Peterborough Blogs
On Saturday, May 16th at 7 p.m., PTBOStrong invites you to tune into covAID, an entertainment filled evening to enjoy with the family at home with a mix of local musicians performing along with messages from community leaders and local celebrities.
covAid organizers encourage people to use the hashtags #CovaidPtbo and #PtboStrong on their social media platforms in the build-up to the event, and that night, and share what community and mental health means to you during this pandemic.
Trent U Student Breaks Guinness World Record for Indoor Cycling & Does It For Great Cause
/Peterborough’s Travis Samuel balances the rigorous training and travel demands of being a professional cyclist with his studies at Trent University.
Faced with racing plans dramatically changed for the upcoming season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 25-year-old Business and Economics student and his teammates dedicated themselves to a new effort—a 24-hour continuous indoor cycling event, with the goal of fundraising for community hospitals and a possible shot at a Guinness World Record.
Travis Samuel (photo courtesy Trent University)
“I was all for launching a 24-hour ride for raising money for our frontline health care workers with my team Toronto Hustle,” says Travis. “As I started to do more and more research on what it was going to take to break the record, I started realizing that I could do it if I had everything go perfectly.”
Through online cycling software, he was able to ride virtually with his teammates and cyclists from around the world. Throughout the record attempt, members of the cycling community rode alongside on their home trainers encouraging him along the way.
(Photo courtesy Trent University)
After an incredible 24 hours on the bike, a mentally and physically exhausted Travis climbed off his bike, completing an incredible 1,008 km and breaking the previous Guinness World Record. He maintained an average speed over 42 km/h for the entire event, and we’re exhausted just writing that.
The community-driven event was also an amazing success in exceeding its initial fundraising goal of $10,000. After the campaign was completed, more than $210,000 was raised in support of the Michael Garron Hospital Foundation in Toronto to provide the necessary equipment to support frontline healthcare workers directly involved in COVID-19 patient care.
“I'm pretty speechless in what has happened over the past two weeks with the #CrushCOVID campaign,” adds Travis. “I just hope that our fundraiser will help ease the stress a bit off our healthcare workers.”
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Help Frontline Healthcare Workers & Local Businesses When You Purchase Downtown Gift Cards
/The Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) has launched a great new initiative to support both downtown businesses and frontline workers during this crisis.
The DBIA is donating $25 to the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) Foundation in support of the hospital’s COVID-19 response effort for every $50 in gift cards purchased at supportdowntownptbo.ca.
Photo courtesy DBIA
Thanks to a generous community donation of up to $50,000, the PRHC Foundation is able to match community donations for a limited time, meaning your purchase of $50 in gift cards for your local downtown businesses can leverage $50 in support of the PRHC Foundation.
Donations to the PRHC Foundation’s COVID-19 response fund will help fund vital investments such as additional ventilators, laryngoscopes for emergency intubation, additional ICU beds, wellness supports for staff who must stay at the hospital while treating patients, and more protective equipment and scrubs to help keep them safe.
Photo by Mary Zita Payne
Local businesses continue to face many challenges and your support with the purchase of gift cards is helping them through a very difficult time.
“The support of our community has been phenomenal,” says Terry Guiel, Executive Director of the DBIA. “Your support with these gift cards has absolutely helped to save some of our local businesses. Let’s keep this up and support our hospital and the amazing work they’re doing to keep us safe.”
HOW IT WORKS
• Go to supportdowntownptbo.ca
• Find your favourite shops, restaurants, pubs, and services
• Select the gift cards you would like to purchase and add them to your cart
• Select the $25 PRHC Foundation Special Promotion and add one for every $50 in gift cards you purchase
• Check out
• Receive your gift cards (or instructions from the business via email on next steps to activate it) in the mail to use at a later date
The DBIA will continue to donate $25 to the PRHC Foundation for every $50 in gift cards purchased until $5,000 in gift cards have been purchased.
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2020 Taste Of Downtown Has Been Cancelled Due To Covid-19 Crisis
/With the uncertainty around Covid-19 and timelines around this physical distancing phase, the popular downtown event Taste of Downtown has been cancelled for 2020.
