For the third year in a row, Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival has surpassed its fundraising goal — donating a record-breaking $312,025.18 for breast and other cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC).
Volunteers from the 2024 festival’s organizing committee and the Survivors Abreast Dragon Boat Team presented a cheque to PRHC Foundation representatives on Wednesday (October 9) at the hospital’s cafeteria, representing the proceeds from the 23rd edition of the festival that was held on June 8 at Del Crary Park.
With last year’s festival exceeding its fundraising goal of $205,000.18 by over $85,000 to raise a then-record-breaking $290,025.18 for the PRHC Foundation, festival organizers increased this year’s goal to $251,825.18 — with the numbers again representing the two in five Canadians who will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime and the one in eight women who will develop breast cancer.
This year’s festival saw 69 teams and over 1,300 paddlers generating more than 3,455 donations that pushed the total funds raised to $312,025.18 — more than $60,000 over this year’s fundraising goal and the largest amount the festival has ever raised.
Festival chair Michelle Thornton, who is also a member of the Survivors Abreast Dragon Boat Team, praised her team and the festival’s organizing committee for their efforts in making this year’s volunteer-run festival another record-breaking success.
“We are a committee of approximately 24 and we break out into 12 sub-committees,” she said in a media release. “These volunteers are the magic behind the scenes and sometimes I ask myself, ‘How can such a small group of people make such a big difference?’ And the answer is, one race at a time.”
“Today’s gift is a way to honour the loved ones we’ve lost, give hope to those who need it and, for those of us who are survivors, it’s a way to take back some control and pay it forward,” Thornton added. “When you touch a life, you also touch every life that life touches so, to everyone who got involved, I say thank you for making such a difference.”
Hosted by the Survivors Abreast Dragon Boat Team, Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival was first launched in June 2001 as Liberty Mutual’s “Day on the Water”, becoming Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival the following year. Over the past 23 years, it has raised more than $4.5 million for cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment in the Peterborough region.
“The event has had the same goal since day one: to make sure that patients from across our region have access to the tests and treatments that could save their lives, right here in our community,” said Survivors Abreast president Ann Stabler.
One hundred per cent of all pledges to the festival are able to be donated to the PRHC Foundation thanks to the sponsors who cover the costs of hosting the event, including Kawartha Credit Union, which has been the festival’s presenting sponsor every year since 2001.
“At Kawartha Credit Union, care for others is one of our core values and we are passionate about contributing to the well-being of the communities we serve,” said Kawartha Credit Union president and CEO Norah McCarthy. “Being the platinum sponsor of Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival allows us to provide financial support while also participating in a fun event that unites Peterborough and our surrounding areas in a common goal to improve local healthcare resources.”
PRHC Foundation president and CEO Lesley Heighway thanked the Survivors Abreast Dragon Boat Team, the festival’s organizing committee, and all the participants, sponsors, donors, and volunteers for the record-breaking donation.
“This is what happens when we come together,” Heighway said. “We’re tackling the biggest challenges our hospital faces and, with your support, making a real difference for the thousands of patients from across our region who rely on PRHC’s expert cancer care teams.”
Heighway added that proceeds from this year’s festival will support cancer care advancements like digital pathology and breast seed localization, where a tiny metal seed is placed into abnormal breast tissue to mark its location prior to surgery.
Thornton said planning for the 24th festival on June 14, 2025 will begin soon and take place over the next several months. Anyone wishing to volunteer their time and skills can email Thornton at michellethornton.365@gmail.com.
