Rotary Club of Peterborough Increases Water Accessibility With Aquatics Wheelchair Donation to YMCA

The YMCA of Central East Ontario Balsillie Family Branch’s pools are now more accessible thanks to the Rotary Club of Peterborough-Kawartha with a donation of an aquatic wheelchair.

Rotary’s Len Lifchus (Rotary Club Secretary), MaryAnne Wooldridge (Balsillie Family Branch General Manager) and Bill Gordanier (Rotary Chair of Community Service Projects). Photo courtesy of the YMCA.

The specialized aquatic wheelchair allows members and guests with mobility issues a more accessible entrance into the swimming pools.

“We are thrilled to have a new small chair to access the pool. Our members who are users of a chair can have some comfort in ways of entering the pool,” says Shannon Hunter, Regional Supervisor of Aquatics and Camp. “This chair is great for adults and children. The old chair was not fit for use anymore and we are so thankful that people can still entre our lap pool and therapy pool.”

Members can access the aquatics wheelchair by asking the guard on duty to get it for them. If there is no guard available, staff will direct the member to get it themselves.

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Rotary Fore the Kids Golf Tournament Tees Up Vital Support for Five Counties Children's Centre

There were 87 golfers teeing off for the Rotary Club of Peterborough ‘Rotary Fore the Kids Golf Tournament’ to support Five Counties Children's Centre (FCCC) at Bellmere Winds Golf Resort in Keene last Thursday.

(Left to right) Linsey Kampf, Five Counties; Laurie Heigh, Rotary Club of Peterborough; Craig McFarlane, Linwood Homes and Lyn Giles, Five Counties. Photo courtesy of FCCC.

The tournament was renamed ‘Fore the Kids’ a couple of years ago and has ran for over 25 years. Last year, FCCC assisted over 6,200 children according to a press release. The tournament’s proceeds went towards FCCC and aiding children.

“We are thrilled to see the community come together once again to support Five Counties Children's Centre,” said Wayne Harding, Golf Committee Chair. “The success of this tournament would not have been possible without the dedication of our golfers, our sponsors, and the incredible team behind the scenes. Together, we are making a real difference in the lives of children and families in our region.”

Notable winners included Carolyn Kitchen, Gail Huges, Carm Warman and Debra Moore, with the ‘Team Low Score’ award in the Women's category. Dave Hannah, Jason Pulchinski, Andy Edwards and Eric Lodgins won for the men’s category. In the Team Low Score, Mixed competition; Wendy Hill, Jim Coyle, Sandy Fulton, and Dave Fulton captured the honour.

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Rotary Club of Peterborough Donates $25,000 to Camp Kawartha For New Health Centre

The Rotary Club of Peterborough took another step toward their $100,000 multi-year pledge to Camp Kawartha with a $25,000 cheque presentation towards creating an environmentally sustainable health centre for staff to look after the health needs of campers and other guests.

(From left to right) Rotarian Jim Coyle, Camp Kawartha Philanthropy Coordinator Susan Ramey, and Rotarian Ken Seim. Photo courtesy of Rotary Club of Peterborough.

The $25,000 payment brings the total contribution up to $75,000 toward their $100,000 pledge.

“Our Rotary Club, has and always will, support Camp Kawartha and its Outdoor Education Centre,” said Jim Coyle, past Rotarian president. “Rotary has always been involved with programming to Develop the Youth of Today to be the Leaders of Tomorrow and that is what Camp Kawartha programming is all about. This new Rotary Health Centre is not only a necessary component of the Camp infrastructure but it is a shining example of construction methodology that is mindful of the environment that it is situated on.”

The Rotary Health Centre is a carbon-neutral straw bale building that replaced a smaller cabin that was built in 1955.

“The Rotary Health Centre is an inspiring example of sustainable design in action. It shows campers, students and even health professionals, what a Healthy Health Centre can look like. We are enormously grateful to the Rotary Club of Peterborough for making this project possible,” said Jacob Rodenburg, Camp Kawartha executive director.

“I am pleased to be presenting this cheque in the amount of $25,000 as another step towards meeting our multiyear pledge of $100,000 to Camp Kawartha for the creation of a unique environmentally sustainable health centre,” said Betty Halman-Plumley, Rotary president.