Taste of Downtown was scheduled for Saturday, June 6th on Charlotte Street. The event typically features more than 20 local restaurants, live entertainment, a beer garden, and family activities. The event will return to Charlotte Street on June 5th, 2021.
File photo courtesy DBIA
“The most important thing right now is that people look after themselves, stay safe, and stay home,” says Terry Guiel, Executive Director of the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area. “Rest assured, when we get through this crisis and it’s safe to hold events again, we’re going to host a big party downtown and everyone’s invited.”
In the meantime, if you still want a taste of what the downtown has to offer, check out their list of downtown eateries that are open for takeout and delivery here.
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Fleming College Creates Face Shield Parts For Frontline Workers At 3D Makerspace In Innovation Cluster
/Fleming College has been working out of its downtown 3D Makerspace, located in the Innovation Cluster’s downtown Peterborough incubator, to create headbands and reinforcement pieces for face shields.
These will be given to frontline healthcare workers in the Peterborough region.
HOW THE INITIATIVE STARTED
The initiative began on April 3rd, when Fleming College delivered headbands to the Peterborough PPE Initiative, a group of Peterborough makers who are creating personal protective equipment.
This group, which is led by Fleming College graduate Dylan Radcliffe, have been creating face shields using PETG sheets, plastic brackets, and elastic material, made possible by the Makerspace's 3D printers.
“We are very proud to work with our community partners at Innovation Cluster to support this initiative and produce pieces that create much-needed resources to keep our frontline workers safe,” says Fleming College President Maureen Adamson.
Fleming College’s School of Trades & Technology faculty Fereydoon Diba, with support from Operations Manager Mary MacLeod and Computer Science Technologist Phillip Chee, supported the group by creating more than 500 bottom reinforcement pieces for face shields in the Makerspace.
The donation was made on April 16th and the Peterborough PPE Initiative will assemble and sanitize the face shields, which will be used at PRHC.
“When Fleming College decided to open the 3D Makerspace in the incubator months ago, we knew the hands-on learning environment would be important but now we know it is essential," says John Gillis, President of the Innovation Cluster. "The incubator has always been home to important technological advancements and we are excited that even though startups are unable to physically complete their work in the space due to COVID-19, it is still being used to create and make a difference.”
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Trent Community Has Raised More than $70,000 In Emergency Support For Students Affected by COVID-19
/With an amazing funding boost of $70,000 in donations to the Student Rapid Relief Fund (SRRF), Trent University has distributed emergency support directly to students affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new fund, established specifically to assist Trent students experiencing financial hardships due to COVID-19, complements Trent’s reputation as a national leader for scholarships and bursaries, and builds on additional emergency funding provided by the University.
“The response so far has been tremendous,” says Sherry Booth, director of philanthropy at Trent. “We had so many reach out who wanted to help either financially or by offering words of encouragement. The ongoing #TrentUCares campaign reinforces just how much the Trent family is committed and responsive to the challenges facing the world today.”
A significant portion of funding for the SRRF came from Trent’s five colleges, which collectively contributed $21,300 to the fund. The Trent University Alumni Association also came forward with a generous $10,000 lead contribution to help launch the SRRF earlier this month.
“The funding injection was crucial when students needed it most,” adds Christopher Rooney, associate registrar of operations and client services. “The COVID-19 crisis has hit in waves. Students needed immediate emergency funding to travel home, set-up online learning, and pay for basic necessities like rent and groceries.”
With financial need expected to increase over the coming months, Trent University is continuing to fundraise for student relief support, which will aim to ensure that changes to a student’s financial situation do not become a barrier to accessing a Trent education.
Consider donating or sharing a word of encouragement here.
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A View From The Road: Peterborough Paramedic Kelly Convery On Her Experience Being On Front Lines During This Pandemic
/In the fourth installment of a PTBOCanada series on the experiences of frontline healthcare workers in Peterborough produced by Mary Zita Payne, Peterborough County/City paramedic Kelly Convery gives us a firsthand look on what it’s like being on the frontlines during the pandemic. Here is her experience in her own words…
March 8, 2020. I was at home, a typical Sunday family day.
