Peterborough Petes Seeking Kids For Next Generation Game

The Peterborough Petes are seeking eight kids to join their hockey operations and entertainment staff against the Ottawa 67’s announced on Monday.

Photo Courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

The team is looking for kids ages 5-12 to shadow the following roles for Sunday’s game.

The Petes are wanting the following positions to be filled:

• General manager

• Head coach

• Assistant coach

• Associate coach

• Public address announcer

• In-game host

• Two scouts

Kids can apply for the various positions by completing the Next Gen application online form.

For the position of head coach, assistant coach or associate coach, kids are asked to send in a video of a pre-game speech that they would deliver to the Petes ahead of a big game. The video must remain under two minutes and be filmed landscape (horizontal).

For public address or in-game host, children are asked to upload a video that includes them reading the following script: "Here is the starting line up for your Peterborough Petes presented by Chemong Home Building Centre! Starting in goal Tye Austin, on defence Donovan McCoy and Shawn Spearing. At forward: Joe Carroll and Tucker Robertson and J.R. Avon! And here are the remainder of your Peterborough Petes."

For the position of general manager or scout, applicants are asked to complete the Nex Gen scouting report for any current Peterborough Petes player.  

The application to become a member of the Next Gen squad is due on Thursday at 11:59 p.m. All parents of the Next Gen applicants will be contacted Friday.

Those selected to be a part of the Petes Next Gen squad will have the opportunity to receive a behind the scenes tour of the Memorial Centre ahead of puck drop on Sunday afternoon, catch on-ice warm up from the Petes bench, enjoy a meal in the media/scout room and meet members of the Petes hockey operations staff. 

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Community Care Seeking Nominations For "Grandparent of the Year" From Children

Kids grade 2-6 have a chance to highlight their elders through Community Care Peterborough in the “Grandparent of the Year” contest for the 35th rendition announced on Wednesday.

“Every year we are amazed by the scope of stories we have received,” said Danielle Belair, Community Care executive director. “Many of the honorees are indeed grandparents or great grandparents of the students however there have been a number of entries that highlight an Elder or special senior friend as well.”

Community Care has three categories to highlight the relationships with the special people in our children’s lives. They are: English language, French language and Indigenous entries.

“Teachers in the City and County of Peterborough have had the opportunity to use the contest as a writing assignment for their students,” said Belair. “We also recognize that not all teachers will know about this opportunity so we opening it up to the public too and will accept entries until December 3rd. If your child is in grades 2 to 6 and not participating with their class, you can enter their story and picture too.”

A committee will select one winner and one honourable mention from each group of grades; primary and junior and each category. (Primary is Grades 2 & 3. Junior is Grades 4, 5, & 6)

Community Care would like the student to include the following information in their submission:

• What they think is important about their relationship with their grandparent, elder or special older person.

• What kinds of activities are done together?

• What kind of knowledge have they shared?

• Describe a happy occasion the student and their nominee shared.

• How does their nominee make them feel when you are together?

• Why they are proud of their nominee?

• Why does the student think their nominee should win this award?

• A hand-drawn picture of the student and their nominee together.

Optional: A student can submit a recorded video of them reading their story. This is not required and will not affect judging.

“This 'SMILES ALL AROUND’ event is too important to our community to cancel,” said Belair. “It's more important than ever to share some positive stories about important people who are in our lives.”

All entries must be received by Dec. 3rd. Entries may be submitted by mail:

Community Care

185 Hunter Street East

Peterborough, ON

K9H 0H1

Attn: Tracy Kennedy.

They can also be submitted by email to tkennedy@commcareptbo.org.

Winners will be announced in mid-February.

For parent entry forms or more information about the Grandparent of the Year event visit this link.

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Lindsay Creative Quilters' Guild and Five Counties Children's Centre are Hosting an Online Auction

The Lindsay Creative Quilters' Guild and Five Counties Children's Centre are working together to present their online Fall Auction, which is live until Friday.

