Rotarians Defeat Media To Promote Rotary Club of Peterborough's Kids 10th Annual Spelling Bee For May 4

The Rotarians got the last laugh and word in over the local media in a promotional spelling bee competition at the McDonnel Street Community Centre on Monday afternoon.

Donna-Marie Fennell of the Rotary Club attempting to defend her spelling bee title in the promotion Media versus Rotary competition. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Several media members —including yours truly— participated in the event to promote the Rotary Club of Peterborough’s 10th Annual Spelling Bee which will take place at the Whetung Theatre at Fleming College on May 4.

The competition is divided into two groups. The Junior Division for Grades 4-6 runs at 9 a.m. and the Senior Division for Grades 7-8 starts at 1 p.m.

“We’re hearing from teachers at participating schools that kids are very determined to make it to regional bee and they are focusing intently on studying their practice words,” said Catherine Hanrahan, spelling bee committee chair.

The event is being broadcast on YourTV Cogeco.

The top three spellers in each division will win prizes, trophies and more.

“We’ve had a number of local businesses come forward with some really generous prizes like a week at Camp Kawartha or a week at Trent Excalibur Camp, a party at Zap Attack and lessons at the Art School of Peterborough,” said Hanrahan. “We also have two bicycles generously donated by Canadian Tire on Lansdowne and Realtor Rebecca Quinn from Century 21 United Realty.”

Every participant will receive a grab bag with items like Family Swim Passes for the YMCA, Train Passes for Riverview Park and Zoo, free games from Zap Attack, handmade toys from Leslie Covert and silly putty from Crayola. The winning students' schools will also be eligible for bursaries from the Rotary Club of Peterborough for literacy projects.

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Peterborough to Host International Curling Fellowship of Rotarians From April 6 to 12

The Rotary Club of Peterborough and Peterborough-Kawartha and Bridgenorth-Ennismore-Lakefield (BEL) are hosting the 27th World Championships of the International Curling Fellowship of Rotarians from April 6 to 12.

In 1956, Rotarians from Scotland, Canada and the USA organized a curling tour to Scotland. Scottish Rotarians visited Canada (Quebec and Ontario) and the USA (Utica and Schenectady, NY) for curling events the following year. Since 1978, this tournament has been bi-annually hosted by Scotland, Canada or the USA. Photo courtesy of Rotary Club of Peterborough,

The tournament is being held at the Curling Club of Peterborough, hosting 21 teams from across Canada, England, Scotland, and the United States who will participate in Friendship Division and Championship Division draws.

The general public is welcome to attend to spectate throughout the event.

The Rotary’s committee has worked hard over the past two years to create a fantastic week of unforgettable moments, friendship, and exceptional curling performances, according to a press release and statement by tournament organizer Ken Seim of the Rotary Club of Peterborough.

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38th Annual Carl Oake Rotary Swim Takes the Plunge For Easter Seals and Rotary Projects

The 38th annual Carl Oake Rotary Swim plunged into the YMCA Central East Ontario pool to fundraise their goal of $50,000 for Easter Seals Ontario and Rotary Club of Peterborough on Friday morning.

Vanessa Oake Hogan (left) with her sister Renée Oake shortly after the latter did 146 laps in the swimming lane. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

This event has fundraised over $1.4 million for Easter Seals and Rotary Projects. Other recipients of the proceeds are literacy programs, various shelters (Brock Mission, Yes Shelter and more) Breakfast for Kids, Camp Kawartha, Rotary Trail and more.

Roughly $5,300 of the $50,000 goal was already raised online at the publication of this article but more funds have yet to be accounted for with a final tally.

Carl Oake started this event 38 years ago. He says he was inspired by the work the Easter Seals did because of his relatives. His mother’s twin sister contracted polio in the 1950s while a cousin of his was born with spina bifida - both physically debilitating diseases.

Carl’s daughter, Vanessa Oake Hogan, succeeded in the role of organizing the event in 2017 after the former was satisfied that the event had so much community support over the years. She and her sister, Renée Oake, were proud to carry on their father’s legacy.

“He built so much momentum with this event over the year and it's gained a lot of support with the community so it was a natural for us to carry it on,” said Vanessa. “It's definitely important for us to carry on dad's tradition.”

”I'm just proud to carry on the torch for my father for such a good cause,” said Renée.

Teams and groups could swim in lanes to participate in the fundraising event.

New to this year’s swim was the ‘Cannonball’ and ‘Floating Catwalk’ Challenge. They were alternative activities for those who cannot swim or could not get a team to help raise money while participating in the event.

“It was a great addition,” said Vanessa. “I think it's definitely something we would want to continue.”

The online fundraising page remains open for donations until March 15.

“It's always a lot of work leading up to it but it's the day of the event you say, 'Okay, it's all worth it,' and I'm really happy to have all the support and the volunteers,” said Vanessa.

