A Beautiful Story About A Peterborough Woman's Plan To Retrace Her Late Dad's Bike Trip In Ireland In 1973

[UPDATE (July 7th): Huffington Post picks up our post.]

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ORIGINAL POST (July 6th)

Peterborough's Megan Murphy was broken and lost when her mother and father passed away—her Dad, Marty, in 2004 at age 57, and Mom, Mary, in 2012 at age 65.

She was depressed after their deaths—both lost battles with cancer, and Megan had been by their side all along—and had lost her spirit for life. She could barely breathe. And so, she did this a lot...

Her parents had been everything to her...

On the eve of her 35th birthday, she found herself returning her engagement ring to her newly titled “ex”-fiance after a five year relationship, packing up her small car with all her belongings, and moving back to her childhood home after her Mom's death...

Once there, she began going through all her parent's old belongings...

Among the belongings, tucked away in a long ignored box, was a diary of her Dad's she’d believed had been lost years before in a house fire. She read the diary. She was enthralled. In the wonderfully descriptive journals, her father wrote about a solo bicycle trip he had taken through southern Ireland in 1973 at age 26 when he was trying to "find himself". The diary chronicled his trip in the beautiful country, his ancestral home, and how this essentially became his journey into manhood.

Megan also found his 1973, 10 speed Peugeot hanging in the rafters of the family garage. It was on this bike, she writes, that her father discovered on his Ireland trip "the beauty of the country that was his ancestral home, the sacredness of solitude, the sting of loneliness, the joy of laughter and the value of his fellow man. He stopped. He took a moment to stand on the precipice and just breathe."

Megan became obsessed with the idea of re-creating her Dad's trip. 

"Maybe if I go backwards and recreate this journey, I can find my own path forward," she writes. And live again. Be this Megan again...

Megan took that old, 40-year-old bike with such a rich history and refurbished it. And now it's this...

She brought it back to life and is training on it because she has an amazing plan. A beautiful plan. She's taking the bike, his journal and a film crew to Ireland to retrace his steps. To find her lost spark—"to find my whimsy again," she says.

Megan now, her Dad then

Megan, an actor, comedian and radio show host in Peterborough, is calling this documentary she'll be doing in Ireland, appropriately enough, Murphy's Law. She's funding it through inheritance money from her parents, and by raising money through an Indiegogo campaign. Her goal is $25,000, and she has raised more than $8,000 so far. She needs your help to keep the momentum going, and there is plenty...

Because really, her journey isn't just a personal one about finding herself and learning more about her Dad, her parents, her life, and what makes her happy. It's a universal one we all go through with finding ourselves, finding the meaning of life—and where we're supposed to fit in that. One Hollywood ending could have her meeting an Irishman and riding off into the Irish countryside on that bike with him...

And maybe marrying that Irishman, and having an awesome wedding and marriage like her parents...

Another narrative could be Megan just finding her true purpose in life. And being this again...

...and not this..

As Megan writes, an Irish proverb says “Some journeys aren’t meant to be taken alone." So, yes, somehow it feels like we're all taking this journey with her.

Every day.

—post by Neil Morton

Give to her campaign here, follow her journey here, and watch her Indiegogo video below...

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Homecoming: The Bierk Brothers Art Exhibit "After" Opens June 28th At Art Gallery Of Peterborough

For brothers Alex, Jeff, Nick, and Charlie, this summer is a homecoming years in the making. Sons of the late great artist David Bierk, they are bringing their own brand of art to display at Art Gallery of Peterborough in an exhibit titled "AFTER" from June 28th to August 31st—along with some of their father's work as well.

Having grown up in Peterborough under the watchful tutelage of David—one of the greatest artists our country has ever known—the brothers have evolved into incredible artists in their own right. After years of study and practice, and many life experiences, they have carved out a niche for themselves unmatched amongst their peers.

photo by Jeff Bierk

Growing up with well-known siblings Sebastian (musician)—known as Sebastian Bach—Zac (former pro goalie), and sister Dylan (model/actress), these four now have the spotlight on themselves and rightly so.

Alex, Nick and Charlie have all taken up the brush like their father, creating works that need to be seen first-hand to be believed. Jeff, in his own right, has become a photographer whose images capture incredible and often times unreal scenes and subjects.

