Peterborough Blogs
Hometown PTBO: Jen Johnstone of Alzheimer's Society Running the 'Pulling for Dementia' Fire Truck Pull
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This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday talks to Jen Johnstone of the Alzheimer's Society and Andrew Pyle of CIBC Wood Gundy about the 'Pulling for Dementia' fire truck pull to benefit the Society's programs and services for those living with dementia.
Fleming College Students' Anti-Stigma School Project Earns Partnership With Alzheimer Society To Be Used Throughout Peterborough
/Fleming College’s Graphic Design – Visual Communication (GDV) students have partnered in an anti-stigma campaign developed from a class project with the Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland and Haliburton in an announcement on Tuesday.
GDV Fleming Students Adam Keizer (left) Mark Dizon (middle) and James Levesque (right) gave presentations to the media and affiliated organizations of their campaigns. Dizon is an international student from the Phillipines and came to Peterborough for school two years ago. Photo by Samantha Bianco.
The ‘Missing Piece,’ campaign was created and designed by Fleming students including international student Mark Dizon. His project was declared the winner and the lead project from six different groups. It will be used throughout the Peterborough region to draw attention to the stigma and bias that can affect those with dementia.
“I just feel honoured and very happy that it’s my first time to be chosen for this,” said Dizon. “It was a contest and I was chosen. I won and I feel like a champion.”
Each year, fifth-semester GDV students were assigned to aid an organization with a design project. Organizations are often from the non-profit sector and the project gives students a chance to experience working with a real-world client from concept to completion.
The Alzheimer Society are using the designs and concepts in a campaign that will stretch across the Peterborough region.
“We were tremendously impressed with the quality of the work produced by the Fleming College students. Dementia in our region is rising exponentially, and unfortunately stigmatizing language is still commonly used around the disease,” said Jen Johnstone, Alzheimer Society executive director. “We are thrilled that our collaboration with Fleming will enable us to launch our anti-stigma campaign Be the Missing Piece in August of this year.”
“This is a fantastic example of the hands-on, experiential learning that takes place at Fleming College and comes to life in our community,” said Maureen Adamson, Fleming president. “This project has led to a partnership that benefits not only our students but the people that we love and support. We are honoured to be a part of this collaboration.”
Dizon has been hired by the Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Northumberland, etc. in an internship capacity to help oversee the campaign. He is in his fourth week of six of an internship with the organization at the publication of this article.
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Truck Pull Fundraiser For World Alzheimer's Day Brings Community Together At Peterborough Airport
/The sixth annual ‘Pulling for Dementia Fire Truck Pull’ tested teamwork and strength while raising money for World Alzheimer’s Day at the Peterborough Airport on Wednesday.
Minds and Motion team celebrating their successful truck pull at the sixth annual event. Photo by Felicia Massey.
The event challenged teams to beat each other’s times by pulling the 44,000-pound firetruck the fastest while community and family members watched on and supported the cause.
AON, Trent Varsity and Minds in Motion were among the teams competing at this year’s event which took place on World Alzheimer’s Day on Sept. 21.
“We’re hoping to raise awareness in the community about Alzheimer’s and Dementia and helping our clients live normal, everyday lives,” said Jennifer Watson who pulled with Minds in Motion. “They can do everything just as much as everyone else.”
All proceeds from the Alzheimer’s Society’s Pulling for Dementia Fire Truck Pull support the programs and services of the Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland and Haliburton.
The truck pull hasn’t been held since prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019. That event was deemed a success after raising $40,000.
“I am supporting all of the wonderful people that my husband and I have met through Minds in Motion before he passed away a year ago,” said truck-puller Diane Knight. “We made wonderful friends and did lots of socializing, it was just nice to all be together. I think it’s the best thing to ever happen.”
“I did it three years ago with my husband and I wanted to come back today and be a part of it,” she said.
Honorary chair of the event Reverend Ken Fast ensured the teams of 10-12 (10 for men, 12 for women and mixed) were ready to pull before they began.
Rev. Fast holds several Guinness World Records and was dubbed the “world’s strongest priest.” He has pulled several fire trucks, a house and a 188.83-tonne Globemaster III plane.
The Trent Varsity rugby and rowing girls getting ready to prove there strength. Photo by Felicia Massey.
“We just wanted to come together and help out, do what we can to raise some money,” said Mobi Tarride, Trent Varsity team member. “Show off our muscles and support the people we can, of course.”
The Trent Varsity rowing and rugby girls finished with a pulling time of 21.17 seconds while the Minds in Motion team finished in 21.53.
The Alzheimer’s Society has raised just under $8,000 of their $30,000 goal through the fundraiser thus far.
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Alzheimer Society of Peterborough asks Community to Help a Neighbour on World Alzheimer Day
/The Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland and Haliburton is honouring World Alzheimer’s Day by inviting community members to reach out to family and friends that are living with dementia and offer support.
Photo courtesy of the Alzheimers Society of Peterbororough Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton.
More than 8,000 people suffer from dementia in Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland and Haliburton according to the Alzheimer’s Society.
“For World Alzheimer’s Day, our goal is to increase the number of people in our community who know that we provide support services—counselling, education, recreational programming—to people living with dementia,” Alzheimer Society Executive Director, Andrea Cant. “Though we try to reach as many people as we can, there are many more that we haven’t connected with. They are trying to manage on their own and could really benefit from our help.”
The Alzheimer’s Society is encouraging community members to become monthly donors. Ten dollars a month provides services like counselling, support groups or an educational workshop for someone in the Peterborough region living with dementia as stated by the organization.
Twenty dollars a month provides access to an eight-week ‘Minds in Motion’ social and recreational program.
Those who sign up to be monthly donors in September will have their donations matched for a year by the Booth family from Woodstock, in memory of their father Walter Booth who was diagnosed with dementia after their mother passed away.
Clients do not need an official diagnosis to access resources offered by the Alzheimer’s Society.
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Inaugural Charity Golf Tournament Raises $7,500 for Alzheimer's Awareness
/The first annual “Golf for Loved Ones” tournament raised $7,464 for Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton (PKLNH) at The Quarry Golf Club in Ennismore announced Thursday.
Photo Courtesy of Alzheimer Society of Peterborough.
The tournament hosted 98 golfers on June 26. Lori Banks and her family ran the event in honour of her mother Edna Banks as she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s for a decade before passing away in 2017.
“The tournament was about raising money, but also about raising awareness,” said Lori. “I don’t think people realize how many people in our area have dementia.”
The intention was not just to raise money but to raise awareness about the 8,590 people living with dementia in PKLNH. Organizers gave each golfer a purple bracelet and purple ribbon to wear for their round to aid in the campaign.
The event was considered a great success according to both the Banks and Kevin Carter, Quarry Golf Club owner. The event has already been booked for next year.
“Lori and Ron ran a great event,” said Carter. “They were very organized and managed to get a great turnout. The golfers had a great day with excellent weather. Lori and her family raised a lot of money for the Alzheimer Society and the tournament will continue to grow and raise more money down the road. The Quarry was thrilled to be involved with such a great cause.”
“Hopefully we can make it bigger and better. We got a lot of feedback from the golfers saying they would be coming back next year,” said Lori. “We raised a lot of money, but we’d like to double it next time. We’ve already booked the course for next year.”
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The Alzheimer Society of Peterborough Kawartha Lakes Northumberland and Haliburton Announces New Executive Director
/The Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland and Haliburton has announced Andrea Cant as their new Executive Director on Monday.
Photo Courtesy Of The Alzheimer Society PKLNH.