SCOTT STARTED COMING TO FIVE COUNTIES WHEN HE WAS A WEEK OLD. HE HAS MADE TREMENDOUS PROGRESS SINCE THEN. (PHOTO COURTESY FIVE COUNTIES)

There are over 100 items up for auction, with the majority of them being handmade.

Items available include hand knit sweaters and mittens, quilts, Christmas stockings and much more.

All items have been donated, meaning 100 per cent of the proceeds will support the treatment of children who attend Five Counties.

Five Counties provides therapy services that assist children who are delayed in their development to develop the skills they need in everyday life such as walking, talking, and activities of daily living.

Some of these services are speech therapy and physiotherapy. The centre also provides assessment for children suspected of having Autism Spectrum Disorder.

To view and bid on items click here.

Bidding closes at 6 p.m. on Friday.

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Local Organization Promotes Dress Purple Day Family Support Awareness

The Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies is running the Dress Purple Day campaign encouraging anyone to wear purple to raise awareness for support availability for Ontario families this Wednesday.

Brynn Clarke, communications specialist and provincial lead for the 2021 Dress Purple Day campaign. Screenshot.

Every October, Children’s Aid Societies across Ontario raise awareness about the role that people and communities play in supporting vulnerable children, youth and families through the campaign.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created additional stressors for families with some cases having increased risk for the well-being and safety of children and youth according to Children’s Aid Societies.

“Help is available to anyone facing challenges,” said Brynn Clarke, Children’s Aid Societies communications specialist and provincial lead. “We are shifting our campaign message to really focus to making sure families across our province have access to the resources, information and support they need.”

The event initially had roots in child abuse prevention month. Photo Courtesy of Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies.

The organization is encouraging anyone to make a video explaining why they will wear purple Wednesday and how they help children, youth, and families facing challenges. All videos are asked to have the hashtag #IDressPurpleBecause when posting to social media.

The Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board is a participating school board in Peterborough that is partaking in the event.

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New Canadians Centre Launches Children's Book Inspired by Newcomers to Peterborough

Author and illustrator Casandra Lee has brought six children’s stories to life in her new book, “Building a Home” during a book launch at the New Canadians Centre (NCC) on Monday.

Jorge Escalera (far right), poses with his family at Monday’s book launch. Escalera is one of six children whose story inspired Building a Home. Photo by Angela O’Grady.

The book draws inspiration from children experiencing new cultures for the first time after immigrating to Canada.

Bhisham Ramoutar, NCC communication and engagement specialist, had the idea for a book two years ago when a newly immigrated family was served pizza for the first time.

“We got thinking about all the big things and the small things that children have to face when they come to a new country,” said Ramoutar. “We wanted to find a way to share those unique experiences.”

When Lee began volunteering at the NCC, Ramoutar knew he had found the perfect candidate to bring his idea to life.

Lee met with the six children that were from Syria, Kazakhstan, Mexico and Pakistan. They currently live and attend school in Nogojiwanong–Peterborough.

“Writing ‘Building a Home’ was really a dream come true for me,” she said. “Working directly with children and then translating that into a written, illustrated children’s book was really special.”

Casandra Lee reads Building a Home at the launch on Monday. Photo by Angela O’Grady.

Over the course of five weeks, Lee met with the children over Zoom. They spoke about shared experiences they were faced with when coming to Peterborough. A recurring theme was their love for their mothers cooking, opposed to new foods they were offered in Canada.

Jorge Escalera, 11, came to Canada from Monterrey, Mexico in 2016 when he was six after his father received a job opportunity at Quaker Oats Peterborough. He was one of the six children that shared his story.

“I was very excited when my mom told me I could participate,” said Escalera. “I was so happy, it felt amazing.”

There are free 400 copies of “Building A Home” available from the David Goyette & Victoria Pearce Arts Fund at the United Way of Peterborough and District. Copies can be ordered here and picked up at the NCC office in Peterborough and Cobourg. A digital copy of the book is available for free online.

Educators are invited to book a reading of “Building a Home” by Lee or other newcomers associated with the New Canadians Centre depending on the timing of the reading. To book a reading email bhisham@nccpeterborough.ca.