Painting by Alex Bierk

While they have all moved to Toronto to continue the careers, they have worked so hard—and fulfilled a dream—to return to their hometown to display their work.

People who may have known them as youngsters will be amazed at the growth and development they have achieved through years of putting in time and effort to perfect their crafts.

For more information on "AFTER" exhibit, click here. Follow the Bierk brothers on Twitter @AlexBierk, @JeffBierk, @NickBierk and @CharlieBierk.

—by Aaron Elliott

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Look What Peterborough's Chandler Crescent Ladies Did With $40 In Stickies

This story begins at Walmart, where a couple of "Chandler Crescent ladies"—as they're known—from Jackson Creek Meadows subdivision purchased some stickies on Saturday evening (June 14th). Now their husbands' thought they were stupid for wasting 40 bucks on stickies. But the Chandler ladies like to prank each other on a regular basis and they saw this as a great opportunity for an epic one...

See, their neighbours, Jay and Bri Callaghan, were in Niagara Falls for a wedding until Sunday evening. So the Chandler ladies saw this as a golden opportunity. They decided to make good use of the stickies by decorating Jay and Bri's house Saturday night...

Four Chandler ladies (including Liz Shaughnessy pictured below) and one husband did the garage...

While the other husbands worked hard on the rest of the house...

Jay and Bri, the unsuspecting couple being pranked, arrived home Sunday evening from Niagara Falls. While driving down the street, Bri at first thought someone had spray painted their garage, while Jay thought it was sidewalk chalk. When they pulled into the driveway, they realized it was stickies. Lots of stickies. It took them a while to get out of the car because they were laughing so hard. And before spending two hours peeling stickies off their house, Jay posted this message to Facebook along with photos...

The back of the house

The lesson here is $40 in stickies actually goes a long way. Also, don't go to Niagara Falls for the night.

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Peterborough Man Launches Business To Pick Up Your Dog's Doo-Doo

Aran Hinton with his beloved 3-legged mascot, Scout 

Have a dog? Have a backyard full of doo-doo? Well a Peterborough man named Aran Hinton will pick it up for you. This Fleming graduate has launched a business called Dirty Paw Waste Management, where he will come by your house or commercial property and scoop up your dog waste. The Peterborough Economic Development announced this young entrepreneur was awarded a $5,000 grant through a Starter Company grant in Eastern Ontario.

Aran and Scout (picture via @DirtyPawPTBO)

Aran got the the doggone idea for Dirty Paw Waste Management out of his love for animals, which includes the rescue of the company's three legged mascot, Scout. Through Aran's experience with Jackson Creek Vet Services, Jungle Cat World and living within the Peterborough community, he recognized a need for animal waste removal. "With pet ownership on the rise, many people are looking for practical solutions to effectively manage the waste that they create," he says.

Using the tagline "Peterborough's Pet Waste Professionals", Aran says Dirty Paw's service can help home owners reduce the number of bacteria, parasites and worms that enter the home, assist property managers in maintaining animal inclusive rental units and even help event planners that can't have a special day ruined by animal waste.

For more information, go to their website, email them, or follow them on Twitter
@DirtyPawPTBO. If you want a "ruff quote"—they serve the Greater Peterborough area—click here.

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PTBOCanada Featured Post: Sales Representative Patrick McAuley On Real Estate Innovation At Bowes & Cocks

Bowes & Cocks on Charlotte St.

Patrick McAuley can't help but be extremely excited about the future. As a Sales Representative with Bowes & Cocks LTD Brokerage located at 333 Charlotte Street, he is a part of an incredible local team that is about to work in a fully renovated "state of the art" facility that has been years in the making.

Patrick and his colleagues are entering into a time for Bowes and Cocks that will be HIGH TECH, PAPERLESS, ACCESSIBLE and GLOBALLY CONNECTED thanks to many of the changes that have taken place there.

With their new and improved website at Bowesandcocks.com, bringing a modern look and enhanced Home Hunter options, they are also enabling themselves to better serve clients by staying ahead of the curve in today’s tech savvy world.

New Bowes & Cocks space

Bowes and Cocks are now connected with a Global Network of premiere independent brokerages, with higher sales volume collectively than ANY other franchise. The company also now offers a new Luxury International Portfolio. This portfolio will allow the company’s highend clients to market their property worldwide, leading to potential newbuyers.

