Family Hosts Memorial Golf Tournament To Honour Their Five-Year-Old Son Passing Away From Golf Cart Accident

UPDATED: 9 p.m. 23-07-23

A tragic golf cart incident that resulted in the life of five-year-old William Gardner has got his family to create a memorial golf tournament to honour him at Bellmere Winds Golf Resort.

(from left to right) Elizabeth, Aurora, William and Matt Gardner. The family had lived overseas for the past 15 years and often came back during the summer season. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Gardner.

The William Rock Gardner Golf Memorial tournament in Keene is slated for July 29 and will run from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. with prizes and draws from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The incident occurred a year ago. The Gardner family and their two friends were at the lower half of Bellemere to play sports and at the splash pad. They were travelling in a golf cart going downhill as it started to accelerate with the brakes failing.

After the cart swayed out of control, it flipped and ejected all the passengers onto the roadside according to Elizabeth Gardner, William’s mother. He sustained massive head trauma and was airlifted to SickKids Hospital. The parents and their friends had sustained injuries (with the latter taking the year off to recover) from the incident and were treated at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC). His seven-year-old sister Aurora was unharmed during the accident but had feelings of guilt and shame as the only sibling to survive said Elizabeth.

“Our family at that time knew everything was changing and I laid on the roadside trying to keep him breathing,” she explained.

All photos courtesy of Elizabeth Gardner.

The family visited William at SickKids and made the difficult decision to let him go due to the severe brain damage he suffered.

“After saying goodbye to William, both my husband and I were admitted to Peterborough Hospital due to our injuries,” explained Elizabeth. “I ended up staying in Peterborough Hospital for over a month recovering and planning my son’s funeral.”

Despite the unfortunate series of events, the family bears no ill will towards anyone and is grateful for the care that they received.

“Sick Kids Hospital and Peterborough Regional Health Centre were extremely supportive during our darkest days,” explained Elizabeth. “These golf tournaments will be in support of both of those institutions.”

The police report determined that the mishap was an accident due to the golf cart’s malfunction according to Elizabeth. Bellemere Winds had offered their golf resort to host the memorial tournament.

“We are still devastated from everything but cannot thank the Bellmere owners enough for pushing for this golf tournament,” said Elizabeth. “We are thankful we can honour William, as memories and events like these keep him alive.”

William was three weeks short of celebrating his fifth birthday upon his passing. He was entering kindergarten that September.

“He was a little boy with a great sense of humour and loved to run around in his bare feet,” said Elizabeth. “William loved all kids and above all loved playing with anybody but especially his sister Aurora.”

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Community Rallies For Omemee Family With Teen Diagnosed With Cancerous Brain Tumour; GoFundMe Set Up To Help Offset Costs

Omemee and 16-year-old Angela Brooks is in the fight of their life as she is undergoing chemotherapy for a brain tumour revealed to be a cancerous suprasellar germinoma.

A GoFundMe goal of $15,000 has been set up to help cover costs such as travel, home expenses and wages lost due to Brooks’s mother going on critical illness leave for the past four months to take care of her two sisters and one brother.

Just under $13,000 has been donated from the community to help in Brooks’s GoFundMe page. Photo courtesy of Ashley Megan.

Brooks has been ill for two years with her brain tumour discovered in April. When her biopsy revealed that it was a cancerous suprasellar germinoma, Brooks had to undergo 12 rounds of chemotherapy and two-and-a-half weeks of radiation over the next five months in Toronto at SickKids Hospital according to the GoFundMe page. The family has had to regularly travel back and forth between Toronto and Omemee to monitor Brooks’s health.

Earlier this month, Brooks had a septic infection from her peripherally inserted central catheter line and was hospitalized at Peterborough Regional Health Centre.

She was able to come home after spending two weeks in the hospital but could not receive chemotherapy until her blood count went back up. Once it does, Brooks could handle more chemotherapy sessions according to her mother, Ashley Megan. She was due for her final stage of chemotherapy last Monday had everything went to plan.

Megan reported that Brooks’s counts were up on Wednesday on her Facebook account. The teen could get her 11th round of chemo as a result. Brooks is nearing all cancer treatment including radiation.

The GoFundMe created by Mat Wood has raised almost $13,000 of the $15,000 goal with 119 donations. It began back in April and is expected to run into August.

