The Gills Are Growing, Local High School Sweethearts Have Found A Surrogate

Josh and Brianna Gill, local high school sweethearts, have found a surrogate and hope to be able to grow their family soon.

Photo courtesy of ‘Growing The Gills’.

When Brianna was 16 she was diagnosed with Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome (MRKH), a condition that affects one in 5000 women. With this diagnosis Brianna learned that she was born without a uterus, though she does have ovaries.

At the time the two had been dating for two years and Brianna thought she should tell Josh right away.

“I always felt like I was going to be with Josh forever and I think that’s why I wanted to tell him right away. I thought he had a right to know that if he wanted kids that would be a challenge for us,” she said in a former interview with PTBOCanada. “I thought if he decided that was too much for him to deal with we could just end things right there, but he was so supportive and he has been by my side ever since.”

The Gills were married in 2018 and began their surrogacy journey in January of 2021. They started their Instagram account ‘Growing The Gills’.

A family friend offered to to be their surrogate, but after two embryo transfers that were unsuccessful it was back to the drawing board for the hopeful parents.

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A post shared by Brianna + Josh Gill = intended parents (@growingthegills)

On April 6, the two posted a video to Instagram re-introducing themselves and searching for someone willing to help them complete their family.

That video gained traction on social media and now three months later a candidate for surrogacy has been found.

Jenn, who will be the Gill’s surrogate, came across an article about the couple on Facebook and reached out.

Together, the Gills and Jenn are hoping to complete a transfer this fall, which would mean a baby Gill would arrive sometime in the spring or summer of 2023.

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Peterborough's Pathway to Fame Inducts Eight New Names For 2022

The class of 2022 Pathway to Fame has been released as eight new names to be recognized as arts and/or humanitarians of the Peterborough area announced on Wednesday.

Last year’s induction ceremony was limited to 50 people due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo courtesy of the Pathway to Fame, Peterborough & District.

The inductees will be honoured on Sept. 10 at Showplace Performance Center. Their stones with names and categories will be marked at Del Crary Park on the same date.

The following is a list of the inductees:

David Carley (Dramatic Arts)

With more than 450 Canadian and American stage, radio and television productions having resulted from his storytelling talent, including several locally-staged plays, David Carley has won and been nominated for, a number of honours, including a Governor General’s Award finalist distinction.

Kate Suhr (Entertainment)

Blessed with abundant musical and theatrical talent, PCVS graduate Kate Suhr has sung and acted her way into the hearts of audiences both near and distant while always taking the time to unselfishly perform in support of organizations and causes right here in her native Peterborough.

Ryan and Sam Weber (Entertainment)

Ryan and Sam Weber came to Peterborough from Maryland in 2000 to learn all they could about making and performing music from the legendary Ronnie Hawkins, learning very well to the tune of numerous studio albums, memorable performances locally as well as across North America and Europe and charitable support of several local causes.

Donald Glen Forde (Cultural/Community Betterment)

As a former executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Peterborough, Donald Glen Forde set the organization on the path to success, all while contributing to his community as a minor hockey executive and as a multi-instrumentalist who performed with the likes of Del Crary and Bobby Kinsman during big band music’s heyday.

Jacob Rodenburg (Cultural/Community Betterment)

For more than 30 years, Jacob Rodenburg has made environmental stewardship, sustainability and education his business, not only as executive director of Camp Kawartha and as a Trent University environmental education teacher but also as a developer of forward-thinking ‘green’ related programs and initiatives.

Lois Tuffin (Cultural/Community Betterment)

From the time she arrived in Peterborough, former newspaper editor Lois Tuffin has tirelessly employed her considerable communication and organizational skills to the benefit of a number of causes and events including the Great Turkey Exchange that she started and has since fed more than 17,000 people during the holiday season.

John F. (Jack) Bardeau (Community Builder)

A combination of musicianship, service work and sports involvement saw John F. (Jack) Bardeau rarely sit still during his 44 years in Peterborough, the RCAF veteran’s work supporting the hearing impaired as a member of the Telephone Pioneers earning him Bell Canada’s Community Chest Award for Outstanding Citizenship.

David Adams (Community Builder)

For 26 years, David Adams was the face of the Five Counties Children’s Centre as its foundation’s executive director, endlessly promoting and heralding the groundbreaking treatment provided children with physical, communication and developmental needs while volunteering his time for a wide variety of community organizations and events.

2022 is the 25th anniversary of The Pathway of Fame, Peterborough and District.

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New Canadians Centre Launches Inaugural Week-Long Canadian Multiculturalism Festival

In honour of Canadian Multiculturalism Day on June 27, the New Canadians Centre (NCC) is organizing a week-long inaugural Canadian Multiculturalism Festival in Peterborough beginning Monday to June 27 announced Wednesday morning.