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Rotary Club of Peterborough Makes $50,000 Donation to YES Shelter To Expand Housing

To expand housing, The Rotary Club of Peterborough has donated $50,000 to the YES Shelter for Youth and Families in a cheque presentation made on Monday afternoon.

This funding is a part of Rotary’s Centennial Celebrations, helping the community in their 100th year of local service. Photo courtesy of the Rotary Club of Peterborough.

This funding allows YES to open three new permanent spaces in their RISE Youth Housing Program. It facilitates the renovation and maintenance of an existing RISE Youth Housing location according to a press release.

“I am pleased to be presenting this cheque for the YES RISE Youth Housing Program to fund a place and program where youth are supported with skills to transition from homelessness and living in a shelter towards living on their own often finishing high school, a college program or into employment,” said Betty Halman-Plumley, Rotary president.

The $50,000 is part of the Rotary’s $100,000 commitment that was made last year.

“The Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha is very pleased to partner with the Peterborough Rotary Club in providing funding for YES’ Rise Youth Housing Program,” said Paul Landau, Peterborough Kawartha Club president. “This program ensures that youth in the community have a safe place to live and also learn strategies to support their recovery.”

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Rotary Club of Peterborough Brings Back Fore the Kids Golf Tournament For Sept. 14

The Fore the Kids Golf Tournament is making its return on Sept. 14, at Bellmere Winds Golf Course in Keene, announced by The Rotary Club of Peterborough.

Tournament proceeds are going towards the Five Counties Children’s Centre.

“We're excited to work with Linwood Homes again this year on the Fore the Kids Golf Tournament to make a lasting impact on the lives of children and youth in need within our communities,” said Wayne Harding, tournament Chair and former Rotary president. “Five Counties Children's Centre holds a special place in our hearts and this golf tournament serves as a beacon of hope, uniting individuals and businesses in a spirit of giving and camaraderie.”

All golfers are invited to register for $150 per person with a shotgun start of 1 p.m. The fee includes a round of golf, a cart, lunch and the chance to win hole prizes. Prizes include exclusive golf lessons, lake toys and a chance at driving home in a brand-new car from Jack McGee Chevrolet-Cadillac!

The tournament also features a raffle to win items such as a Plauski Square Stern canoe and paddles. Tickets are $10 apiece or three for $20.

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9th Annual Rotary Club of Peterborough Celebrates Spelling Bee Winners

The Rotary Club of Peterborough announces that the 9th Annual School Spelling Bee on May 13 was an overwhelming success; granting the first, second and third place winners with prizes from Camp Kawartha, Trent Excalibur Camp, The Art School of Peterborough and iPads from Your TV.

Junior Division Top Three (from left to right) Kaiden Surpllis, Arthur Zadro, Olivia Jones. photo courtesy of the rotary club of peterborough.

On Saturday, May 13, some of the top spellers in the city from Grades 4 to 8 competed in the Regional Spelling Bee Final. The group of over 60 students divided by grade (Grades 4-6 in the junior challenge, Grades 7-8 in the senior challenge) was whittled down from over 4,200 students from all over the county who competed in mini spelling bees at their schools.

Third place finalists in each division, Kaiden Surphlis of James Strath Public School in the junior division and Crepe Cochrane of Adam Scott Intermediate School in the senior division, won an iPad courtesy of YourTV and $50 to use toward youth programs at the Art School of Peterborough.

Second Place Finalists in each division, Arthur Zadro of Our Lady of the Wayside Academy in the junior division and Sonny Gillis of St. Catherine Elementary School in the senior won a Trent Excalibur Ultimate Camp session and $100 toward a youth program at The Art School of Peterborough.

First Place Finalists in each division, Olivia Jones of St. Catherine Elementary in the junior division and Noah Hofman of Kenner Intermediate School in the senior division won a Camp Kawartha Overnight camp Session, a family photo shoot from Miranda Studios and $225 to use toward youth programs at the Art School of Peterborough.

Senior Division Top Three (from left to right) Crepe Cochrane, Sonny Gillis, BUZZ the Spelling Bee mascot, Noah Hofman. photo courtesy of the rotary club of peterborough.

The finalists’ schools’ also received $250, $500 and $1,000 respectively to use toward literacy programs and materials.