“The family has lost count of how many times they have had to stay in Toronto to be by Angela’s side in her fight,” said Wood. “It has been a long, hard, and emotional road for this family.”

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First-Ever Little Lakers Night Set for July 27 With During Lakers Final Home Game

The welcome mat is being rolled out by the Peterborough Lakers for their Little Lakers Lacrosse Night and Five Counties families for July 27.

Five Counties Children’s Centre (FCCC) is teaming up with the Peterborough Lakers for the first-ever Little Lakers Night on the team’s final regular season home game on July 27 at the Peterborough Memorial Centre against the Brooklin L.C.

“Five Counties has played a big role throughout the years in our family,” says Len Powers, a FCCC ambassador and Lakers’ board member. “We are really grateful for the work the Centre does to support kids and their families in our community and were excited to find a fun way to give back.”

Little Lakers Night features the following:

• Pre-game festivities starting at 7 p.m. – an hour before game time. Five Counties is holding a silent auction that lets people bid on items that include: a golf package for four at Wildfire Golf Club, a baby gift basket and tickets to Canada’s Wonderland.

• Facepainting for kids by donation, sale of freezies and the chance to buy commemorative Little Lakers Night T-shirts in support of Five Counties.

• A ceremonial ball drop before the game, featuring Five Counties family and representatives.

The proceeds support the Building Abilities for Life campaign, allowing more kids to get the essential treatment like occupational and speech therapies they need to be their best according to a press release.

“Community events like Little Lakers Night are integral to helping us get more kids into treatment, reducing wait times and allowing more families to get the care when they need it,” says Scott Pepin, FCCC CEO. “We could not do what we do without the support of organizations like the Peterborough Lakers.”

Game tickets to Little Lakers Night are available through the Memorial Centre box office.

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Backyard Summer Social Raises Nearly $42,000 in Support of Five Counties Kids

This year’s Backyard Summer Social event raised $41,664 for Five Counties Children’s Centre on Friday.

photo courtesy of five counties kids.

All event proceeds go to the Centre’s Building Abilities for Life campaign, which directly benefits children in the community to receive treatment services. This includes providing priority speech language therapy and occupational therapy as quickly as possible to children and youth who need them. 

“We know that the earlier a child can get into these programs, the better their outcome, which is why community support for our kids and families is so important,” says Scott Pepin, CEO of Five Counties. “We live in a very generous community, and the support shown us at our Backyard Summer Social is yet another example of people coming together to help our kids and families.”

A ‘unicorn’ from Critter Visits was on hand for the recent Backyard Summer Social, allowing event attendees to enjoy a petting zoo as part of the many festivities. Photo courtesy of Five Counties Kids.

From left, a member of the Peterborough Academy of Circus Arts gives a tutorial in balance to one of the guests attending the event. Photo courtesy of Five Counties Kids.

There’s an art to what caricaturist Jason Wilkins (seated at left) does, and he ably demonstrated that drawing likenesses of attendees at the Summer Social. Photo curtesy of Five Counties Kids.

This year’s edition of the Centre’s gala fundraising event was a hybrid effort, with some activities moved indoors due to the threat of rain. That change didn’t impact the excitement and enthusiasm, say organizers, as attendees were still able to enjoy music, food, entertainment, live auction, door prizes and fun activities including axe throwing, petting zoo, lacrosse shootout and old-fashioned picnic games.

“The Backyard Summer Social is aimed at putting the fun into fundraising, and we were able to do that successfully again in 2023 despite the wet weather,” adds Lyn Giles, Director of Fund Development with Five Counties. “We’re very appreciative of all the support we had this year and are already planning ahead for the next Backyard Summer Social on June 22, 2024, so mark your calendars!”

For more information, visit the website.

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Peterborough Police Issue Reminder During Ongoing Heat Warning to Not Leave Pets or Children in The Vehicle

Peterborough Police Service are reminding the community to check on the most vulnerable to heat and to not leave pets or children unattended in vehicles during the ongoing heat warning.

photo by david tuan bui.

A heat warning is in effect for Peterborough with Environment Canada calling for temperatures into 30’s with the humidex in the upper 30’s to 40’s through Wednesday and Thursday.

How you can help:

• Call 9-1-1 if the child or animal is in distress

• Take down the car’s make, model and license plate number and provide that information to the Peterborough Police Service when you call.