March 9, 2020. My first day returning to work from maternity leave, starting my retraining process.
March 11, 2020. A pandemic was declared.
My name is Kelly Convery and I have been a paramedic with Peterborough County/City Paramedics since 2009. This is a job I had wanted to pursue since elementary school. This is the job that I believe I was meant to do. This is the job I am proud to do, but this isn’t the same job it once was.
Starting a shift, you never know what your day/night will bring. We don’t know if it will be quiet with stable patients or extremely busy with critically ill patients. We don’t know where our calls will be—they could be from a house in the west end of town or to a remote cottage in Apsley. We have a lot of uncertainty and unpredictability in our job. Uncertainty is something I would say we are familiar and even comfortable with.
Kelly with her baby, Ava, and husband, Ian (photographed by Mary Zita Payne)
Fast forward to April 6, 2020. My first shift back on the road after re-training. I have never felt this level of uncertainty. Our medical directives and policies/procedures are being rewritten faster than we can read. The cognitive overload is real. Our management is working tirelessly to keep us up to date, educated, informed, and safe.
I feel as though my first step back into work is a dive into rapid waters. We are all trying to stay afloat. We are clinging onto what information we know and swimming the rapids. We are striving for perfection. We make sure every square inch of our ambulance is disinfected, multiple times per shift. We make sure we have our gowns, gloves, surgical masks, N95 masks, goggles, face shields, and tyvek suits ready for each call, in case our patient screens positive for COVID 19.
Kelly and Ava (photographed by Mary Zita Payne)
We make sure we apply this PPE appropriately. We make sure we take it off appropriately. In between, we make sure we are providing the best possible care to our patients. We typically meet our patients and have 15 +/- minutes to understand their full medical history, why they called 911, and what the most appropriate treatment is for them.
That 15 minutes is reduced to 1 minute when we are met with a critically ill patient. In the back of our minds, we are processing our PPE choices, our negative or positive COVID screening choice, our patient’s presentation, their medical history, the interventions needed, and their transportation to the hospital. It’s a lot.
I find myself cycling between fear and faith in these moments. I can’t seem to stay in one spot. I fear for the health and safety of my daughter and husband. I fear I will inevitably bring this illness home, regardless of the strict precautions that I take. I know I am not alone in this. I hear these fears echoed at work each day, yet we show up. We put on our uniform and tie our boots.
Photographed by Mary Zita Payne
We are here for you, so please, keep staying home for us. It has never been so easy to save a life, just stay home. This is change and change is hard, but without change, we don’t grow. I believe we will come out of this stronger, more adaptable and better paramedics. We will remember all of those who put their fear in their back pocket and chose faith.
The doctors, nurses, hospital cleaning and maintenance staff, pharmacists, lab techs, diagnostic imagining techs, administrative staff, PSWs, firefighters, police, grocery store clerks, journalists and health communications, truck drivers, gas station attendants, postal workers… the list goes on and on.
We won’t forget the support of our peers, allied health agencies, and our community. This pandemic affects everyone. Its waves turn to ripples and they reach everyone.
It reaches the woman with the Stage 1 breast cancer diagnosis, who is now unable to receive the surgery she needs.
It reaches the elderly man with dementia in a retirement home, who relies on daily family visits to feel grounded.
It reaches the first-time mom with pregnancy complications, who now has to stay in a specialized Toronto hospital without her spouse.
It reaches the new widow, who watched her husband be taken away by
ambulance and receives a phone call that he didn’t make it and she grieves alone in isolation.
Please hear me. Just because you can’t always see the waves and ripples of COVID 19, don’t believe it’s not happening. Stay home. Save lives. Don’t be the tsunami.
—Kelly Convery, Paramedic
(Mary Zita Payne, who is producing this series—you can read the first installment here, the second one here and the third here—has been documenting frontline healthcare workers on the frontlines on her personal blog.)
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Peterborough Woman Launches Postalist, A Subscription Service That Delivers Unique Postcards Directly Your Mailbox
/Peterborough’s Nicole Gagliardi has launched a new business called Postalist, a subscription service that delivers a unique postcard directly to members’ mailboxes every month.