“Building a Home” is available in English, Arabic, Bengali, French, Korean, Mandarin and Spanish.

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Hometown PTBO: Four-Year-Old Jaxon Croft's Journey From Beating Cancer And Supporting Sick Kids

This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday speaks with Jesse Croft and his four-year-old son Jaxon about being in remission from Ewing Sarcoma, a rare form of cancer, that inspired the “Cancer is Poopy” campaign to benefit Sick Kids.

Support the cause by visiting their website where 20 per cent of the proceeds go towards Sick Kids Foundation.

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Five Counties Children's Centre Receives Government Funding For Rehab and Speech Services

Five Counties Children’s Centre (FCCC) has received $1,487,968 from the Ontario Government to enhance the centre’s services in an announcement made Thursday afternoon.

(left to right) Ashley Parsons, occupational therapist; MPP Dave Smith; Kristy Hook, board chair; Scott Pepin, CEO gathered in a colourful treatment room at the FCCC. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The press conference was held at FCCC with centre members and MPP Dave Smith as the government ambassador.

The Ontario government is investing $240 million over four years to increase access to critical rehabilitation services for children and youth with special needs and help them live happier and healthier lives.

This investment is part of the 2021 Budget, Ontario’s Action Plan: Protecting People’s Health and Our Economy.

When children in Ontario begin school, almost 30 per cent have at least one developmental vulnerability that could pose a risk to their lifelong health, learning, and behaviour. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

With this investment, $60 million in new funding will be provided annually starting this year to build additional service capacity and increase access to preschool speech and language services and community-based and school-based rehabilitation services across the province.

“We know when our kids thrive, our communities thrive. It’s incumbent on all of us to ensure we invest in our children and youth by providing the support they need,” said Smith. “Children with exceptionalities deserve every opportunity to learn, grow and thrive. Today’s investment will build on our government’s existing support so children in our community can live fulfilling and productive lives.”

In 2019-20, more than 53,000 children received services through Ontario’s Preschool Speech and Language Program. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

As part of the $60 million in new annual funding, Five Counties Children’s Centre will receive $1,487,968 to support the following:

Preschool Speech and Language New Budget Allocation:

• $311,723 – 2021/22 new investment (including annualization) representing a 37% increase

Community-Based and School-Based Rehabilitation Services New Budget Allocation:

• $664,286 – 2021/22 new total annualized investment for School-Based Rehab

• $511,959 – 2021/22 new total annualized investment for Community-Based Rehab representing an 18.2% increase

The total new annualized investment is $1,487,968.

Children’s Treatment Centres also provided School-Based Rehabilitation Services for 71,000 students in publicly funded schools in 2019-20. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

“Part of this is targetted for early intervention,” explained Scott Pepin, FCCC CEO. “By the assessment, we can help parents guide them in the most appropriate service. Sometimes we have parents coming to us asking or not knowing if this is normal or not.”

These investments will improve service experiences and outcomes for children and youth with special needs and their families across the Peterborough-Kawartha.

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Kawartha Lacrosse Receives Donated Lacrosse Sticks From Peterborough Lakers Alumni

Girls participating in the Kawartha Lacrosse camp received lacrosse sticks donated by the Peterborough Lakers Alumni Association at Kenner Collegiate Vocational Institute on Wednesday.

Peterborough Lakers Alumni Association was established in 2018 as a non-profit organization to promote lacrosse within the Peterborough area community through communication, outreach and strengthen ties between past and present players. Photo by PTBOCanada.

Pete Dalliday and Bruce Oglivie represented the Lakers Alumni, presenting the sticks to the club. Lakers player Zach Currier and Warrior Lacrosse donated 44 heads to the Alumni while the Alumni locally purchased 44 lacrosse shafts to support the camp programs of Kawartha Lacrosse and Trent Women’s Lacrosse.

“Their generosity is invaluable,” said Oglivie. “We’re just a supporter and that’s what the Alumni is about. These organizations are doing excellent jobs of getting more youth and young athletes involved in lacrosse.”

