Five Counties Children’s Centre is celebrating a win with Peterborough’s lacrosse team that netted more than $15,000 to help reduce therapy wait times for children with special needs.
The children’s treatment centre serving children and youth in Peterborough, Northumberland, Haliburton, and Hastings counties and Kawartha Lakes said the fundraising event was a huge score for kids.
Little Lakers Night — held in conjunction with the Peterborough Century 21 Lakers winning home game against the Brampton Excelsiors on July 11 — raised $15,287 for local kids’ treatment services. That’s more than double the $6,784 raised at the first-ever Little Lakers Night in 2023.
Bill Eekhof, spokesperson for Five Counties, said the money is being directed to the organization’s Building Abilities for Life (BAL) campaign. So far, this year Five Counties has raised nearly $200,000 for the BAL campaign since the start of its April 1 fiscal year.
“These funds go directly towards providing high-demand treatment services for kids, like speech and occupational therapies,” Eekhof told kawarthaNOW.
“This extra funding allows Five Counties Children’s Centre to get more kids and youth off the wait list, helping fill the gaps in service that can’t always be covered by government funding.”
Little Lakers Night featured many highlights, with Five Counties kids and families taking part in a behind-the-scenes experience. Kids met Lakers players during their pre-game warmup, took part in the pre-game ball drop, and assisted in the PA booth during the first period.
Facepainting, Little Lakers Night T-shirt sales, giant Lego and a silent auction organized by Five Counties volunteers and staff took place before and during the game. Members of the Junior A and Junior C Lakers volunteered to pass the bucket through the crowd, which raised $4,000 alone for Five Counties kids.
“The Peterborough Lakers were amazing hosts and partners for Little Lakers Night, and we’re extremely grateful to the team as well as everyone who attended, participated, donated, sponsored and volunteered,” said Linsey Kampf, annual giving co-ordinator at Five Counties, in a media release.
“If you measure the success of the event, it’s not only in dollars raised, but also in the many smiles on the faces of our kids and families that were evident throughout the game.”
Prior to the game, two St. Teresa Catholic Elementary School kindergarten students, Bailey and Raelynn, were honoured for having their design chosen for the special jerseys worn by Lakers players during their pre-game warm-up.
The girls’ teacher, Jocelyn Lemay, had encouraged her class at the Peterborough school to enter the jersey design contest. Bailey and Raelynn’s design for the warm-up jerseys — a red-green-blue, stylized crayon creation featuring rainbows and hearts — was ultimately transformed into reality as a result of the generosity of Merrett Home Hardware, the release noted.
After the game, the warm-up jerseys were sold in an online auction.
For the Lakers’ part, the team was happy to play host for Little Lakers Night — and looks forward to a ‘three-peat’ with Five Counties in 2025, Five Counties noted.
“Five Counties has played a big role throughout the years in our family, and we’re grateful to have this incredible centre serving families in our community,” said Len Powers, a Five Counties ambassador and Peterborough Lakers’ board member.
The $15,287 raised from Little Lakers Night for the BAL campaign will go directly towards funding high-demand treatment services like speech therapy and occupational therapy.
“The end result is that more kids and youth in the region can access life-changing treatment services that they need when they need it,” the release noted.
This year’s Little Lakers Night was sponsored by Merrett Home Hardware, Discovery Dream Homes, Pinchin, and IG Wealth Management.
Five Counties has many ways that people can support the centre, not just through events. One-time donations, monthly giving, corporate sponsorships, legacy giving, gifts in kind and many other avenues are available.
Visit www.fivecounties.on.ca/ways-to-give for more details.
