Millbrook's Centennial Place Gets 50s Throwback To Celebrate 20th Anniversary

Classic cars, polka dot dresses and Elvis Presley were alive and well in a 50s-themed party to celebrate the 20th anniversary of AON Inc’s long-term care home Centennial Place in Millbrook with an open house on Wednesday afternoon.

Lexi Hill, clinical resource nurse and Vicki Coppins, director of dietary services, celebrating the 50s with some bubbly for the residence's 20th anniversary. All photos by David Tuan Bui.

Residents and staff got in the 50s spirit by dressing in era-appropriate clothing to celebrate the milestone. Classic car displays, 50s diner-style food (sliders, sparkling wine and floats) and an Elvis Presley impersonator were all part of the 50s throwback planned out by the staff.

“A lot of population here grew up in the 50s so we thought it would be really nice to bring that back for them,” said Courtney Jilesen, Centennial Place administrator. “It lets them experience some old times again.”

Centennial Place has been recognized municipally and internationally for its retirement residence care.

Matthew Graham, Millbrook Mayor was in attendance and personally congratulated Centennial Place and their staff on their milestone.

“On behalf of the residents in the Township of Cavan-Monaghan, it is my pleasure to congratulate all the residents and staff of Centennial Place in celebrating their 20th anniversary in our Township,” he said. “Centennial Place is such an important part of our community and the village of Millbrook and I especially want to thank all of your staff over these past 20 years for all of their hard work and care for the residents of our community.”

The home was awarded a Three-Year Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities Accreditation Award in November as well as a Registered Nurses Association of Ontario Best Practices Spotlight Organization Award last month.

“We have great staff and a great supportive community,” said Jilesen. “Without them, I don't know if we would have been able to get through the last three years.”

Centennial Place is located at 2 Centennial Ln. in Millbrook.

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Photos: BBQ and Open House at Canterbury Gardens Retirement Residence

Canterbury Gardens Retirement Residence (1414 Sherbrooke St., Peterborough) hosted a barbecue and Open House event on Saturday.

All photos by Felicia Massey.

The afternoon consisted of live music, dancing and singing as attendees toured the residences at Canterbury. A barbecue lunch was served alongside some fresh salads and cold drinks.

Those interested in learning more about Canterbury Gardens can watch the video below:

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Photos: AON Inc. Hosts Open House to Four Retirement Homes After Four-Year Hiatus

AON Inc’s four retirement homes properties hosted their open house after a four-year hiatus on Saturday afternoon.

All photos by David Tuan Bui.

All four properties, Princess Gardens, Canterbury Gardens, Empress Gardens and Royal Gardens, held open houses from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. to showcase their facilities to potential residents.

“I'm absolutely thrilled to be back to doing what we did before the pandemic,” said Heather Young, Canterbury Gardens executive director. “We're very involved in the community. We host events quite regularly and we have people in our homes and we're able to show our beautiful homes. We do fundraisers and different endeavours. Today is really about getting back to that and showing the public our homes again and being able to get back to normal.”

The open houses were filled with live entertainment, catering, dancing, recreation, free draws and tours to showcase what the retirement homes had.

“Those who came and joined us during the pandemic really have no idea just exactly what we do and how we do it so this is really exciting for them as well,” explained Young. “This is the first time they're being exposed to what we do normally when we're able to do it. To get out there and to have events and have fun and have entertainment so it's really nice for the people that didn't know how we did things to join us.”

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Photos: Retirement Residence Princess Gardens Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary In Style

Princess Gardens celebrated its 25th anniversary with a party, champagne and dessert while residents and guests danced away on Wednesday afternoon.

Staff were recognized for their efforts in helping the retirement resident reach the milestone.

David Reed, 94 (left) and Marilyn Hartley, 83 (right) are first to hit the dance floor when the jazz band got jamming. All photos by David Tuan Bui.

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Havelock Awards AON Inc. Development Agreement to Build 128-Bed Long-Term Care Facility

The township of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen has awarded AON Inc. the right to build a 128-bed long-term care facility in Havelock after their March 7 council meeting, subject to provincial government approvals.

Photo courtesy of AON Inc.

AON was the successful bidder in a public RFP process that closed on Feb 17.

The future site is located at 628 Old Norwood Rd. where construction must begin by Aug. 31 or it will be cancelled, this is under the requirement of Ontario’s recently announced supplemental construction funding initiative aimed at getting construction started soon on 10,000 new LTC beds in the province. The building is roughly 86,355 sq ft. Projections for the project’s completion are slated for September 2025 according to Ray Barlow, AON Inc. Vice President.

“We’re excited to work with the town of Havelock to launch the 128-bed long-term care home,” he said. “The town has backed us on the project and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care will be providing direction on the next steps in the process.”

The original development agreement was made back on Nov. 12, 2020, with AON tendering the project a month later. In late January 2021, building costs had risen, particularly in lumber, electrical and mechanical products. The rising costs and severe supply chain constraints made the project untenable given the unreliable building supplies situation.

“The ongoing-pandemic supply chain and inflationary cost pressures realized tremendous encumbrances to the tendering process, as set against the MLTC’s 2020 Capital Development Policy,” explained Barlow. “Like many other long-term care operators in Ontario looking to build long-term care facilities during that time, progress was halted due to the ongoing pandemic and supply chain issues, and the realization of the beds award was stalled.”

The project application has been resubmitted to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care for final approval, with the full endorsement of the Havelock-Belmont Methuen Township council.

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Local Family-Owned Company AON Helps to Support Women and Children in Crisis

A recent $5,000 donation from AON Inc.—a major employer of women in Peterborough—is helping YWCA Peterborough Haliburton address the urgent needs of women and children trapped with abusive men throughout the pandemic.

“AON Inc. is pleased to provide support to the YWCA 2020 Crisis Campaign to help women and children in our community escape violence which has been elevated due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Sarah Joore, AON Inc. Chairperson Charitable Donations. “We understand the increased stress non-profit organizations in our community are facing and hope that our contribution will support the YWCA’s current initiatives to assist those with the greatest needs in our community in the months ahead.”

Photo courtesy YWCA

As the reality of COVID-19 landed in Ontario, reports were released from other countries indicating that demand for violence against women services had as much as tripled following self-isolation. 

YWCA staff anticipate a dramatic increase in the need for shelter and support services as women gain more opportunities to seek help during Stage 3 of the reopening plan—particularly once children return to their regular school routines. 

While funding from Provincial and Federal Governments has helped women’s shelters address a number of unexpected costs associated with COVID-19, annual government funding covers less than 65% of the organization’s operating costs. 

Photo courtesy YWCA

“It is overwhelming to imagine how we’ll meet 3 times the need in the absence of matching financial resources, especially in a context that continues to be uncertain as we move through the rest of this year,” says YWCA Director of Services, Mandy Hamu. “The generosity of supporters like AON Inc. is profoundly appreciated as we continue providing services for those who rely on us.”

HOW THE COMMUNITY CAN HELP FURTHER

Members of the community who wish to add their support for YWCA services like Crossroads Shelter, Transition and Court Support services for women, Nourish food programs and others, are encouraged to visit ywcapeterborough.org or contact the office at 705-743-3526. 

Anyone interested in learning more about corporate partnership opportunities is asked to contact Ria Nicholson directly at 705-743-3526 x128 or via email at rnicholson@ywcapeterborough.org.

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