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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Bridgenorth Family's Spooky Display is Gathering Donations for Food Bank

The Mitchell family from Bridgenorth has invited the community to tour their spooky Halloween display and drop off donations for the Bridgenorth Food Bank during their visit.

The Mitchell Family hopes to fill the trailer by Halloween, Crystal says donations have already been pouring in from community members. Photo by Angela O’Grady.

Crystal Mitchell, her husband and their five children moved to Bridgenorth from Gamebridge this August.

“Last year we did food bank donations in Gamebridge and did really well,” she said. “So we figured we’d continue what we used to do there.”

The Halloween display stretches across the Mitchell’s 350 foot front lawn, located at 1058 Ward St, Bridgenorth.

Located in the middle of the display is an enclosed trailer, which the Mitchell’s hope will be filled with donations for the Bridgenorth Food Bank by Halloween.

“We love Halloween, the kids love Halloween, it’s our favourite holiday,” said Mitchell. “We just want to share our love of it with everyone and what better way to do that than to help to food bank while we’re at it.”

The display features spiderwebs, ghosts, aliens and a hard-to-miss 12 foot tall skeleton.

Donations can be dropped off at anytime, but the animatronic decorations, lights and effects will only be on from about 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. every Saturday until Halloween.

The Bridgenorth Food Bank runs out of Bridgenorth United Church at 832 Charles St. Clients can pick up food once a month.

While it may seem far away, Mitchell says that when the Halloween decorations come down the Christmas decorations go up.

“We did so well with the Halloween food bank donations last so we thought we’d do it for Christmas too,” she said.

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Kawartha Food Share Urges Community to Donate in Time for Thanksgiving

Kawartha Food Share has put a call out for their most needed items approaching Thanksgiving weekend, one of their busiest times of the year.

File photo.

“From September to the new year it’s a bit crazy around here,” said Ashlee Aitken, Kawartha Food Share general manager. “But especially Thanksgiving weekend, it’s a big time for donations. We have lots of families that we’re supporting and trying to get as much food out to them that we can before the weekend comes.”

During the holidays, Kawartha Food Share tries to distribute turkeys and fresh produce so families can enjoy a holiday meal.

“People tend to associate giving with holidays,” she said “Thanksgiving and Christmas we tend to see lots more donations come in than during the summer months.”

A list of the most needed items has been released for anyone able to donate:

• Canned vegetables

• Pork and beans

• Mac and cheese

• Individually wrapped snacks

• Soup

• Pasta Sauce

• Boxed Stuffing

Photo courtesy of Kawartha Food Share.

Kawartha Food Share typically host larger-scale Thanksgiving food drives at various locations. Due to COVID-19, they are asking anyone that wants to donate food to bring it to their warehouse or leave it in a bin located at every grocery store in Peterborough.

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One Hairy Fundraiser to Donate to Three Local Organizations

Local entrepreneur, Husayn Dharshi, is organizing ‘One Hairy Fundraiser’ for three local initiatives and has pledged to offer his long hair to an organization that may need it once he reaches his goal of $1,500.

Funds donated to ‘One Hairy Fundraiser’ will be evenly split between Kawartha FoodShare, Peterborough's Safe Consumption and Treatment Site and The Home Program under One City Peterborough.

When he reaches his $1,500 goal Dharshi will cut his long hair and donate it to a charity that will put it to use. He has not yet decided which charity.

“The focus of this campaign is to raise awareness of all the great organizations that are doing so much in the community right now,” said Dharshi. “They fit into the brackets of people living with food insecurity, underhoused people and people with mental health challenges and addictions - which are things we need so much more support for.”

Dharshi is a local website and web application developer, and the Founder of TransitOne Canada, a local start up dedicated to creating better access to local communities through better transit. When the COVID-19 pandemic began his business took a hit, and he found himself in need of work.

He began working full-time as a social services worker at One Roof Community Centre, where he has been volunteering since 2018.

“They have been so gracious with me and so kind to me, this is just a small token of my gratitude to them,” said Dharshi.

To donate to One Hairy Fundraiser click here.

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Big Brothers Big Sisters of Peterborough Receives $6,000 from "Lids For Kids" Campaign

More smiles on kids’ faces and more heads are covered after the “Lids for Kids” campaign raised $6,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Peterborough (Peterborough Bigs) donated by PTBOCanada on Wednesday.

Members of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Peterborough and PTBOCanada at the cheque presentation.

The proceeds support weekly virtual programs to keep children on the waiting list connected to the agency. Examples include weekly trivia games and craft nights, including painting pictures and decorating pots in which they plant seeds.

Each hat purchased had $10 go towards the charity. They were available on PTBOCanada’s shop page in five different styles.

