, the NCC provides them with temporary housing, helps meet their basic needs, delivers basic orientations to life in Canada and help them find permanent accommodations.

Until the NCC is able to meet the newcomers on Friday, they will not know exactly what their needs are. For now, the NCC is asking those interested in helping drop off welcome cards to their office at 221 Romaine St.

Landlords and property managers who can provide affordable and safe housing for refugees are asked to contact the NCC at ncc@nccpeterborough.ca

Currently, the NCC does not have the capacity to process donations. They will post a call for items after they are able to assess the newcomer’s needs.

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Hike for Hospice Peterborough On Their Way to Meet Fundraising Goal

Hospice Peterborough’s Hike For Hospice event already raised over $30,000 since it started on Saturday for its one-week campaign.

Image courtesy of Hospice Peterborough

Due to COVID-19 this year’s event is being held virtually and started with a live stream of the opening ceremonies. Participants are encouraged to walk, hike or bike at their convenience from Sept. 11-17.

Hike for Hospice 2021 wants to raise $40,000, 73 per cent of that goal has already been met.

Prize winners were announced for the early bird registration and the t-shirt decorating contest on Tuesday

Wednesday they will hold a day of remembrance and Thursday participants will be invited to share who they are hiking for.

The event will end on Friday with a closing ceremony.

Participants are encouraged to share their stories, photos, videos, and fundraising ideas on the Hike for Hospice Facebook page or send them to Aimée at aoreilly@hospicepeterborough.org.

To sponsor an individual or a team click here.

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RONA Cobourg Donates to Mental Health Association Through Lowe's Canada Heroes Campaign

The Canadian Mental Health Association of Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (CMHA HKPR) are the fundraising recipients of the Lowe’s Canada Heroes campaign announced Monday.

Employees at RONA Cobourg. Photo Courtesy of RONA Cobourg.

The national campaign is running throughout the month of September at RONA Cobourg located on Division Street.

Customers visiting participating Lowe’s, RONA or Reno-Depot stores during the campaign can make donations at the cash register in support of each store’s respective cause.

Lowe’s Canada will match 50 per cent of the funds raised by each location, up to $2,000 per store.

RONA Cobourg has chosen to support CMHA HKPR’s Four County Crisis program which supports anyone sixteen or older who are experiencing a mental health crisis.

The Four County Crisis program serves Peterborough and County, Northumberland, Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton.

“We are so grateful for the support of RONA Cobourg and Lowe’s Canada. Their donation will go directly towards life-saving measures supporting some of our community’s most vulnerable individuals and helping them on their path to recovery,” said Jack Veitch, CMHA HKPR Manager of Community Engagement and Education.

To learn more about the Lowe’s Canada Heroes campaign click here.

To learn more about CMHA HKPR click here.

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Five Counties Children's Centre Receives Government Funding For Rehab and Speech Services

Five Counties Children’s Centre (FCCC) has received $1,487,968 from the Ontario Government to enhance the centre’s services in an announcement made Thursday afternoon.

(left to right) Ashley Parsons, occupational therapist; MPP Dave Smith; Kristy Hook, board chair; Scott Pepin, CEO gathered in a colourful treatment room at the FCCC. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The press conference was held at FCCC with centre members and MPP Dave Smith as the government ambassador.

The Ontario government is investing $240 million over four years to increase access to critical rehabilitation services for children and youth with special needs and help them live happier and healthier lives.

This investment is part of the 2021 Budget, Ontario’s Action Plan: Protecting People’s Health and Our Economy.

When children in Ontario begin school, almost 30 per cent have at least one developmental vulnerability that could pose a risk to their lifelong health, learning, and behaviour. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

With this investment, $60 million in new funding will be provided annually starting this year to build additional service capacity and increase access to preschool speech and language services and community-based and school-based rehabilitation services across the province.

“We know when our kids thrive, our communities thrive. It’s incumbent on all of us to ensure we invest in our children and youth by providing the support they need,” said Smith. “Children with exceptionalities deserve every opportunity to learn, grow and thrive. Today’s investment will build on our government’s existing support so children in our community can live fulfilling and productive lives.”

In 2019-20, more than 53,000 children received services through Ontario’s Preschool Speech and Language Program. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

As part of the $60 million in new annual funding, Five Counties Children’s Centre will receive $1,487,968 to support the following:

Preschool Speech and Language New Budget Allocation:

• $311,723 – 2021/22 new investment (including annualization) representing a 37% increase

Community-Based and School-Based Rehabilitation Services New Budget Allocation:

• $664,286 – 2021/22 new total annualized investment for School-Based Rehab

• $511,959 – 2021/22 new total annualized investment for Community-Based Rehab representing an 18.2% increase

The total new annualized investment is $1,487,968.

