PRHC Foundation Mombassadors Support PRHC’s Tiniest Patients With $42,000 Donation

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The Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) Foundation Mombassadors announced their annual fundraising total and presented the PRHC Foundation with a cheque for $42,041 to purchase lifesaving equipment for PRHC’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

With the support of the community, the local group of fundraisers was able to make their donation despite the cancellation of their main annual event, Girls Night Out. The Spring 2020 event was tentatively rescheduled for September 18th, but was ultimately cancelled earlier in the month due to the restrictions resulting from COVID-19.

2019/2020 PRHC Foundation Mombassadors celebrate their donation to the PRHC Foundation (while maintaining their social bubbles). From left: Erin Marshall, Sarah McDougall Perrin, Emily Kingdon, Mary Kingdon, Ashley Prentice, Laura Montague, Marcy D’Alessandro, Hayley Vogler, Grace Reynolds, Kate Ahrens (Photo courtesy PRHC Foundation)

2019/2020 PRHC Foundation Mombassadors celebrate their donation to the PRHC Foundation (while maintaining their social bubbles). From left: Erin Marshall, Sarah McDougall Perrin, Emily Kingdon, Mary Kingdon, Ashley Prentice, Laura Montague, Marcy D’Alessandro, Hayley Vogler, Grace Reynolds, Kate Ahrens (Photo courtesy PRHC Foundation)

“It was a heart-breaking decision for us to cancel Girls Night Out, especially since babies continue to be born every day at PRHC, and almost one in four of them will need critical care in the NICU during the first moments, days, weeks or even months of their lives,” says the Mombassadors’ 2020 Chair, Marcy D'Alessandro. “That is why it was so important to us that we do our best to raise as much as we could this year in spite of having to cancel, directing our support to funding lifesaving equipment for PRHC’s NICU.”

The PRHC Foundation Mombassadors are grateful for all the generous community support they received. “We were so touched by the generosity of our community,” adds D’Alessandro. “The majority of our Girls Night Out sponsors—including our title sponsor, Full Tilt Cycle—elected to maintain their donations. In addition, many of the Girls Night Out ticket holders opted to donate the cost of their ticket. This says a lot about the character of our community.”

Additional support for the Mombassadors’ 2019/20 fundraising campaign came from local businesses, families and individuals. Several initiatives were held throughout the year, including the group’s annual December event, 100 Kids Care, and the launch of their clothing line.

Over 1,600 babies are born at PRHC each year. The Mombassadors’ 2020 donation will fund a radiant heater/warmer for those babies who need extra support after birth—equipment that will help save the lives of PRHC’s tiniest patients.

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Community Foundation Of Greater Peterborough Has Granted $2.7 Million To Local Charities Since 2011

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The Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough hosted its Giving Gala on Saturday, January 25th at the Peterborough Golf and Country Club, and more than 170 community-minded leaders and philanthropists attended the event.

The Community Foundation inspires giving to build a vital community for everyone. Working with donors and charitable organizations, the Foundation invests in the people, ideas and activities that support community vitality.

Community Foundation Board Chairs past and present gathered at the 2020 Giving Gala Peterborough on January 25th at the Peterborough Golf & Country Club (left to right: Alan Thomas, Diane Richard, Bill Lockington, Betty Morris and Janice Green).

“In 2019, the Foundation issued 95 grants with a value of more than $650,000,” says John Good, Director of Fund Development. “That’s a 10-fold increase from the $60,000 made in 2011, bringing the cumulative total of charitable grants made by the Foundation to over $2.7 million!”

The Foundation maintains 70 different charitable funds—a growing pool of endowed and long-term funds with a collective value in excess of $10 million. These funds address particular fields of interest or benefit particular charities, while others enable broad-based granting in the community from support for affordable housing, food security, health and well-being and education to arts, culture, recreation and the environment.

“The Foundation is relentlessly pursuing a future where everyone belongs,” adds Good. “Research indicates that this matters because when we feel like we belong we are healthier, we are more likely to step up and help others, our neighbourhoods are safer, and our community is more resilient in times of crisis.”

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Trent University Raises Record-Breaking $132,000 For United Way Of Peterborough

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Trent University’s faculty, staff and retirees came together to exceed the University’s previous records for both fundraising goal and total funds raised for the annual United Way campaign, raising a whopping $132,028 for those in need locally.

“This year, the Trent United Way committee set an ambitious fundraising goal of $125,000—our largest yet by far,” says Alison Scholl, manager, Community Relations and United Way campaign coordinator. “I’m overjoyed by the Trent community’s response to our campaign. I’m always impressed by the commitment our retirees, faculty and staff show to the Peterborough region, and I’m proud of the role Trent plays in supporting our community.”