(from left to right) Andy Cragg, NCC executive director; Zebiba Sultan; Brisham Ramoutar, NCC communications and community engagement specialist and Hilary Flood, DBIA communications and marketing manager. Flood samples Ethiopian cuisine made by Sultan. The vegetarian dish contains red lentils, split peas, beets and a salad atop a large piece of injera (Ethiopian sour flatbread).

The festival aims to display multiculturalism within Peterborough through performance, storytelling, film and food.

“Celebrating multiculturalism in Peterborough creates community and helps people to feel like they belong,” says Andy Cragg, Executive Director. “We are proud to showcase the richness of experience in our community. It’s an underappreciated and unrecognized day in Canada.”

A food crawl with six downtown restaurants can earn you tickets towards Boro gift cards. Every $10 you spent from June 20 - July 1, gets anyone a stamp towards a Multicultural Food Passport. Collecting six earns a draw for the gift cards and participants do not have to visit all six restaurants to earn an entry.

Stamps and passports are available at the NCC or the following restaurants:

• Curry Mantra

• Levantine Grill

• Hanoi House

• Real Thai Cuisine

• Dirty Burger

• Milk + Tea

“Downtown Peterborough is a culinary hotspot for multicultural cuisine in the region,” said Hillary Flood, Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area communications and marketing manager. “We are so excited to be partnering with the New Canadians Centre for the Canadian Multiculturalism Festival to acknowledge and celebrate the significant contributions of our international cuisine and newcomer-owned restaurants and how they have shaped our culinary fabric downtown."

The following is a list of events occurring throughout the week:

Flavours of the World Sampling Day

All six restaurant will offer free samples of their food on June 25 between noon and 7 p.m.

Try It Series

The community can get their feet wet and participate in music, dance, cooking and sports from across the world:

• Indian Spices - Tuesday at 1 p.m. at the NCC

• Peruvian Flower Making - Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at the NCC

• Taekwondo - Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at King Edward Park

• Ethiopian Cooking - June 23, 6 p.m. via Zoom with Zebiba Sultan (ingredient kits can be obtained at the NCC from Monday to next Wednesday)

• Zumba - June 24, 6 p.m. at the Silver Bean Patio (Millennium Park) by Dianely Hernandez

Anyone can register online at the NCC website to participate.

Cultural Fusions Video Series

Films are showcased to Dancers and musicians’ craft and culture with two films, “The Story Won’t Die + The Magic of Beginnings” and The Magic of Beginnings.

The former is about a Syrian rapper, tortured by Bashar Al-Assad for his lyrics, who uses his music to survive one of our century's deadliest wars.

The story of revolution and exile in a new documentary reflects a global battle for peace, justice and freedom of expression.

The Magic of Beginnings is about a local English-as-a-second-language teacher that learns Arabic to make the newcomers in her class feel at home.

Anyone can register online from the NCC’s website for a link to view the films online for free between Monday and June 27.

Building A Home Book Reading & Activities

On June 26 at 2 p.m., author & illustrator Casandra Lee will read her children’s book “Building A Home” followed by some creative art-based activities for children and families.

The book is about six children from Syria, Kazakhstan, Mexico, and Pakistan who are now living, playing, and going to school in Nogojiwanong-Peterborough. The book was commissioned and published by the New Canadians Centre.

Multiculturalism Panel

The final da features a Canadian Multiculturalism Festival event at a panel discussion with Trent Professors Mohmin Rahman and Feyzi Baban and Cragg.

Discussions include immigration in Canada, local responses to immigration and perspectives on multiculturalism in Canada and Europe.

Each year, the NCC supports over 1000 clients hailing from over 100 countries and speaking more than 70 different languages. In 2021, the NCC saw a record-breaking number of immigrants come to their facility according to Cragg.

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Downtown Is Blooming Thanks To Volunteers And Peterborough's New Green Team

Peterborough’s new Green Team has kicked off another season of beautifying the downtown with planters full of colourful flowers.

Hillary Flood (DBIA) with Dawn Pond (DBIA) admiring flowers to be used in downtown planters. Photo by Angela O’Grady.

This year, the downtown is slated to be brimming with plants with over 100 planters and green spaces for the Green Team gardening crew to tend to.

“Having green space, having plants and flowers - that impacts how people perceive our town,” said Dawn Pond, DBIA Placemaking Project Manager. “These edible planters will help businesses, they’re also great for the environment as they offer food and shelter for pollinators.”

