On a very rainy day in June 2002, 48 teams participated in the inaugural Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival, raising $84,509.18 that would ultimately help the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) acquire an ultrasound machine and other equipment for the hospital’s breast assessment centre.
So it’s only fitting that, on a very rainy day 20 years after Survivors Abreast first conceived of the annual festival, volunteers from Survivors Abreast and the festival’s organizing committee presented the PRHC Foundation with a donation of $91,853.20 to help the hospital acquire a new state-of-the-art diagnostic ultrasound machine for the breast assessment centre.
“We realized that we have come full circle and to celebrate our 20th anniversary, we decided our goal would be to match the $84,509.18 donation we made to the PRHC Foundation 20 years ago when we were first starting out,” said 2021 festival chair Gina Lee during a cheque presentation held Thursday (September 23) in Peterborough Square.
The festival exceeded that fundraising goal, despite this being the second straight year the festival, which normally takes place at Del Crary Park every June, has been cancelled because of the pandemic. Instead, the festival held a virtual race that consisted of activities participants could do safely at home. This year’s fundraising total also exceeds the $55,449.41 raised in 2020, the first year a virtual race was held due to the pandemic.
“The pandemic has forced us to start over and rebuild the event,’ Lee said.
VIDEO: Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival celebrating 20 years of making a difference
Since the festival was first launched in June 2001 as Liberty Mutual’s “Day on the Water” — becoming Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival the following year, with Kawartha Credit Union the lead sponsor for the event (which it has remained for the entire history of the festival) — it has raised more than $3.7 million for breast cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment in the Peterborough region.
“The hospital’s mission to provide world-class cancer care, close to home, remains as important as ever,” said Lesley Heighway, president and CEO of the PRHC Foundation. “Proceeds from this year’s festival will be used to help fund an advanced new diagnostic ultrasound for PRHC’s Breast Assessment Centre.”
“This state-of-the-art equipment will provide better quality images so radiologists can detect smaller, difficult-to-see breast abnormalities quickly and accurately,” she added. “This will help save lives.”
In recognition of the 20th anniversary of Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival, the SPARK Photo Festival is featuring the festival as its showcase exhibit. The exhibit, called “20 Years of Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival”, is on display in the lower level of Peterborough Square (340 George St. N.) during regular mall hours throughout the month of September.
The festival’s organizing committee is hoping next year’s festival, to be held on June 11, 2022, will return to Little Lake at Del Crary Park. Michelle Thornton is assuming the role of 2022 festival chair, and those interested in volunteering for next year’s festival can email Thornton at mimthornton@nexicom.net.
For more information about the festival, visit www.ptbodragonboat.ca.