Bowes and Cocks are also working on a Green initiative by having more PAPERLESS options than ever before. Agents nowadays are still using a lot of paper during the home buying and selling process which makes the move by Bowes & Cocks to go digital as much as possible great for the environment. As part of this new digital focus, Patrick and the rest of the company are able to provide enhanced customer experience, with On-Line Quality Assurance Survey's, Product Offers by mail, Increased marketing of their properties, and links to their recommended local business for one-stop-shopping.

New Bowes & Cocks space

All of these advancements in technology help Patrick serve his clients better. In combination with his corporate training in sales, negotiation, and customer service, he builds specific and unique strategies for every client so that he can guarantee a positive experience when selling their home, commercial unit, or farm.

He believes in open dialogue, as communication is key to a relationship with his clients. Patrick makes sure when meeting with new clients that he is open and honest, and takes the time to get to know them. By doing this, he can learn what his client’s core values are and what they need from him to make the experience of buying or selling a positive one.

Patrick is excited to work with more great people in our community. He WILL work harder than any other. This is a great time to work with Bowes & Cocks and he invites you to contact him!

This is the third in a series with Patrick McAuley, Sales Representative – Bowes and Cocks LTD Brokerage. Read his first two columns here and here.

For more on Patrick McAuley, go to:
Phone:
Office -> 705.742.4234
Toll Free -> 1.888.742.4234
Website: BowesandCocks.com
Email: pmcauley@bowesandcocks.com
Twitter: @sellwithpat
Fax: (705) 743-9374

**This is not intended to solicit clients already under contract**

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If your business/organization is interested in a PTBOCanada Featured Post Advertorial, email sales@ptbocanada.com!

PTBOCanada Featured Post: Your PC Candidate Scott Stewart

Scott Stewart

There is a lot of excitement in and around 356 Charlotte Street, the headquarters for Scott Stewart and his campaign team. Blue signs line the outside of the building while the inside is bustling with volunteers. The campaign buzz may be focused on the June 12th election and the weeks leading up to it, but there is a history behind Scott's choice to get into politics and his aim to represent Peterborough.

Born and raised on a hobby farm in the former Otonabee Township, Scott grew up in a close-knit family with his parents and two sisters. He graduated from Thomas A. Stewart Secondary, followed by Centennial College with a Diploma in Business Administration. Now married and the father of two post-secondary student children, Scott is currently the President of Carlson Wagonlit/G. Stewart Travel Services Ltd, the family business where he has served in various roles since 1986.

After graduating from college, he planned to head to the city and climb the corporate ladder through hard work and perseverance. He was full of ideas and youthful exuberance, and wanted to make a difference. But the big city corporate life proved less appealing and fulfilling than planned, so Scott decided to put that same exuberance and energy to working hard to make a difference in Peterborough.

Scott with his wife, Alyson, and their children, Sam and Alyssa

Growing up in a close family, Scott says he was always surrounded by politics with both his father and grandfather being involved locally before him. Regardless of his views, he says that everyone in the house was entitled to their own opinions and points of view, and could discuss them openly. After running for a political position at school when he was 18, Scott became increasingly interested in politics. Not wanting to be a career politician, however, it has taken Scott just over 30 years to finally put his name back in the ring.

A self-described adventurer, sportsman, and conservationist, Scott has kept himself as involved in the community as humanly possible over the past few decades. He has competed in Tough Mudder competitions, hiked the Grand Canyon, safely completed the running with the bulls in Spain, and even climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa, as a member of a team which was responsible for raising more than $100,000 for the PRHC Foundation’s Radiation Bunker Campaign.

Scott Stewart with his canvassing team

Watching his children struggle to find good job prospects in Peterborough and even Ontario, Scott says something has to change. That's why he believes in the PC plan to create 1 million jobs over the next 8 years. These jobs will be created by:

·      Balancing the budget within two years

·      Reducing the billions wasted each year on interest by starting to pay down our debt

·      Reducing the government payroll by 10%, returning the focus back to front-line service and away from top-heavy bureaucracy

·      An across-the-board wage freeze for every government employee, including MPPs, and ending gold-plated pensions for new hires

·      Leading by example by shrinking the size of the cabinet from 27 to 16 ministers

·      Opening government contracts to competition to get the best deal for taxpayers

·      Modernizing Ontario's apprenticeship rules to create 200,000 new jobs

·      Reducing taxes on employers by 30%, creating 120,000 jobs

·      Bringing our energy bills under control, helping employers create 40,000 new jobs

·      Implementing a GTA Transportation Plan, creating 96,000 new jobs

·      Reducing personal income tax, creating 47,000 jobs

Dedicated to creating a better Peterborough, Scott would like the support our community in the June 12th election.