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Peterborough Curling Team Clinches Rotary CanAm Curling Championships In Wisconsin

The Rotary Club of Peterborough Curling Team has captured the Rotary Can-Am Curling Championships hosted by the Rice Lake Curling Club in Wisconsin from last Thursday to Saturday.

(Top row, Team USA) Paul Matzke, Rich Lepping, Jim Sirianni and Mike Pfiffner. (bottom row) Ken Seim, Nick Avlonitis, Joe Kapron and Bill Crins. Photo courtesy of Rotary Club of Peterborough,

Peterborough defeated the USA team (representing Madison, Wa.) in the championship match to capture the title.

The winning team consisted of Ken Seim (skip), Nick Avlonitis (vice), Joe Kapron (second) and Bill Crins (lead).

The team's victory allowed them to qualify for the Rotary Worlds Curling Championships in Scotland in 2026.

The Rotary Club of Peterborough Curling Team now plans to attend the 27th Rotary World Curling Championships which will take place at the Peterborough Curling Club from April 6 to 12.

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Cannonball and Floating Catwalk Challenge Added to 38th Annual Carl Oake Rotary Swim Fundraiser

The Rotary Club of Peterborough has added two fun activities, the ‘Cannonball’ and ‘Floating Catwalk’ Challenge, in addition to their swimming to fundraise for the 38th Annual Carl Oake Rotary Swim, announced at the Peterborough Lawn Bowling Club on Monday afternoon.

Various members and Rotary guess showcased swim attire to participate in the new events as an aternative to traditional swimwear. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The fundraising event is scheduled at the YMCA of Central East Ontario for March 1, beginning at 7 a.m.

The new activities for the annual fundraiser were added to allow those who cannot swim or provide an alternate activity to raise money for teams or individuals.

“Not everybody is a seasoned swimmer,” said Ken Seim, Rotary president-elect. “Some of the older groups that used to come out were having difficulty putting together a team and we thought, ‘let's change it up and make it more fun.’”

Participants can cannonball into the pool in the ‘Cannonball’ challenge or run across a tarp floating atop the water in the ‘Floating Catwalk’ challenge.

The Rotary Club presented a swim fashion show to promote wacky swim attire as an alternative to traditional swimwear like bikinis or shorts. A contest with prizes is being held for those who wear the aforementioned.

A goal of $45,000 has been set for fundraising efforts towards Rotary projects. Over $1.4 million has been raised to date.

“It’s our primary fundraiser and with that, we’re able to do our projects in town,” said Seim. “The Prince of Wales breakfast program, you heard about the international program that’s been done, Easter Seals Christmas party, work on the Rotary Trail, supporting stuff like the YES program, transitional housing and anew nurses station at Camp Kawartha.”

The public is encouraged to participate in the events as an individual or a team and can register online. Those registered will be assigned a fundraising page. The public can also donate directly via the website and receive an instant tax receipt.

Anyone can donate at any time online at the Rotary’s website.

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Rotary Club of Peterborough Increases Water Accessibility With Aquatics Wheelchair Donation to YMCA

The YMCA of Central East Ontario Balsillie Family Branch’s pools are now more accessible thanks to the Rotary Club of Peterborough-Kawartha with a donation of an aquatic wheelchair.

Rotary’s Len Lifchus (Rotary Club Secretary), MaryAnne Wooldridge (Balsillie Family Branch General Manager) and Bill Gordanier (Rotary Chair of Community Service Projects). Photo courtesy of the YMCA.

The specialized aquatic wheelchair allows members and guests with mobility issues a more accessible entrance into the swimming pools.

“We are thrilled to have a new small chair to access the pool. Our members who are users of a chair can have some comfort in ways of entering the pool,” says Shannon Hunter, Regional Supervisor of Aquatics and Camp. “This chair is great for adults and children. The old chair was not fit for use anymore and we are so thankful that people can still entre our lap pool and therapy pool.”

Members can access the aquatics wheelchair by asking the guard on duty to get it for them. If there is no guard available, staff will direct the member to get it themselves.

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Rotary Fore the Kids Golf Tournament Tees Up Vital Support for Five Counties Children's Centre

There were 87 golfers teeing off for the Rotary Club of Peterborough ‘Rotary Fore the Kids Golf Tournament’ to support Five Counties Children's Centre (FCCC) at Bellmere Winds Golf Resort in Keene last Thursday.

(Left to right) Linsey Kampf, Five Counties; Laurie Heigh, Rotary Club of Peterborough; Craig McFarlane, Linwood Homes and Lyn Giles, Five Counties. Photo courtesy of FCCC.