@ptbo_canada Downtown PTBO is about to be bloomin! #Flowers #Annuals #Planters #Volunteers #Downtown #SummerTime #PTBOCanada ♬ Chiquita x Tounge Tied - Bloomin’ Acres Farm

Restaurants and businesses that have planters in front were given the opportunity to chose between an ‘edible’ planter with herbs and greens, a flower planter, or a mix of both. Many restaurants chose the edible option and will be using these greens in their dishes.

On Tuesday, volunteers and members of the Green Team met at Peterborough Square to put together planters and learn about gardening.

The Green Team is run through One City Peterborough and offers employment to those who otherwise may have a difficult time applying to or having a job.

According to Jenny Kennedy-Bloom, Employment Facilitator at One City, employees of the Green Team are trained in horticulture, offered support and given the opportunity to gain valuable, employable skills.

“This is a supportive employment program,” she said. “We know that there is a gap between people wanting to work and the jobs that are available sometimes being to big of a jump for people.”

Planters and gardens in the downtown area will be maintained throughout the season by the green Team.

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Lions Club Shoe Drive Collects Over 1,400 Pairs of Footwear For Third-World Countries

The second annual Peterborough Lions Club Shoe Drive saw continued success as 1,402 pairs of shoes were collected to be given to third-world countries announced on Tuesday.

MPP Dave Smith (right) donated three pairs of shoes to contribute to the final total. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Gently-used or brand-new footwear of all kinds was accepted at the drive from the month-long campaign from May 14 to Tuesday. Community members could drop off their donations at the club at 347 Burnham St. or at designated locations around the area.

The shoes will go to Soles4Souls which are given to women in third-world countries to help them get out of poverty according to Judy Jenkins, Lions service chair.

“They clean them, they sell them in the market where they give them to kids who don't have shoes because in the third-world countries, the kids have to have shoes in order to go to school,” she said.

MPP Dave Smith remained involved with the drive, donating three pairs of shoes as the last official tallied donation. The inaugural drive last year yielded 2,549 pairs but Smith says this year’s number is misleading and is still an impressive feat given the circumstances.

“When they started the drive, it was just before the beginning of May and we had that storm that just came through,” said Smith. “They lost about 10 or 12 days of activity going out into the community to try and raise awareness.”

The club’s goal was 1,000 pairs and almost did not meet it until a surge of donations came through out of nowhere.

“The Peterborough community, they're outstanding when it comes to generosity," said Jenkins. "All of a sudden in the last week, we went from 540 a week out and now we're over 1,400."

The community can still contribute to the cause by donating to Bioped Footcare at 655 The Queensway, Unit 6.

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Rotary Club of Peterborough Holds Gala To Celebrate Centennial Anniversary

The champagne bottles were popping for the Rotary Club of Peterborough as they celebrated their 100th anniversary with a gala at the Fleming College Ballroom on Saturday night.

Rotary Club of Peterborough president Wayne Harding (pictured) pops out of a wood cake to mark the club’s 100th anniversary at Fleming College. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The group is known for connecting leaders, exchanging ideas, sharing interests and taking action on several social challenges with donations turned into grants that fund community improvements according to their website’s mandate.

"Rotary has its own inertia. It's not about one person or the leader, we do service and we always have projects,” said Atul Swarup, former Rotary president. "Members bring projects to the table so that keeps our club fresh and new and keeps our members invigorated."

The club honoured members and presidents (both past and present) during the ceremony with a presentation and speeches while reflecting on the 100 years of service to the local community.

Mayor Diane Therrien commemorated the occasion with the City officially recognizing the club’s accomplishments and milestones.

The Rotary Club was first founded on Apr. 1, 1921. They wanted to host the gala last year but had to pivot and reschedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When we started planning it, we had all these wonderful events planned and basically we had to cancel pretty much everything,” said Wayne Harding, club president. “Getting to the gala after having to reschedule it three times, having to change the venue, it's just been great to see everyone tonight and thoroughly enjoy the community.”

The gala featured dinner (made by Fleming culinary students), live music from The Dreamboats, a DJ and dancing.

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Equestrian Community Rallies Around Kildare Stables After Fire Destroys Keene Barn

A building that housed Kildare Stables South in Keene went up in flames last Saturday. Now in the aftermath, the equestrian community is rallying around Kildare members to provide much needed supplies and funding for horses.

Photos courtesy of Thomas Zischler.

Morgan Dedato, who works part time at Kildare Stables and boards her horse there, says if not for the few that were at the stable on Saturday this disaster could have been a lot worse.

Kristen Buchanon Goff had just finished riding in the indoor arena with her son as the fire started. She took her son to safety then ran back in to help.