Trent’s campaign launched in October with a kick-off BBQ, and was supported by many employee-led special events—including a chili cook-off, white elephant tables, and a gift basket raffle before the holidays.

These special events were paired with donations from retirees and employees, the Trent University Faculty Union, CUPE 3908 and OPSEU Local 365.

“Trent set an inspiring goal this year and that they blew past it is amazing,” says Jim Russell, CEO, United Way of Peterborough & District. “We are thrilled with the dedication and leadership provided by the employees at Trent. We are so grateful to the Trent University community.”

Trent’s campaign committee is made up of Linda Smith, retiree co-chair, Dr. Susan Wurtele and Marcus Harvey, faculty co-chairs, Adele Devlin and Debbie Lietz, staff co-chairs.

Marcus Harvey, executive director of the Trent University Faculty Association, also served as the United Way campaign cabinet’s Labour representative.

Trent University has been a long-time supporter of the United Way dating back to 1965, has raised more than $2 million for the organization, and is currently the largest corporate sponsor in the region.

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Watch: Lakefield's Instagram Dog Celebrity Owen The Griff In Serena Ryder's New Christmas Video

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Millbrook’s pride and joy Serena Ryder, who attended PCVS in Peterborough, has just released a new Christmas video called “Christmas Kisses”. The title track from her very first holiday album, the song spotlights rescue dogs from the Ontario SPCA and dog influencers wearing festive styles.

One of the dog influencers starring in the video is none other than Lakefield’s Owen the Griff, who has 73,000+ fans on Instagram.

Owen the Griff

“One of Serena’s people reached out to us via email,” Owen’s owner/”Momager” Lisa Besseling tells PTBOCanada. “It was filmed at a small studio in Toronto. We were really happy to be a part of this and help bring awareness to supporting animal shelters at this time of year.”

Indeed, the fit was great for Owen the Griff, as he has been an important influencer on Our Pet Project, the Peterborough Humane Society’s capital fundraising campaign to build a new state of the art facility in Peterborough to replace the existing one they are in that opened in 1956.

Watch the video below and spread the word about this great video raising awareness for rescue dogs…

We are proud to partner up with and support the Ontario SPCA this holiday season! Thank you to all the caretakers and volunteers for your continuous hard work and passion to make rescue animals' lives a little bit better and brighter. A special thanks to everyone involved in this video, both dogs and humans!

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Community Makes 3,007 Safe Nights At YWCA Crossroads Shelter Possible For Women & Children Fleeing Abuse

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Community support of YWCA Peterborough Haliburton’s 9th Annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes surpassed the "3,000 Safe Nights Challenge" presented by Merrett Home Hardware Building Centre.
 
A grand total of 3,007 Safe Nights ($138,204.12) have been made possible through YWCA Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, which took place at Confederation Park on Friday, May 26th.

Donations raised through this year’s event will be invested directly in providing Safe Nights at Crossroads Shelter for women and children fleeing abuse.
 
“The demand for our services increases each year,” says YWCA Executive Director, Lynn Zimmer, “This year at Crossroads Shelter we provided 8,471 Safe Nights. With the 3,007 Safe Nights provided through Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, we are well on our way to raising the $45.96 required for each Safe Night we provide.”
 
With more than 420 people of all ages, genders and abilities in attendance, this year’s Walk A Mile was the biggest yet.
 
To learn more about YWCA programs and services that help women escape abuse and rebuild their lives, or to make a donation in support of the YWCA, click here.

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Relly On The Roof Returns For A Seventh Year

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Relly On The Roof returns for a seventh year May 5th to 7th—again raising funds for Habitat For Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha.

At noon on Friday, May 5th, Paul "Relly" Rellinger, along with the generous help from the Peterborough Fire Department, will be lifted to the roof of The Brick, located at 1200 Lansdowne St. W. While Habitat For Humanity volunteers collect donations in the parking lot below, Paul will live atop The Brick until noon on Sunday, May 7th.

Paul Rellinger

A highlight of the weekend will be a live music showcase outside The Brick on Saturday, May 6th, starting at 1 p.m. Featured performers are Rick and Gailie Young, Jan Schoute, Terry Guiel, John Crown, Elyse Saunders and Austin Carson. As well, barbecued hot dogs and soft drinks will be served by Habitat For Humanity volunteers over the course of the three days.

Presented as part of the annual Peterborough Cares fundraising initiative, founded by Camille Parent, 2016 saw a combined total of $19,690.95 raised—with Relly On The Roof accounting for $9,375.65 of that total.