“It was great to have an opportunity to get behind the cause that simultaneously builds community through the PTBOCanada hats but also works for charity, said Thomas Jenkins, Peterborough Bigs board member. "We were absolutely honoured to be the charity choice for this."

"It's amazing to have people that are so supportive both with their time and energy and with their dollars," said Brent Shepard, Peterborough Bigs executive director. "It makes a big difference."

PTBOCanada owner Kirtus Evoy presented the check at their studio in East City to Peterborough Bigs. The campaign originally raised $5,000 from 500 hats sold but Evoy threw in an extra $1,000 totalling $6,000.

The campaign began back in late April with several local celebrities and notables showing their support such as WWE wrestler Bobby Roode, sports broadcaster Dan O’Toole, Peterborough Chamber of Commerce president Stu Harrison and more.

Activities were limited with COVID-19 between the brothers and sisters but with the donated money, the organization is hoping to do more with the mentorship program.

"This is going go a long way to help us pull out of that (COVID-19 pandemic) and build on the good stuff that we've already seen happen in the history of Big Brothers Big Sisters Peterborough," said Shepard.

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Easter Seals Telethon Triumphs Through Adversity and Raises Over $92,000

After having to postpone this year’s telethon, the Easter Seals Telethon raised over $92,000 on Sept. 26.

Easter Seals Telethon hosts from 2019. Photo courtesy of Easter Seals Peterborough.

Due to COVID-19, this year had hosts standing alone in the studio with pre-recorded visits with the kids.

The event’s hosts included Stu Harrison, Graham Hart, Mike Melnik, Teresa Kazsuba, Catherine Hanrahan and Caley Bedore.

“With a significantly reduced volunteer team, and a handful of hosts, we hosted the 49th Easter Seals Telethon in Peterborough last weekend and it was a huge success,” said Coralie Jacobs, Easter Seals Manager of Development, Eastern Ontario. “Our host team did an amazing job of sharing the stories of our families and Easter Seals kids and making the ask on their behalf, and the phones started ringing and didn’t stop.”

Ryerson Beardmore took the spotlight as the Easter Seals Peterborough ambassador for the second year.

Easter Seals Ontario has received record-high numbers in requests for equipment funding for children with disabilities.

“This has been a difficult 18 plus months for a lot of us, but for children with physical disabilities and their families the challenges have truly been extraordinary,” said Jacobs. “The ongoing lockdowns, restrictions, and delays have meant there are still so many children living at home without the essential equipment that would provide them with greater dignity as well as safety in the home for both the kids and their caregivers.”

To donate to the Easter Seals click here.

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Hike for Hospice Wraps up Annual Fundraiser With Over $66,000 Raised

Hike for Hospice’s 19th annual fundraiser that ran from Sept. 11-17, exceeded its goal of $40,000 by raising $66,000 announced Thursday.

Manager of Residence at Hospice Peterborough, Jeannette, hikes with friends. Photo courtesy of Hospice Peterborough.

The goal shattered last year’s amount of $56,538.

This was the second consecutive year that the Hike was held virtually and 16 local teams made up of 133 registered participants hiked, walked, ran and cycled at the location of their choosing after collecting pledges.

There were 450 pledges made on the Hospice Peterborough donation site.

“We are so grateful that our teams pulled through for us again this year in another virtual Hike,” says Hospice Peterborough executive director Hajni Hős. “Thanks to our generous community, including individuals, teams and corporate sponsors, we can continue to offer our programs and services free of charge to anyone who needs our help.”

The funds support 26 programs and services including a bereaved parents support group, day hospice, palliative navigation, groups for children and teens and a 10-bed end-of-life residence.

Hospice also offers community education events including workshops and seminars, about issues such as end-of-life medication or advance-care planning to help people decide in advance who can be their decision-maker if they are unable to speak for themselves.

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Annual Friday Night Lights Fundraiser For Suicide Awareness Running for a Touchdown

The ninth annual “Friday Night Lights” football fundraiser for suicide awareness with Team55 will take the spotlight at Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School on Friday.

Photo Courtesy of Team55.

The “Let’s Tackle Suicide Awareness” campaign will feature a double-header of football games with opening ceremonies beginning at 6:00 p.m. and girls’ rugby games in the afternoon.

• 7:00 p.m. - Adam Scott Collegiate and Vocational Institute vs. Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School

• 9:00 p.m. Holy Cross Secondary School vs Crestwood Secondary School

The games will be broadcasted by YourTV Cogeco where spectators will be tightly limited to avoid large gatherings.

This year’s slogan is “What do you do for you?” to encourage mental health, especially among youth.

Last year’s message was, “Who would you talk to in your time of crisis?” Photo Courtesy of Team55.