ADVERTORIAL POST PRESENTED BY PTBOCANADA

For more info on Scott Stewart, contact:
Address: 356 Charlotte St., Peterborough
Phone: 705-743-6772; 705-874-2087
Email: info@scottstewartpc.ca
Website: Scottstewartpc.ca
Twitter: @ScottStewartPC
Facebook: ScottStewartPC

If your business/organization is interested in a PTBOCanada Featured Post Advertorial, email sales@ptbocanada.com.

PTBOCanada Featured Post: Brave New Words

You can take the boy out of the town, but you can’t take the town out of the boy.  That sounds as cliché as it gets. But doesn’t it almost always ring true? It has always been the case for Dylan DeMarsh in his many travels and returns to his hometown of Peterborough.

As the owner of Brave New Words, a new local Public Relations/Communications Agency, Dylan has a massive amount of experience gained across the country in various settings that have brought him to where he is now—back home. After graduating from university where he majored in Journalism, Dylan made his way to Toronto and then across the country to Vancouver before making his way back east and finally settling back here in his hometown. During the past 15 years or so, he worked for the Rick Hansen Foundation and also in a more local setting for PARN, constantly increasing his experience in the communication and fundraising fields. This experience has led him to where he is now: the owner of his own company.

Dylan DeMarsh

After years away, Dylan felt drawn back to Peterborough and saw a chance for a sort of flexibility he had never experienced before in working for himself in a town he loved. The vibrant sense of community he sees in Peterborough and the overall engagement of its residents made it easy for him to decide to venture out on his own to help build a town he wants to live in.

With Brave New Words, Dylan’s goal is to use the successful strategies and techniques he has developed throughout his career to aid local businesses in his specialty of Public Relations and Communications. Dylan knows that not all businesses and not-for-profit organizations are experts in every aspect of their day to day operations, nor do they have the time to concentrate on everything as much as they would like. This is when his services come in handy as an expert outside source!

Brave New Words comprehensive services include:

-        Strategic Communication Planning
-        Media Relations
-        Crisis Communication and Issues Management
-        Social Media Integration and Support
-        Media/Interview Training
-        Workshops and Training

Allowing an expert such as Dylan and Brave New Words to work with an organization can help alleviate daily pressures and grant more time and concentration to be put into other day to day activities by the business itself.

The benefits of Brave New Words services are immediate and something that can’t be ignored. They can help increase overall sales/sponsorships/donations, assist in growing your consumer base, and establish your brand and protect your reputation amongst many other things!

If your business is in need of a communications or public relations pick-me-up, Dylan invites you to contact Brave New Words and find out what they can do for you. Their efficient and cost effective package of services guarantee great value for your dollar that you’ll be happy you invested!

For more information on Brave New Words, contact:
Website: Bravenewwords.ca
Twitter: @BraveNewWordsPR
Phone: 7O5.772.724O
Email: dylan@BraveNewWords.ca

**If your business/organization is interested in a PTBOCanada Featured Post Advertorial, email sales@ptbocanada.com!

Here's Jim Carrey Posing With High School Students At Peterborough Airport

[UPDATED April 27th, 2014]: Jim Carrey landed at Peterborough Airport Friday. Word is he has a cottage in the Bancroft area, where he had been spending the week before heading home. By all accounts, he was super friendly with everyone at the airport. Here's some amazing photographic evidence courtesy of Holy Cross student Zach Premate, who tweeted out these gems—including a selfie with Carrey—on the tarmac. Epic fun.