The Rotary Club of Peterborough says they are grateful to all teachers, principals, parents and guardians for organizing the mini-spelling bees at their schools and within their home schooling community, and thank them for supporting young people in the community and The Rotary Club of Peterborough’s Literacy Committee’s goal of promoting literacy and a love of reading and writing.

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Fundraisers Dive Into the Action at 37th Annual Carl Oake Rotary Swim

Big splashes were made that the 37th annual Carl Oake Rotary Swim as 19 teams hit the pool lanes to raise a goal of $50,000 for rotary projects at the YMCA Central East on Friday morning.

Renee Oake (left) with her son Oscar Weinstein (right) after swimming 150 laps in the lane pool. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

This event has fundraised over $1.32 million for Easter Seals and Rotary Projects in the area.

The funds raised will go towards rotary projects such as Easter Seals, Camp Merrywood, equipment for Easter Seals families for home renovation, Camp Kawartha, Breakfast for Kids program, The Rotary Trail and supporting a residential treatment facility. 

Carl Oake started this event 37 years ago. He says he was inspired by the work the Easter Seals did because of his relatives. His mother’s twin sister contracted polio in the 1950s while a cousin of his was born with spina bifida - both physically debilitating diseases.

Vanessa Oake Hogan, event organizer took over running the event her father started and was satisfied that the event has had so much community support over the years.

“I'm very proud that he started it and very proud to have the opportunity to carry it on,” she said. “It's a lot of work but with Rotary's help, we seemed to be able to keep it going so there's a lot of pride.”

The Carl Oake Rotary Swim fundraising page still remains open for donations. A final tally is being made at a later date.

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Photos: Rotary Club Rides Armour Hill In Half a Canoe to Promote 37th Annual Carl Oake Rotary Swim

The Rotary Club of Peterborough are continuing their daredevil antics as former president Wayne Harding went down Armour Hill in half a canoe to promote the 37th annual Carl Oake Rotary Swim on Saturday.

Last year, the swim raised more than their goal of $50,000. Over $1.3 million has been raised to date. All photos by David Tuan Bui.

Harding has helped promote the event with past stunts such as being pushed in a shopping cart off a dock into Clear Lake and paddling the Lift Lock while firefighters sprayed him with fire hoses. Last year, Harding went down Armour Hill in a kiddie pool filled with water. Harding immediately agreed with half a canoe for this year’s stunt.

“One of our rotary club members Graham Wilkins owns Paluski canoes,” he explained. “He basically said 'I have half a canoe that I think that would be a great thing for you to go down the hill' and I did it with no thought.”

The annual Swimathon is on March 3 at 7 a.m. at the YMCA of Peterborough. The public is encouraged to participate in the event or perform a virtual swim or splash at home while raising funds and sharing it on social media tagging the fundraising’s Facebook page.

Participants can register as an individual or as a team online where they will be assigned a fundraising page. The public can also make a donation directly via the website and receive an instant tax receipt.

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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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Rotary Club of Peterborough Celebrates Century Milestone With Semi-Formal Gala in June

The Rotary Club of Peterborough is turning back the clock a century with a semi-formal gala to commemorate its 100th anniversary for June 11.

(From left to right) Betty Halman-Plumley, Catherine Hanrahan, Elizabeth Ichniovsky, Milan Ichniovsky, Sally Harding and Atul Swarup.

The club began in 1921 but could not celebrate its true century mark last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its restrictions.

The semi-formal gala is happening at The Ballroom at Fleming College with tickets at $150 which anyone can attend. The Rotary wanted to celebrate in style where some guests will wear era-appropriate clothing and accessories.

“We always wanted to do a party, it was always going to be a party to celebrate 100 years,” said Atul Swarup, 100th anniversary committee chair.

“We wanted to set it apart from what we see all the time, this is about dressing up, feeling proud and feeling like we've been here 100 years,” said Sally Harding, Rotary co-chair. “This is not a fundraiser, this is just a celebration of 100 years.”

The gala features a three-course dinner made by Fleming culinary students. Alcohol such as red and white wine and champagne is being served with tuxedo strawberries. Rock band ‘The Dreamboats’ will have a live performance and a DJ for guests to dance to.

Tickets can be purchased on the Rotary website via Eventbrite.

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