Registration is now open for Peterborough’s 16th annual Dragon Boat Festival, which takes place on Saturday, June 11, 2016 at Del Crary Park in downtown Peterborough.
This year, funds raised from the festival will support the purchase of a new state-of-the-art digital mammography machine for the Breast Assessment Centre at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC).
One of the community’s premiere fundraising events, the festival is bringing some brand-new fun and exciting challenges and incentives for the teams competing to raise funds for breast cancer care.
“This year, it’s all about the ‘dragon bragging’ rights,” says festival chair Debbie Keay.
“Not only can teams register and race in the traditional way, they can also challenge another team on the water and in the fundraising stakes, and then race head-to-head. The Battle Challenge is open to both corporate and non-corporate teams, so they can join with their colleagues or come out with family and friends.”
“The team that raises the most money will get to lay claim to the ‘Dragon’s Lair’ tent,” Keay explains. “I don’t want to give all the surprises away, but think prime location, comfy furniture for you and your team to relax on between races, catered lunch, team masseuse, and more.”
Team and participant online registration is now open at www.peterboroughdragonboatfestival.com. The website has everything you need to register a team, sponsor a paddler or support a team, or to volunteer for the event.
The registration deadline is April 15, 2016, and an early bird registration rate is available until March 15, 2016.
All proceeds raised by the 16th annual festival will go to the PRHC Foundation to support the purchase of a new, state-of-the-art mammography machine.
“Once again, we are thrilled and grateful to partner with Survivors Abreast and Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival to ensure women and men from across our region have access to world-class breast cancer care,” says Lesley Heighway, PRHC Foundation’s President & CEO.
“The proceeds of the 2016 Dragon Boat Festival will be put towards the purchase of a new full field digital mammography machine, one of three that must be purchased over the next three years at a total investment of $1.9 million.”
The new mammography machine can capture three-dimensional digital images of breasts, which allows PRHC’s radiologists to make the most precise observations possible using current technology — something that’s especially beneficial for women who have dense breast tissue.
Using traditional mammogram technology, out of every 1,000 women who have a screening mammogram, 100 will receive a call to return for additional imaging because something was seen on the initial mammogram — and 60 of these women will find out nothing is actually wrong. With its greater precision, the new digital imaging technology will reduce the number of women who need to return for additional imaging — reducing unnecessary anxiety for women and their families.
For the 15th year, Kawartha Credit Union is again demonstrating their commitment to the community by returning as the festival’s top sponsor.
“Kawartha Credit Union’s Community Involvement Program actively supports initiatives that make a positive difference in peoples’ lives,” said Rob Wellstood, CEO of Kawartha Credit Union. “The Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival is one such cause. We are proud to participate, for the 15th consecutive year, as the Platinum Sponsor in this exceptional event that unites our community in common purpose and spirit.”
“Experts predict that one in nine Canadian women will develop breast cancer in their lifetimes and we know firsthand that early detection is critical,” Carroll says. “As a community, we cannot afford to let the standard of care that we’ve helped establish slip.”
“That’s why we’re very proud to support our hospital as they continue to look for better, faster and more innovative ways to save lives by identifying this disease early on,” she added.