Team55 was founded by Dave Pogue, Peterborough Petes president, after losing his son Mitchell to suicide. The number 55 was the latter’s jersey number when he played football for the Adam Scott Collegiate.

The game was cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic however the fundraising efforts were still made.

“We’re thrilled to have the live football back, no questions,” said Pogue Mainly for the kids that missed out on participating in sports.”

A goal of $15,000 has been set for the event. Last year raised just under $25,000 with over $17,000 raised in the silent auction alone.

Fundraising efforts are through donations online, their Facebook page “Team55 Tackles Suicide Awareness” or sending a cheque to the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) offices at 415 Water St.

An online silent auction will run until Saturday evening with over 110 donated products. Big-ticket items include Blue Jays tickets, a Carrie Underwood-autographed acoustic guitar, Petes Centre Ice Suite tickets and more.

“Local businesses and people who are interested have donated these items,” said Pogue. “They just keep coming back to help. There’s a real camaraderie behind this community to help in mental health.”

Proceeds go to the CMHA’s Assertive Outreach Suicide Prevention (AOSP) program that seeks help and resources for attempted suicide victims.

Tara Slone, Juno nominee and Canadian Football League alumnus and Peterborough’s Brad Sinopoli will guest star in the games’ opening ceremonies.

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Community Care Kicks Off October with Annual Kms for Care Fundraiser

October is Community Support Month and Community Care Peterborough is launching their annual month-long fundraising event, ‘Kms for Care’.

Staff at Community Care Peterborough celebrating pride week in September. Photo courtesy of Community Care Peterborough

In the past, ‘Kms for Care’ was a formalized run, but due to COVID-19, it has become a way for participants to raise money and be active on their own time.

“Just like last year, we are asking participants to do any activity that they love to do, sometime in the month of October and inspire their friends to donate in support of their challenge or get involved too,” said Alicia Vandine, Donor Relations and Communications Lead.

Participants must pay a registration fee of $30 and are invited to gather pledges to contribute to the fundraiser. They can do an activity on their own or they can create a team.

Community Care will provide each participant with a $20 tax receipt and a Community Care toque so that they can show the community their support.

“You can walk, jog, exercise, bike, golf, yoga, or whatever activity you love to do,” said Vandine. “You can choose a day, do it for a week or do a challenge throughout the month. I am personally doing a walking challenge. We also know a group that is organizing a golf day and clocking some kilometres for us playing golf. The challenge can be anything in support of Community Care.”

Pledges can be gathered using paper pledge forms or by setting up a fundraising page online using Community Care’s secure Canada Helps account.

Creating a fundraising page will allow teams to send a link via email or through social media. Donations received online can be directed to the community of the participants choosing.

Last year Community Care Peterborough served over 6,700 individuals, delivered over 43,000 meals and employed 45 community members.

For more information or to register for ‘Kms for Care’, visit commcareptbo.org or email - kmsforcare@commcareptbo.org.

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Second Annual Lakers Alumni Golf Tournament Tees Off To Support Peterborough Lacrosse

Over 90 golfers were hitting the green at the Keystone Links Golf & Country Club for the second annual Peterborough Lakers Alumni Golf Tournament held on Friday.

In addition to promoting lacrosse within the Peterborough area community, Peterborough Lakers Alumni strengthens ties between past and present players. Photo By David Tuan Bui.

The tournament hosted professional lacrosse players, former Peterborough Lakers and avid golfers to play in the annual tournament. Past and present players such as John Grant Sr., Paul Evans and Shawn Evans were in attendance among several other alumni.

All proceeds go towards the Peterborough Lakers Alumni that support the sustainability and growth of lacrosse in the Peterborough area.

“This tournament is a fundraising and social event,” said Jamie Batley, Alumni president. “Not only is it fundraising but it’s an opportunity for the Lakers, ex-Lakers and all the lacrosse people in the Peterborough area to get together.

Former lacrosse players Howie Stevenson (top left), Art Batley (top right), Bill Ogilvie (bottom left) and Bobby Allen (bottom right) performing their ceremonial first drives at Keystone. Photo By David Tuan Bui.

Former lacrosse players Howie Stevenson, Art Batley, Bill Ogilvie and Bobby Allen kicked off the tournament with the ceremonial first drives at the course’s first hole.

The inaugural tournament in 2019 did not have any women participating. The second-year event had a welcome change with a small handful of female golfers. Batley says he hopes to see more women participating in future events.

The tournament had prizes for lowest score, closest-to-pin shots and longest drives for both the male and female categories.

Prizes such as Alumni golf shirts, gift certificates and gift baskets were given out to the golfers. Photo By David Tuan Bui.

The third annual Peterborough Lakers Alumni Golf Tournament will be held on June 24 next year at Keystone.

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