The first collection from Postalist is the “Power-Mama Post”, with cards that feature a cheeky affirmation and an inspiring quote, designed specifically to help moms reduce stress and anxiety, sneak in some self-care and celebrate themselves.
Nicole Gagliardi
The Power-Mama Post was inspired by Gagliardi’s own struggles with mental health and motherhood. Noticing how many moms were struggling with increased anxiety and stress during the pandemic, she felt compelled to do something to help.
“In these days of physical distancing, there’s not much more that we moms can offer one another aside from a reminder that you’re not alone, you’re doing your best, and your best is good enough,” says Gagliardi. “The Power-Mama Post cards are designed to sound like your best friend giving you a pep-talk, exactly when you need it most. Moms will get them in the mail and post them up on their bathroom mirror for a little boost every day.”
Image via Postalist.com
A monthly subscription to the Power-Mama Post is $6. They are available online at postalist.com, and ship worldwide. “We’ve just launched, and are already taking orders from people in Canada and the US, with a lot of people looking for a pandemic-proof gift for Mother’s Day,” adds Gagliardi.
There is also a free digital subscription option for those who aren’t interested in receiving snail mail. Subscribers will receive an emailed postcard on the last day of each month, making the Power-Mama Post accessible to every mother who needs a bit of a boost. For more information, go to postalist.com or contact Nicole at hello@postalist.com.
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Melissa Payne Dropped By Extendicare In Lakefield To Play A Song On Her Fiddle For Her Nanny & The Long Term Care Heroes
/Musician Melissa Payne dropped by Lakefield Extendicare on Wednesday (April 15th) after being inviting there to play as part of their community Honk For Our Heroes drive-by parade.
Playing there was extra-special for Melissa as her nanny resides there.
“Truth is I am guilty of not visiting as much as I say I will,” Melissa writes in a heartfelt Instagram post. “Nanny has had dementia for the past six years and the chances of her remembering this experience are very slim to none. But in this moment she was happy and excited and full of joy to see someone playing music for her. If there is one thing this pandemic has taught us it’s to cherish our moments. I know I’m not alone in saying I can’t wait to hug, hold and love a little harder my Nanny and all those I hold dear.”
You can watch Melissa’s “performance” below as she practised physical distancing outside the window while her Nanny watched with great pride from inside…
“Thank you to all the long term care heroes who are working so hard to keep our loved ones safe,” adds Melissa in her social media post.
You can also watch the video on our Facebook page…
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Urgent Animal Care Fund Launched By Ontario SPCA & Peterborough Humane Society To Support Pets During COVID-19 Crisis
/The Ontario SPCA and Humane Society has set up an Urgent Animal Care Fund with the Peterborough Humane Society (PHS) and other SPCAs and humane societies in Ontario to help animal organizations in the province continue to care for animals and support pet owners during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following direction from the Government of Ontario and advice of health professionals, the Peterborough Humane Society and its partners in animal welfare closed their buildings to the public to help slow and stop the spread of COVID-19. Furthermore, many planned fundraising events, such as the Peterborough Humane Society’s annual FurBall Gala, have had to be cancelled.
Photography courtesy Peterborough Humane Society
With adoptions put on hold, many SPCAs and humane societies are facing growing costs as they continue to care for the animals who will now have to wait longer to be adopted. While adoptions are on pause, animals in shelters still need nutritious food, veterinary care, enrichment and daily attention to keep them healthy and happy.
“As Peterborough and the Kawartha’s only open admission shelter, the team at PHS continues to take in and provide care for stray, abandoned and emergency care animals,” says Shawn Morey, PHS Executive Director.
Photography courtesy Peterborough Humane Society
“We have a small animal care team on site daily to provide our animals with the love and enrichment they need and have amplified our enrichment programs to ensure that our animals remain healthy and happy during their extended stay with us,” Morey adds. “With so many owned pets entering the shelter on a day-to-day basis, it is not feasible to place all animals into temporary foster homes.”
“We know that the long-term costs of care for animals in shelters are adding up, and not just for us, but for other SPCAs and humane societies across the province, which is why the Urgent Animal Care Fund was established,” says Morey.
Photography courtesy Peterborough Humane Society