• If there is a business nearby, ask a manager or store security to make an announcement to locate the car’s owner.

• Wait by the vehicle until help arrives.

If it is an emergency call 9-1-1.  If it is a non-emergency, you can call Peterborough Police Service at 705-876-1122, or in the case of an animal situation you can also call the Ontario Animal Protection Unit, 1-833-9-ANIMAL (264625).

For more information, visit the link.

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New Reduced Speed Limits and Community Safety Zones in Peterborough School Areas

City Council approved reduced speed limits and Community Safety Zones for all City elementary and secondary school areas in the City of Peterborough at its meeting on June 26.

photo courtesy of the city of peterborough.

Speed limits will be reduced to 40 kilometres per hour on major roads fronting schools and 30 kilometres per hour on minor roads fronting schools and local roads leading to a school driveway. Local roads with walkway access to school property will receive a 40-kilometres-per-hour speed limit.

Work will begin this summer to install the new speed limit and Community Safety Zone signs in accordance with Highway Traffic Act regulations and the road safety treatments for five pilot school areas are expected to be in place this fall. A public education campaign will take place in time for back-to-school travel.

“School area safety is a priority for Council. We want our children to be safe,” said Mayor Jeff Leal. “Reducing the speed limit on the roads around our schools will create a safer environment for children and families walking or cycling to school. Watch for new signage and public education to be rolled out for the next school year.”

“Community Safety Zones in school areas will add another layer of safety, in addition to the City’s effective Crossing Guard program and school bus safety laws,” said Peterborough Police Chief Stuart Betts. “These important reduced speed limits will be enforced through doubled fines set out by the Highway Traffic Act. Reduced vehicle speeds help save lives.” 

The school area safety project comes from key infrastructure policy initiatives established through the Transportation Master Plan that was approved by Council in March 2022. This project implements several of the measures recommended in the Safe School Zones section, including education, engineering and enforcement measures to improve the safety in school areas. 

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Three Local Girls Are Representing Canada At Dance World Cup in Portugal

Three 11-year-old Peterborough girls Ashlynn Evoy, Sophie McCarthy and Hazel Fuderer are going to take the stage in front of an international audience representing Canada at the Dance World Cup in Braga, Portugal.

Ashlynn Evoy (left), Sophie McCarthy (middle) and Hazel Fuderer (right) all trained at the Premier Studio of Dance to hone their skills. Photo courtesy of Hannah Fuderer.

All three girls are competing in the ‘13 and under’ group of Canada’s World Performers Team and will have roughly 30-35 teammates of the same age performing with them. Roughly 140 dancers are representing Team Canada at the event.

“I’m so excited to travel to Portugal with my world performers, dance team and represent Canada at the dance World Cup,” explained Evoy. “I have made so many new friends across Ontario at different dance studios and we have worked so hard to get here. It’s even more exciting that I get to experience all this with my two best friends.”

The girls qualified for the World Cup after a tryout qualifier in Toronto, making the team last August. Jazz, acro, hip hop and ballet are some of the dance styles the girls are performing for the upcoming event.

“I’m so incredibly proud of Hazel, her two best friends and their team,’ said Hannah Fuderer, Hazel’s mother. “They have been working so hard all year (including every holiday) to perfect their routines for Portugal. The girls are ready and so very excited to hit the stage.”

The Dance World Cup runs from June 30 to July 8 at Altice Forum Braga. The girls and selected family members are catching their flight to Portugal on Wednesday evening.

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Sisters-In-Law Found New Private School Evergreen Education Beginning this September

Teachers and sister-in-laws Kayley Dunn and Sarah Dunn are opening a new private school Evergreen Education located at the Edmison Heights Baptist Church basement and are accepting enrollments for September.

Teachers Kayley Dunn (left) and Sarah Dunn (right) prepping for the next school year as they will open their private school Evergreen Education this September. Both of their husbands are brothers. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The school is accepting children from kindergarten to grade three and looking to get around 22 students total with classes of no more than 15 students, enrolled for the upcoming school year.

Kayley and Sarah focus on self-paced and ‘mastery-based’ learning rather than every child learning at the same rate.

“Teachers are teaching students at their level and so if you have a big class of 26, the idea is that that teacher is meeting all those 26 students' needs because they're not all necessarily at the same academic level,” explained Sarah. “That's really hard to do and it's not the teacher's fault, there's so many things at play. Each student in our class will have their own tracking system, their own goals each day and so they know where they are in their learning.”

