Peterborough Man Joins Team Cycling From Toronto To Halifax Raising Money To Support Care Programs For Cancer Patients

Sean Cullen, a Peterborough local, will be joining a group of cyclists as they travel from Toronto to Halifax to raise money for Wellspring, an organization that provides supportive care programs to help Canadians who are living with cancer.

Photo courtesy of Sean Cullen.

Wellspring is available at no charge, with no referrals necessary and accepts clients with any type of cancer at any stage in their journey.

They receive no government funding and rely completely on donations.

Cullen, who’s mother in law used Wellsprings services while she battled cancer, says that on top of one-on-one peer support, financial advice and rehabilitation support Wellsprings acts as a community.

“Being diagnosed with cancer can feel isolating so it’s important to have a community to talk with,” he said. “So being able to drop in to any of these locations and have these support groups are incredible.”

There are three Wellsprings locations in the Greater Toronto area, one in Niagara, London, and Brampton as well as a few locations in Alberta.

Photo courtesy of Sean Cullen.

On August 20, Cullen will join a team of cyclists for 3000 km, week long ride from Toronto to Halifax

The trip will act like a relay, with groups of five or six taking turns making the trek, then being driven to their next starting point twelve hours later.

“We ride day and night, which will be a really cool experience,” he said.

Cullen who is an avid cyclist says he’s excited for the challenge, the adventure it will be and of course to opportunity to raise money for a charity he cares about.

Cullen’s personal fundraising goal is $10,000 and is confident that he will reach his mark before he takes off on his journey in August.

Donations can be made online here. He, along with friends and family, will also be hosting various fundraising events in the coming months. Updates can be found on his Instagram and Facebook page.

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Local Entrepreneur Donates Car As a Raffle Prize to Kickstart Not-For-Profit Organization's Fundraiser

A 2022 Nissan Maxima (Platinum Edition) is up for grabs through a Peterborough Northumberland Crime Stoppers raffle thanks to local entrepreneur Steve Daynes as he purchased and donated the car for the cause.

Steve Daynes, general manager of The Staffing Connection and Level A Professional Group (left) with Detective Constable Keith Calderwood of Peterborough Northumberland Crime Stoppers (right). Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Daynes, general manager of The Staffing Connection and Level A Professional Group purchased the vehicle from Trans Canada Nissan — valued at $50,000 —for the raffle’s inaugural year that began last month.

He has been supporting Crime Stoppers for over a decade through initiatives such as sponsoring hockey games and charity golf tournaments hosted by the latter.

"I think it's important because I live in Peterborough and I want to support my community and make sure that it's safe,” said Daynes. “We have locations throughout the area of Peterborough and in Cobourg as a business and I want to make sure we give back to the communities that we serve."

The 2022 Nissan Maxima (Platinum Edition) from Trans Canada Nissan is the first car raffle from Crime Stoppers. Photo courtesy of Peterborough Northumberland Crime Stoppers.

As a not-for-profit organization, Crime Stoppers relies on donations and fundraising efforts to keep the program running.

"It's pretty rewarding to know that there are businesses out there supporting the community," said Detective Constable Keith Calderwood. "It's pretty big for him to step up like that and we're really excited about it."

The raffle for the car is on Sept. 1 during the Crime Stoppers charity golf tournament at the Quarry Golf Club in Ennismore. Four early bird draws of a $500 cash prize are done on Feb. 15, April 15, June 15 and Aug. 15. Gerry Berringer was the winner of the first draw.

To purchase your raffle tickets, click here.

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Five Counties Children's Centre Host Online Auction Family Day Weekend

Five Counties Children’s Centre is hosting their Winterfest Auction online from Friday to Monday.

Photo courtesy of Five Counties Children’s Centre.

All items have been donated by various organizations and individuals in the area.

Items that will be auctioned include handmade quilts, gift certificates for local restaurants and shops and gift baskets.

Bidding will begin at 8 a.m. on Friday and end at 9 p.m. on Monday.

All proceeds from the auction will support the treatment of children who attend Five Counties.

Those that win the bid on an item will be contacted by Five Counties. Pick up can be arranged in Peterborough, Coburg or Lindsay.

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Local Teacher Sleeping Outside For A Week To Raise Money For Youth Emergency Shelter

Local teacher Aaron McFadden will be sleeping outside, for the second year in a row, to raise money for the Youth Emergency Shelter (YES).

Aaron McFadden and Brooke Erickson (YES). Photo courtesy of Aaron McFadden.

Last year after COVID cancelled McFadden’s travel plans he thought he would put the money he had saved for his trip to good use. He donated it to YES, and decided he would sleep outside, during the coldest week of the year, to raise awareness and money for youth homelessness and YES.

“I have three kids and I’m a teacher,” said McFadden. “Just recognizing that the Youth Emergency Shelter has always been an important charity. I’ve gone there, as a teacher, there’s a lot of good work and learning that happens there It’s such an important resource in our community, it was easy to pick them to donate to.”