The week-long camp runs for girls aged 4-11 that teaches them the basics of field lacrosse. They also participate in several activities such as soccer, arts and games.

It is run by the camp director and head instructor Jocelyne Lemay and Kawartha Lacrosse alumna Sage Darling.

“A lot of these girls are brand new,” said Lemay. “They’ve never played before. We teach them all the necessities and how to play the game.”

“You’re trying to get them immersed in the sport so they can enjoy it with their friends,” said Fred Blowes, Kawartha Lacrosse president. “Hopefully they can continue playing down the future for us.”

Twenty sticks were donated to Kawartha Lacrosse while the rest went to Trent Women’s Lacrosse who run similar programs. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Over 600 alumni members support local athletes and organizations through fundraisers and donations.

The annual Peterborough Lakers Alumni Golf tournament is hosted at Keystone Links on Sept. 24. Anyone is eligible to participate.

Monthly open euchre tournaments are held at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 52 on Lansdowne Street.

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Ice Cream Parlour Serving Up Smiles for Children's Charity

Central Smith Ice Cream served charity ice cream cones for Five Counties Children’s Centre’s “Do It For The Kids” campaign on Saturday.

(Left to Right) Allison Zomer, Central Smith server; Jennifer Scates, Central Smith co-owner; Linsay Kampf, Five Counties communications coordinator and Olivia Stevenson. Central Smith server. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The creamery was selling $2.50 single-scoop vanilla ice cream cones with blue and green sprinkles — the Five Counties’ colours — where proceeds go towards the charity. They also sold $2 donation cards as another method to raise money.

The one-day event is a wrap-up of a campaign that the creamery runs monthly. The events were organized by the creamery staff including a cakewalk, bake sales, 50/50 draws and a “Do It for Dad” ice cream day.

“It’s really been a grassroots organization and it’s been driven by the staff,” said Jennifer Scates, Central Smith co-owner. “It’s been phenomenal.”

Central Smith has over 60 flavours of ice cream, sherbet or sorbet that are available in cones, cups or sundaes. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The ice cream parlour has raised roughly $1,800 towards their $5,000 goal to be donated on Halloween. Central Smith has unaccounted funds in the past month that has yet to be counted toward the total.

The staff chose Five Counties as their charity of choice back in September. The creamery runs a charity campaign every two years where Peterborough Regional Health Centre, Team55 and Terry Fox have been past recipients.

Central Smith began exclusive production of premium ice cream in 1952. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The store plans to run future campaigns until September such as charity walks, 50/50 draws and bake sales. Several of the events run have been organized and initiated by the staff.

“We’ve just been slowly building momentum through the year,” said Scates.

Central Smith was founded in 1896 and celebrates its 125th anniversary in mid-July.

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Ontario Accelerates Second-Dose Eligibility for Ages 12-17

As Ontario moves to Step Two of its Roadmap to Reopen, the province has accelerated second dose eligibility to anyone aged 12 to 17 beginning Monday according to a press release on Friday.

Stock Photo.

Bookings for the Pfizer vaccine can be done through the provincial booking system, directly through public health units that use their own booking system and through participating pharmacies.

“As the province enters Step Two of our Roadmap, all eligible Ontarians have the opportunity for a two-dose summer,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “Vaccines are the best defence against COVID-19 and variants and I encourage everyone to get their first and second shots as soon as possible.”

During the week of June 21, the province administered more than one million doses in four days which has been ahead of schedule of expanding eligibility. To date, the province’s public health units, mass vaccination clinics, hospital sites, pharmacies and primary care providers have administered over 15 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, with more than 77 per cent of adult Ontarians having received their first dose and more than 42 per cent fully immunized.

“Expanding the eligibility for accelerated second doses to include youth aged 12 to 17 is another positive step in the rollout of vaccines across Ontario,” said Sylvia Jones, solicitor general. “With the continued support of our public health partners, we are on track to significantly increase the number of Ontarians who will be fully immunized this summer, helping to protect themselves and their community.”

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