For the Relly On The Roof event, Derek Deyell, manager of The Brick, is volunteering his time and store resources. Also providing invaluable support are Sobeys, Canadian Tire, Scotiabank, Tim Hortons and Boston Pizza.

Organizing Relly On The Roof on behalf of Habitat For Humanity is Resource Development Manager Emily Ferguson, while Community Engagement Co- Ordinator Kate Cook is responsible for the volunteer component which the event is so reliant on. Both can be reached at 705.750.1456.

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PTBOCANADA


Registration Begins For 17th Annual Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival

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Registration for the 17th annual Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival has begun. Organizers announced the return of “The Dragon’s Lair”, as well as brand-new social media and fitness challenges and incentives for participants and teams.

The Dragon will return once again to Del Crary Park on Saturday, June 10th, 2017 for a day of competitive dragon boat racing between community teams, as well as breast cancer survivor teams. Proceeds of the popular fundraising event will continue to help keep breast cancer screening and diagnosis right here at home.

Photo by Peter Curley, Peterborough Clicks

THE DRAGON'S LAIR LUXURY TENT IS BACK

Festival Co-Chair Michelle Thornton says that the organizing committee’s focus this year continues to be on finding fresh and exciting ways to let teams engage with each other, battling it out not just on the water, but to see who can raise the most for breast cancer care in our community.

“It’s all about the ‘dragon bragging’ rights once again,” says Thornton. “Last year, we introduced ‘The Dragon’s Lair,’ a luxury tent where the top fundraising team was treated to a prime Festival location, comfy furniture to relax on between races, catered breakfast and lunch, their own team masseuses, fantastic swag and more. It was a huge success and competition for ‘the Lair’ was fierce in the week leading up to the deadline. Well, it’s back again for 2017 and it’s going to be better than ever. We’re keeping the details a surprise but here’s a hint— this year’s top fundraising team will even have their own dedicated butler!”

Photo by Peter Curley, Peterborough Clicks

Participant and team social media engagement during the weeks leading up to the Festival is getting even more emphasis this year, adds Thornton. “By joining our private Facebook group, teams and participants will be able to take part in weekly challenges, get fitness and fundraising tips, access exclusive training and conditioning videos, and have a chance to win exclusive Dragon Boat prizes,” she says.

Photo by Peter Curley, Peterborough Clicks

Team registration is now open and all proceeds will go to the PRHC Foundation and support the purchase of a new, state-of-the-art mammography machine for Peterborough Regional Health Centre’s (PRHC) Breast Assessment Centre.

Photo by Peter Curley, Peterborough Clicks

Info on the 2017 Festival can be found on the website here. An early bird reduced registration rate is available until March 21th, 2017 with regular registration continuing until Sunday, May 7th, 2017. Teams and participants can also engage with the Festival on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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Rob Fisher Is Cutting Off All His Hair To Raise Money For Five Counties Children's Centre

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UPDATE: May 26th, 2016 -> $8,620 was raised for Five Counties Children's Centre through this campaign. Amazing!! Below are some pictures from the hair cutting...

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ORIGINAL POST

Rob Fisher, co-owner of Ashburnham Realty (and brother of NHL player Mike Fisher) and his wife, Kelly Fisher, owner of Kouture Hair Studios, are parents to two beautiful boys.

Rob has been growing out his locks since 2014, and has decided to cut it all off for a great cause—Five Counties Children's Centre in Peterborough, where each of his boys has received support.

Rob and Kelly Fisher

Rob and Kelly Fisher

A GoFundMe fundraising page has been launched and all the donations to get Rob to cut his hair will go to Five Counties Children's Centre, which helps kids with physical, communication and developmental problems.

Give what you can here for this great cause—the Fishers' goal is to raise $2,000 but let's raise way more than that—and spread the word on your social media channels.

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Peterborough Baby Is At Sick Kids Hospital With Form Of Skeletal Dysplasia

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Peterborough parents Kristen Bate and Adam Godfrey are going through a very difficult time right now as their baby girl Violet was born February 3rd with a form of skeletal dysplasia. She was born unable to breathe fully on her own, and transported to Sick Kids in Toronto.

Kristen and Adam have three other children in Peterborough, and are lacking funds to support their children at home and be able to visit Violet for an extended period of time in Toronto.

Kristen tells PTBOCanada she is the only one in Toronto now while Adam looks after the kids, but they both plan to be with her early next week.

Violet after her CT scan

Violet after her CT scan

They have been accepted into Ronald McDonald House, but still have additional costs. A GoFund me page has been set up by the family, and any help is much appreciated to help them during this difficult time.

Kristen and Adam are hoping little Violet can come home to be with her brother and sisters in the next few weeks, and now they are waiting for results from a CT scan done on their baby girl.

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