Children’s Treatment Centres also provided School-Based Rehabilitation Services for 71,000 students in publicly funded schools in 2019-20. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

“Part of this is targetted for early intervention,” explained Scott Pepin, FCCC CEO. “By the assessment, we can help parents guide them in the most appropriate service. Sometimes we have parents coming to us asking or not knowing if this is normal or not.”

These investments will improve service experiences and outcomes for children and youth with special needs and their families across the Peterborough-Kawartha.

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Former Trent Student Founds Website Incentivizing People to Shop Locally

In an innovative and creative way to incentivize people to shop local while promoting small businesses, former Trent student Nick Mitchell founded a new community engagement project called “Take a Challenge, Make a Change" (TACMAC).

Mitchell has been a lifeguard instructor in Kenya and a chef in British Columbia. Photo Courtesy of TACMAC.

Launching this Thursday, the website encourages participants — primarily post-secondary students — to engage in fun challenges to earn discounts or rewards and support charity while supporting small businesses.

Challenges are complete by posting a picture of themselves at the establishments on Instagram with the hashtag #TACMACJACKPOT. Anyone who enters will be registered for a weekly jackpot for a chance to donate $100 —money supplied by TACMAC — to a charity of the winner’s choice.

The charitable idea stemmed from Mitchell’s time working at One Roof Community Centre. It inspired him to create a business dedicated to giving back to the community. The inspiration for creating TACMAC came from his time at Trent where his friends and classmates knew of very few places to spend time and shop in town and go to the same place repeatedly.

"I’ve come across so many of my fellow peers who time after time say there's nothing to do in Peterborough," said Mitchell. "The response was that they didn't know this (certain places) even existed."

Some examples include having a home cook-off with a friend based on one ingredient from The Food Shop or purchasing crickets from the House of Scales and make a meal from them.

TACMAC creates an outlet for students to experience Peterborough outside of the ‘campus bubble” according to Mitchell.

Photo Courtesy of TACMAC.

Businesses can register themselves through TACMAC’s website for a small fee to allow customers to take part in their challenges. The incentive is another way for entrepreneurs to promote and advertise their businesses.

Mitchell says the timing of TACMAC could not be any better since some people are unsure of what is open or closed during the current stages of the pandemic.

"It just gives people a clear-cut path to activities in Peterborough," said Mitchell. "There's probably going to be a lot of confusion to what's okay. When they see it on the website, it kind of reduces a bit of the anxiety."

Over 20 businesses have registered for TACMAC.

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Lions Club Shoe Drive Shatters Goal By Collecting Over 2,500 Pairs of Footwear

After a month-long campaign and 2,549 pairs of footwear later, the Peterborough Lions Club concluded a successful Shoe Drive that ended Friday.

MPP Dave Smith (left) with Gwen Sawyer, Lions Club membership director after tallying the final total of pairs of footwear collected. Photo Courtesy of Peterborough Lions Club.

Present at the ceremony were Lions Club President Garth McQuaig, Lions service chair Judy Jenkins, MPP Dave Smith, Haily Whitelock from Bioped Footcare & Orthotics and other committee members to announce the completion of the shoe drive.

Gently-used to brand new footwear of all kinds were accepted at the drive from shoes, flip-flops, cleats, skates and more were taken in as part of the month-long campaign. Community members could drop off their donations at the club located on 347 Burnham St. or at Bioped Footcare at 655 The Queensway, Unit 6.

Judy Jenkins with the shoe drive sign with a minor correction after Smith’s final donation. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The donated footwear is repaired and restored by Bioped before being redistributed to needing families or individuals, prioritizing locally before donating them abroad.

The club’s goal was 1,000 pairs which was easily shattered which was a pleasant surprise from the committee members.

"I couldn't believe the overwhelming support of our community," said Jenkins. "We put out what our need was and the community just rallied around us and the shoes just kept coming and coming and coming."

Over 150 garbage bags filled with shoes were donated to the Shoe Drive. Photo Courtesy Of Peterborough Lions Club.

Shoes that go abroad will go to needing families in countries such as Haiti, South Africa, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica. They can sell the footwear in order to help sustain a living.

“One pair of shoes pays for food for one week for a family of four. Twenty pairs of shoes abroad pay for one year of education for a student which every student has to pay for their education from grade 1 and up. Another 20 pairs pay for the residence in which the students live,” explained Jenkins.

Smith officially made the last donation, removing his pair of shoes for the cause.

“The Peterborough Lion’s Club has been a key community-oriented organization for decades. They are always working – donating their time and resources – to support those who need support,” he said.

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