Representatives from the Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival presented a $163,693.96 cheque to the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) Foundation this morning at the Kawartha Credit Union at Lansdowne Place. With this contribution from its 15th anniversary year, the Dragon Boat Festival has raised almost $2.8 million for breast cancer care.
“Despite registering about 10 teams fewer than last year, our paddlers have come through once again to make sure we have the best equipment at our local hospital,” said Debbie Keay, festival chair. “Kudos to all the participants, sponsors and to the entire community who rallied to support the festival in its 15th year. This is indeed a proud moment for all of us.”
Keay and Karen Stillman, president of the Survivors Abreast team, presented the cheque to Lesley Heighway, President and CEO of the PRHC Foundation.
The Foundation raises and manages community donations that help keep equipment at PRHC state-of-the-art and enable outstanding patient care. Heighway thanked Survivors Abreast and festival supporters for their continued efforts to ensure that the hospital is able to deliver the highest standard of breast cancer care for the community.
“The PRHC Foundation is so fortunate and grateful to be the recipient of the proceeds of this incredible event every year,” said Heighway. “It’s because of the Dragon Boat Festival that the calibre of breast cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment available in this region is what it is today. It’s made it possible for PRHC and its Breast Assessment Centre to offer a standard of care on par with the very best hospitals across this country.”
Heighway explained that proceeds from the 2015 Dragon Boat Festival will help purchase of a new full field digital mammography machine for PRHC’s Breast Assessment Centre, one of three that must be purchased over the next three to four years at a total investment of $1.9 million. The machine can generate breast images of the highest possible quality, allowing PRHC’s radiologists to make the most precise observations.
“Experts predict that one in nine Canadian women will develop breast cancer in their lifetimes,” Heighway said. “We cannot afford to let the standard of care that this community has helped establish slip in any way.”
Peterborough Mayor Daryl Bennett joined members of the Survivors Abreast team and festival committee members at the celebration, which took place at the Lansdowne Place branch of Kawartha Credit Union. The Kawartha Credit Union has been the platinum sponsor of the festival since 2002 — for 14 consecutive years.
“Supporting the well-being of the communities we serve is one of Kawartha Credit Union’s guiding principles,” said Rob Wellstood, CEO of Kawartha Credit Union.
“To date, our Community Involvement Program has donated over $2 million to causes that matter most to our members,” he added. “The Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival is one such cause and we congratulate the festival on their fundraising success this year. We also extend our sincere thanks to the Peterborough community for their continued generosity, and to PRHC for the excellent services and care they provide.”
Planning is already underway for the 2016 Dragon Boat Festival, which is scheduled for Saturday, June 11th, 2016. Next year’s fundraising goal and festival details will be announced in the new year.