The tournament was renamed ‘Fore the Kids’ a couple of years ago and has ran for over 25 years. Last year, FCCC assisted over 6,200 children according to a press release. The tournament’s proceeds went towards FCCC and aiding children.

“We are thrilled to see the community come together once again to support Five Counties Children's Centre,” said Wayne Harding, Golf Committee Chair. “The success of this tournament would not have been possible without the dedication of our golfers, our sponsors, and the incredible team behind the scenes. Together, we are making a real difference in the lives of children and families in our region.”

Notable winners included Carolyn Kitchen, Gail Huges, Carm Warman and Debra Moore, with the ‘Team Low Score’ award in the Women's category. Dave Hannah, Jason Pulchinski, Andy Edwards and Eric Lodgins won for the men’s category. In the Team Low Score, Mixed competition; Wendy Hill, Jim Coyle, Sandy Fulton, and Dave Fulton captured the honour.

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Rotary Club of Peterborough Donates $25,000 to Camp Kawartha For New Health Centre

The Rotary Club of Peterborough took another step toward their $100,000 multi-year pledge to Camp Kawartha with a $25,000 cheque presentation towards creating an environmentally sustainable health centre for staff to look after the health needs of campers and other guests.

(From left to right) Rotarian Jim Coyle, Camp Kawartha Philanthropy Coordinator Susan Ramey, and Rotarian Ken Seim. Photo courtesy of Rotary Club of Peterborough.

The $25,000 payment brings the total contribution up to $75,000 toward their $100,000 pledge.

“Our Rotary Club, has and always will, support Camp Kawartha and its Outdoor Education Centre,” said Jim Coyle, past Rotarian president. “Rotary has always been involved with programming to Develop the Youth of Today to be the Leaders of Tomorrow and that is what Camp Kawartha programming is all about. This new Rotary Health Centre is not only a necessary component of the Camp infrastructure but it is a shining example of construction methodology that is mindful of the environment that it is situated on.”

The Rotary Health Centre is a carbon-neutral straw bale building that replaced a smaller cabin that was built in 1955.

“The Rotary Health Centre is an inspiring example of sustainable design in action. It shows campers, students and even health professionals, what a Healthy Health Centre can look like. We are enormously grateful to the Rotary Club of Peterborough for making this project possible,” said Jacob Rodenburg, Camp Kawartha executive director.

“I am pleased to be presenting this cheque in the amount of $25,000 as another step towards meeting our multiyear pledge of $100,000 to Camp Kawartha for the creation of a unique environmentally sustainable health centre,” said Betty Halman-Plumley, Rotary president.

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Rotary Club of Peterborough Makes $50,000 Donation to YES Shelter To Expand Housing

To expand housing, The Rotary Club of Peterborough has donated $50,000 to the YES Shelter for Youth and Families in a cheque presentation made on Monday afternoon.

This funding is a part of Rotary’s Centennial Celebrations, helping the community in their 100th year of local service. Photo courtesy of the Rotary Club of Peterborough.

This funding allows YES to open three new permanent spaces in their RISE Youth Housing Program. It facilitates the renovation and maintenance of an existing RISE Youth Housing location according to a press release.

“I am pleased to be presenting this cheque for the YES RISE Youth Housing Program to fund a place and program where youth are supported with skills to transition from homelessness and living in a shelter towards living on their own often finishing high school, a college program or into employment,” said Betty Halman-Plumley, Rotary president.

The $50,000 is part of the Rotary’s $100,000 commitment that was made last year.

“The Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha is very pleased to partner with the Peterborough Rotary Club in providing funding for YES’ Rise Youth Housing Program,” said Paul Landau, Peterborough Kawartha Club president. “This program ensures that youth in the community have a safe place to live and also learn strategies to support their recovery.”

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Rotary Club of Peterborough Brings Back Fore the Kids Golf Tournament For Sept. 14

The Fore the Kids Golf Tournament is making its return on Sept. 14, at Bellmere Winds Golf Course in Keene, announced by The Rotary Club of Peterborough.

Tournament proceeds are going towards the Five Counties Children’s Centre.

“We're excited to work with Linwood Homes again this year on the Fore the Kids Golf Tournament to make a lasting impact on the lives of children and youth in need within our communities,” said Wayne Harding, tournament Chair and former Rotary president. “Five Counties Children's Centre holds a special place in our hearts and this golf tournament serves as a beacon of hope, uniting individuals and businesses in a spirit of giving and camaraderie.”

All golfers are invited to register for $150 per person with a shotgun start of 1 p.m. The fee includes a round of golf, a cart, lunch and the chance to win hole prizes. Prizes include exclusive golf lessons, lake toys and a chance at driving home in a brand-new car from Jack McGee Chevrolet-Cadillac!

The tournament also features a raffle to win items such as a Plauski Square Stern canoe and paddles. Tickets are $10 apiece or three for $20.

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