This year McFadden’s fundraiser will look a bit different. He will be spending his nights outside beginning on Sunday until Feb. 21.

Because he is back to full time teaching he will only be sleeping outside for 12 hours at a time, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily.

“I realized, just because I’m working doesn’t mean I can’t do this,” he said. “As a teacher we do things together, we don’t do things on our own.”

McFadden hopes that his campaign will encourage people to participate in the virtual sleep out being hosted on March 25.

The virtual sleep out encourages participants to educate themselves on homelessness and share their learnings with other participants, friends and family.

McFadden’s fundraiser page can be found here. Updates throughout the week will be posted to the event Facebook page. His goal for this year it $1,500.

McFadden also hopes that his week long sleepout will bring attention to other initiatives happening around the city.

The Coldest Night of The Year walk is a family-friendly walk to raise money for local charities serving people experiencing hurt, hunger, and homelessness.

The Meaning of Home contest invites children in grades 4-6 to enter a piece of writing sharing what home means to them. Each entry will result in a $10 donation to Peterborough’s local Habitat for Humanity organization. This contest ends on Friday.

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Peterborough Girl Selected As One Of 100 Ambassadors For JDRF's 'Lets Make History Again' Campaign

Tilly Stimpson, a grade 9 student at Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School, will join the 'Let’s Make History Again' campaign, hosted by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), as one of the 100 Ambassadors of History.

When Stimpson was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes at two-years-old her father Matt says it was devastating.

“I had been living with it for a number of years, and Shay - our nurse at PRHC - said ‘you’re already on page 50 of a 100 page book’ because of what I had been going through,” said Matt. “We knew how to manage the disease, but kids are a whole different can of worms.”

“Living with diabetes is definitely difficult,” said Stimpson. “It’s a 24/7 disease, you always have to be on it, checking your blood sugars and making sure you’re ok. I don’t think you’re ever not thinking about diabetes, your mind is always set on it.”

Both Matt and Tilly hope that through fundraising researchers will find a cure for diabetes, and they wont have to rely on insulin daily.

Tilly hopes that anyone that wants to join her in her climb does so. Photo by Angela O’Grady.

2022 marks the 100th anniversary of the first injection of insulin.

To mark the milestone JDRF is hosting the ‘Lets Make History Again Campaign’ which aims to raise money that will fund valuable research to fund a cure for Type One Diabetes.

The 100 Ambassadors of History, which is the group Stimpson has been asked to join, are a special group of Canadians who will each host their own fundraiser to contribute to the campaign.

Stimpson has decided that this year she will climb the steps of The Lift Lock once for every $100 donated to her campaign. As of Thursday she has raised $1267.

While Stimpson and her father Matt don’t have a set monetary goal the Let’s Make History Again campaign has a total goal of $100 million.

To donate to Tilly’s fundraiser click here.

Follow Tilly’s journey on her Instagram page @diabetes.the.bully.

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Annual Shoppers Drug Mart Love You Campaign Raises Over $14,000 For YWCA Peterborough Haliburton

Community support for the 2021 LOVE YOU by Shoppers Drug Mart fall campaign resulted in a $14,081 donation to YWCA Peterborough Haliburton earlier this week.

Tanya Farrow, Store Manager (left) alongside High Street & Lansdowne Shoppers Drug Mart team members. Photo courtesy of YWCA Peterborough.

One hundred percent of in-store donations, made through the purchase of paper icons in Peterborough stores, helped fund YWCA Crossroads Shelter and support programs for women experiencing gender-based violence.

“We are truly thankful for the combined support of our community and the entire Peterborough Shoppers Drug Mart team,” said Kim Dolan, Executive Director of YWCA Peterborough Haliburton. “The need for violence against women (VAW) support services has remained high since the onset of the pandemic. This generous donation will provide much-needed safety, resources and support to women in crisis.”

The LOVE YOU by Shoppers Drug Mart fall fundraising program to grow women’s health is an annual four-week campaign and is one of the leading partnership programs of the LOVE YOU by Shoppers Drug Mart platform.

Since 2011, the fall fundraising program has supported more than 450 women’s charities annually across Canada.

“The YWCA is an absolutely essential resource for women and children living in Peterborough,” said Mohan Joshi, Owner of Shoppers Drug Mart High St., Chemong Road and Landsdowne St. locations. “We are honoured to be able to continue our commitment to their work in partnership with our generous customers and staff team.”

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Local Fraternity Holds Outdoor Campout For 48 Hours To Fundraise For the Homeless

Members of the Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) fraternity slept in a makeshift shelter for 48 hours last weekend to raise money for One City Peterborough to help anyone experiencing homelessness.

(left to right) Christopher Mills, Brendan Alexander, Oscar Fuchs and Marcus Fuchs huddled in a makeshift structure with hay and a tarp in the cold at the Venture North parking lot on George Street North. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

TKE (Upsilon-Kappa chapter) aids men in their mental, moral and social development for life according to their website.