Zach Premate's epic selfie with Jim Carrey. Picture via @ZachPremate

Students pose with Jim Carrey at Peterborough Airport. Pic via @ZachPremate

Jim Carrey's private jet at Peterborough Airport (pic via @taylor_ryerson)

—Scott Arnold

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PTBOCanada Pics & Video: Jerry Seinfeld Heading Into Memorial Centre Tonight

Our Scott Arnold captured these great pictures and video of Jerry Seinfeld as he entered the Memorial Centre in Peterborough Saturday night (April 26th) to perform in front of a sold-out audience...

picture by Scott Arnold, PTBOCanada.com

Seinfeld waves to Scott Arnold (picture by Scott Arnold, PTBOCanada.com)

picture by Scott Arnold, PTBOCanada.com

picture by Scott Arnold, PTBOCanada.com

picture by Scott Arnold, PTBOCanada.com

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Connecting The Disconnected: The Story Of Peterborough's Redpath

Redpath, a Peterborough-based startup for those affected by mental health and addiction, is in the Finals of Bears' Lair Entrepreneurial Competition this Wednesday at Market Hall. To learn more about the backstory of how Redpath came to be, read this post below by the Redpath team...

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In 2004 a maximum security prison in Canada recorded a staggering 53 inmate stabbings in 51 days. In response to this dramatic rise in prisoner violence, they contacted Peggy Shaughnessy for a needs assessment. Peggy was a trusted consultant after her Master's Thesis work with the Emotional Health Lab at Trent University as well as her subsequent work with Corrections Canada, assessing the needs of voiceless minorities within the prisoner population.

She was in a unique position of trust with both the administration and inmates; someone who could hopefully lead the way through this crisis. In one-on-one interviews with high-risk inmates, Peggy began by recording anonymous biographical data. When her questions turned to issues of trauma in the prisoners' early lives, many could not, or would not answer.

So Peggy handed them the questionnaire and asked them to check the boxes that applied, so that no one could ever know the answers a specific prisoner had given. Most – if not all – of the inmates she interviewed had been the victims of abuse in their lives, long before they had ever committed a crime. She promised these inmates that she would process their answers and return with a program, designed to address their needs.

Driving home that night, Peggy began to see a bigger issue. Many of these inmates didn't recognize that they had been traumatized in their early lives, or didn't think it mattered. They had been suffering in silence and didn't know it. Whatever program she designed for them would have to dig deeper than any other had done before, and carefully connect past traumas with behaviours today.

The program Peggy returned with would become the first RedPath Program. A group of 13 high-risk inmates sat down together and began to share their life stories along the path laid out by the program. Through each level of the program, they gained a new perspective on their lives, saw similarities among the groups' life experiences, and realized the effect of their trauma on their current suffering. These inmates formed a tight bond throughout the program, and loose ends began to be tied up. Many of them realized a connection between the crimes they had committed and the traumas they had been victim to. The RedPath program helped these prisoners place their traumas along the path of their life story, and measured a remarkable change in their growth as a result. Many would go on to be released from the prison, and were seen as examples of successful rehabilitation.

Peggy was certain that if the program could create positive change in prisons, it could make massive changes elsewhere. That's when the RedPath program began training facilitators to go into communities all around Canada with high levels of substance abuse, violent crimes and mental health issues. Here too the RedPath approach yielded the same incredible results. By guiding groups to realize the truth of their life stories, sharing only what they were comfortable sharing, missing pieces of their lives could fall into place and help them understand their lives in the here and now.

Over the past ten years, the Redpath program has trained a thousand facilitators to offer the program in their communities. These facilitators have in turn helped countless thousands of people suffering in their lives to find a way through their struggles, by coming to a greater understanding of themselves.

But the trouble with suffering is that it almost always happens in silence. We know that 90% of addicts will never seek treatment. We know that 1 in 5 people in Canada will be seriously affected by mental health struggles in their lifetime. We know that the rate of teenaged addiction is on a dramatic rise; and we know that the stigma associated with abuse keeps survivors from leading comfortable, healthy lives. We all have a responsibility to turn this around, but the current model is not helping people get onto a path towards happiness. If anything, it is deepening the stigma, pushing people into the shadows, creating a growing mass of people suffering alone and in silence.

However, almost everyone in Canada has access to the internet, and many people who are in trouble are spending more and more time online as an escape from their pain. How could we not respond? This is why RedPath is translating its programs into an online format, and building a free social network for everyone who is suffering.

—The Redpath Team

Learn more about Redpath by following them on Twitter and Facebook, watching this YouTube video, and attending this special event they're hosting during Mental Health Week (see invite below—we're a sponsor) on Thursday, May 8th at The Venue in Peterborough called "Connecting the Disconnected".

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