Both teachers want to teach self-awareness, others-awareness, social skills and empathy to the children in ‘emotional intelligence.’

“We have a whole curriculum we're following, exercises and a chunk of time every morning designated for emotional learning for students,” said Sarah. That's also unique to our school and our program and outdoor education.”

"It won't just be outdoor play, we will be teaching our subjects outside and integrating outdoors throughout,” said Kayley.

The idea of the school stemmed from both women spending time together since both their husbands are brothers. Two duo had their children and maternity leave around the same time and collaborated on the idea. It was inspired from the COVID-19 pandemic as several children had alternate learning conditions and restrictions placed for a few years that could not give students the full school experience.

“We also saw a lot of gaps in the learning as we went back from the pandemic, seeing so many kids grade levels behind or above because home life was different for everyone,” explained Kayley. “We looked at the system right now and how everything's being taught and were, 'we could close those gaps so easily with a different model of teaching.’”

Sarah and Kayley wanted to deliver quality education at Evergreen to Peterborough in the same respect as they would want their own children to receive.

“I wanted to give my kids a quality education and felt like Sarah and I could give them that,” explained Kayley. “We felt like we could actually do a wonderful job at providing a quality education to everyone.”

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Crossing Guard Appreciation Week June 5 to 9

The City of Peterborough is encouraging residents to show their support and appreciation for their neighbourhood crossing guards during Crossing Guard Appreciation Week from June 5 to 9.

photo courtesy of the city of peterborough.

“It's important to recognize the many people working as crossing guards who help our students have a safe journey to and from school each day. As a community, we count on their friendly, dedicated commitment to the safety of our children,” said Councillor Keith Riel, transportation portfolio chair. “We hope that students, parents, and drivers take a moment this week to tell our crossing guards how much you appreciate them.”

If you are interested in becoming a crossing guard with the City of Peterborough, apply online or contact the City via phone 705-742-7777 ext. 1787 or by email.

Quick facts:

• The City of Peterborough currently employs 52 school crossing guards and is looking to fill more positions for September 2023.

• All vehicles and cyclists are required by the Ontario Highway Traffic Act to stop and wait until children and Crossing Guards have cleared the entire roadway at school crossings before proceeding

Support your local crossing guards by:

Stop when a crossing guard raises his or her stop sign.

Take notice of whether a guard is on duty and slow down when approaching school crossing locations.

Obey the law. Remain stopped until all children and the crossing guard have completely exited the roadway.

Proceed with caution – obey posted speed limits and observe all no stopping and no parking signs – park in designated areas only.

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Kids Get An Aquatic Lesson From the Peterborough Children's Water Festival

Over 650 students from over 20 schools in grades 2 to 5 got educated about the element of life as they attended the Peterborough Children’s Water Festival (PCWF) at Riverview Park and Zoo on Wednesday morning.

Julius the turtle and Peterborough Green up’s Karen O’Krafka are presenting to over 300 children at the return of the Peterborough Children’s Water Festival. Photo by David Tuan bui.

The festival returned to an in-person event after going for the last three years in a digital format.

“We are excited to once again offer a live, in-person Water Festival this year after three years of virtual programming,” says Patricia Skopelianos, PCWF chair.

The two-day event saw students from 45 classes from the Kawartha Pine Ridge District and Peterborough, Victoria, Northumberland and Clarington Catholic School Boards learn about water at over 20 learning stations ranging from water consumption, leaks to conservation.

“Once again, we are pleased to offer several activity centres in the French language with the involvement of students from St. Peter Catholic Secondary School,” said Skopelianos. “We are also welcoming back Elder Dorothy Taylor for a midday Sacred Water teaching, Adventures in Understanding by The Paddling Puppeteer Glen Caradus, Stepping Stone by The Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre, and The Great Fish Migration by OFAH’s Bring Back the Salmon, who will all be returning to the Festival this year.”

During the event, a ceremony was held to commemorate and thank all who supported and sponsored the event.

“We are very fortunate to have tremendous community support for the Peterborough Children's Water Festival,” said Skopelianos. “For 22 years, local businesses and agencies have made generous financial contributions. We also have many volunteers who give their time and expertise and several more who provide in-kind contributions. Our community helps make this Festival a reality for the children.”

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