When Ashley Rylski noticed the fire she immediately started throwing burning hay bales outside, in hopes to stop the fire from spreading to other bales - then used a fire extinguisher and hose. When she realized she would not be able to contain the fire she ran to move horses away from the barn. Rylski was bruised and suffered from smoke inhalation, says Dedato, but is ok.

Megan, who owns a horse at Kildare was also there helping to move horses and was treated for smoke inhalation, but is ok says Dedato.

The three women helped to get approximately 16 horses away from the building, when firefighters from Otonabee South Monaghan arrived to fight the fire.

“Step one was getting the horses as far away from the fire as they could,” said Dedato. “The fire began to spread to the surrounding fields and no one really knew where it was going.”

She says that other stables from the area began showing up with empty trailers, ready to transport horses off the property.

“The community - no questions asked started showing up to the farm and loading our horses onto their trailers.”

According to a social media post by Kildare Stables, trailers from Stillbrook Riding Stables, Endless Journeys Farm and individuals arrived and brought horses to Saddlewood Equestrian Centre where they will stay until further notice.

Once the horses were safe, Dedato says people began coming to Saddlewood with hay and food.

“The rest can all come, the horses just needed to get somewhere safe and have food and water.”

While no people or horses were seriously harmed, Dedato says they lost everything in the fire.

Saddles, reigns, feed, medications, blankets, and so much more was gone in one afternoon.

“It’s taken a few days to get our thoughts organized,” she said. “People have already started donating those things that you don’t even think about. A lot of our horses left Kildare covered in ash and smoke but we didn’t even have any shampoo. It’s those little things that people immediately thought to bring us, it’s been incredible.”

While it will be hard to regain the physical items lost, Dedato says most importantly the Kildare family lost their home on Saturday.

“This isn’t just some structure, this is our home. When I’m not at work I’m at the barn. I spend more time at that barn than I do at home,” she said. “I think for all of us, we lost our safe space - where we all get along and you can show up at anytime and know that people you love are there and the animals you love are there. That’s been the hardest part - losing our second home.”

Riders and trainers at Kildare Stables were just gearing up for the beginning of busy season for horse shows.

“When it first happened we all thought ‘we’re done, our home is gone’, but Kevin and Lindsay (head trainer and barn owner/manager) are so strong. They said ‘we worked all year for this. There’s no point in losing our whole home and then everything we’ve worked towards.’ With pure resilience everyone pushed through and we’re going to keep riding.”

The team will continue training at Saddlewood Equestrian Centre.

Various drop off locations have been set up in the area for those wishing to drop off donations.

The items that are most needed at this time are bell boots, blankets for the horses, fly masks, and poultice, and can be dropped at Greenhawk Peterborough, or at Kildare Stables North (1590 5th Smith Line, Selwyn) at any time.

Those wishing to send a monetary donation can etransfer ridekildarestables@gmail.com. Cash donations will also be accepted at Greenhawk Peterborough.

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Anti-Islamophobic Vigil Commemorated Anniversary of Family's Death In London

It was an incident that shook Muslims and the rest of the province as Stephanie Benn with New Canadians Centre (NCC) held a vigil outside city hall commemorating the lives lost from an attack last year in London, Ont. on Monday afternoon.

Hassan Mohamad, Kawartha Muslim Religious Association president, reflects on the Afzaal family killed on a Sunday walk in London, Ont. one year ago in an act of Islamophobia during a vigil. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Roughly 30 people with signs and flowers gathered to honour the sudden deaths of the Afzaal family (Yunmah Afzaal, Madiha Salman, Talat Afzall and Salman Afzaal).

Their lives were lost by a car that deliberately jumped a curb and struck them. Yunmah’s nine-year-old brother at the time was the only survivor of the incident.

The attack was considered ‘hate-motivated’ according to the London police.

"I was pretty shocked but I wasn't surprised because of the incidents that happened priors to those,” said Hassan Mohamad, Kawartha Muslim Religious Association president. “The Quebec incident and the Mosque here in Peterborough that the community helped us support and bring it back to life."

Members of the NCC detailed the lives of each member that was lost during the ceremony and preached how Islamophobia needed to be curbed.

“I think it's important to recognize the issue and the hate that Muslims have encountered, not only in Peterborough but across the province and across Canada," said Mohamad. "I think education is important and they need to understand what Islam is and how Islam is peace and the clothes you wear are a manifestation of that peace.”

Mohamad says the incident should create more awareness and education for everyone to help bring down any stigma of being Islamic.

“It's not just the clothes that make a Muslim,” he said. “It's the faith, it's the teachings and the practices so I think it's important that people understand those ideas.”

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