The fraternity slept outside at the Venture North parking lot on George Street North from Friday at 4:00 p.m. to Sunday at 4:00 p.m. The campaign gave their members to experience the hardships and struggles that people experiencing homelessness face according to Christopher Mills, TKE member.

"We will never truly understand what it's like to be homeless because I have a nice car, I can go back home to and a bed but not everyone has that opportunity," said Mills. "So I couldn't even begin to imagine what all of them (the homeless) have to go through being out here in all this weather.”

TKE was successful in reaching its goal of $5,000 on Saturday night raising over $3,500 in an online fundraiser and the rest with in-person donations.

The homeless showed their gratitude as they often paid visits to them and grabbed a snack or drink for their trouble.

"Some of the people experiencing homelessness came by to show their support, thanked us and asked us for any food," said Mills. "Some of them even donated themselves because they were so grateful for the work that we're doing."

The fraternity also had local supporters making food, drink and monetary donations towards the cause. The Peterborough Police Service and MP Michelle Ferreri also paid visits to show their support.

"We're trying to do our part and help make Canada a better place to live,” concluded Mills.

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Rotary Club Performs Armour Hill Stunt To Promote 36th Annual Carl Oake Rotary Swim

To promote the upcoming 36th annual Carl Oake Rotary Swim fundraiser, Wayne Harding, Rotary Club of Peterborough president rode down Armour Hill in a kiddie pool filled with water on Sunday.

Wayne Harding (pictured) has performed past stunts such as being pushed in a shopping cart off a dock into Clear Lake and paddling the Lift Lock while firefighters sprayed him with fire hoses. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

“Last year, we tried to do this stunt but we got four inches of snow on the day. The pool wouldn't move so we wanted to redo that,” said Harding. “It is minus five according to my car. I'm wearing a bathing suit and I'm soaking wet but hey, life's grand."

A goal of $50,000 has been set where fundraising efforts will go towards Easter Seals and the remaining proceeds for Rotary projects in the community according to Harding. To date, over $1.3 million dollars has been raised for Easter Seals and Rotary Projects.

The annual Swimathon is on Feb. 25 at the YMCA of Peterborough. The public is encouraged to participate in the event or perform a virtual swim or splash at home while raising funds and sharing it on social media tagging the fundraising’s Facebook page.

Participants can register as an individual or as a team online where they will be assigned a fundraising page. The public can also make a donation directly via the website and receive an instant tax receipt.

The Rotary president has performed past stunts such as being pushed in a shopping cart off a dock into Clear Lake and paddling the Lift Lock while firefighters sprayed him with fire hoses.

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YWCA To Host Empty Bowl Fundraise At The Venue

Tickets are now on sale for the YWCA Empty Bowl fundraiser, which will be hosted at The Venue on Feb. 26.

Photo courtesy of The YWCA.

YWCA EMpty Bowls ticket holders will attand The Venue for a 30 minute slot. During that time they will be able to browse and select a hand-crafted bowl, donated by local artisans of the Kawartha Potters Guild and Kawartha Woodturners Guild.

Each $50 ticket also includes a local restaurant coupon card featuring discounts from various partnering restaurants and businesses, redeemable for 6 months. All proceeds from the event directly support YWCA Nourish food programs throughout Peterborough City and County.

“We’re extremely grateful for the continued support of our community and our sponsors, including Kawartha Cardiology Clinic, Cornerstone Family Dentistry and The Venue, who truly understand that food insecurity is a critical health issue and a core barrier for women experiencing gender-based violence,” said YWCA Executive Director, Kim Dolan.

“In Peterborough, 1-in-7 households are experiencing food-insecurity,” said YWCA’s Joëlle Favreau, Manager of Nourish. “Every ticket for YWCA Empty Bowls helps individuals and families most at risk of experiencing food insecurity put fresh, local, affordable food on their tables, while also supporting the systemic changes required to end food insecurity and poverty.”

A limited number of tickets are available for this year’s event. Peterborough Public Health COVID-19 protocols will be in place for a safe experience. For more information, please visit www.ywcapeterborough.org or contact Ria Nicholson at 705-743-3526 x113.

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Wolfe Lawyers to Match Community Donations for Kawartha Food Share's "Feed the Need" Campaign

To help against the hardships the COVID-19 pandemic has left people lacking in basic needs, Wolfe Lawyers will match up to $5,000 in community donations towards Kawartha Food Share’s (KFS) “Feed the Need“ campaign announced Tuesday.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The fundraiser runs from Feb. 1 to 21 as KFS, Wolfe Lawyers and Corus Entertainment (The Wolf 101.5 and Fresh Radio 100.5) urge the community to donate online.

One dollar becomes six dollars of buying power for much-needed food items to help support the community according to KFS.

KFS will purchase the required goods from the fundraising money and distribute them to their 36 member agencies.

The charity ran the event last year from Dec. 14, 2020 to Jan. 3, 2021 raising $27,450. Wolfe Lawyers matched the maximum $5,000 donation to help KFS with $164,700 of buying power.

If you wish to donate to “Feed the Need,” click here.

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