For the past 25 years, the Roessl family has organized an annual golf tournament to honour Heather Roessl, raising almost $300,000 for the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) Foundation — a shining example of how the community can rally around the hospital in the memory of a loved one.

Franz (“Franzie”) Roessl was just three years old when his mother Heather was first diagnosed with melanoma in her leg. In 1988, at what was then the Peterborough Civic Hospital, she underwent surgery to remove the cancer, leaving her with a huge scar.

During eight years in remission, Heather had to regularly drive to the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto for follow-up care and check-ups.

“Whenever my mom was sick or wasn’t feeling well, she’d be driving to Toronto and it was just an absolute nightmare,” Franzie recalls.

On Father’s Day in 1996, the family learned Heather’s cancer had returned and she immediately underwent another surgery to have her cancerous lymph nodes removed and began care again. However, by Christmas of 1999, the cancer had metastasized.

Franzie was 15 years old when his mother passed away on March 20, 2000.

“I wouldn’t wish that upon anyone,” Franzie says. “I learned a lot from it. What my dad was taught growing up was that life goes on, so he wanted to celebrate her life rather than sit there and mourn.”

So it was then, three months after his wife’s passing, that Franz Roessl Sr. organized the very first golf tournament in her honour at Pine Crest Golf Club in Peterborough with the help of Heather’s best friend.

“My mom golfed all the time,” Franzie recalls. “She wasn’t afraid to have some fun and it was an excuse to go have a couple of beers with the girls. My mom got my dad his first set of clubs, so they really grew together playing golf.”

Franzie’s father continued organizing the golf tournament for the next 10 years, before passing the torch to Franzie and his brother Hans. When Franzie opened One Eighty Hunter sports pub in Peterborough, the event officially became the One Eighty Heather & Friends Memorial Golf Tournament and, eventually, the annual tournament was moved to the Quarry Golf Club in Ennismore.

Every year proceeds from the tournament have been donated to the PRHC Foundation to invest in priority cancer care advancements at PRHC. This year, the record-breaking $30,500 that was raised was added to the PRHC Foundation’s $60 million Campaign for PRHC to reimagine healthcare at the regional hospital.

For Franzie, the memory of how his mother had to drive to Toronto during her many years fighting cancer is one of the reasons why it’s so important to support the PRHC Foundation.

“Rather than driving two hours in traffic to Toronto and two hours back when you’re not feeling well, the hospital provides lifesaving treatment at home,” Franzie says. “The most important thing is getting the help we need here in the comfort of Peterborough, so we always want to be keeping the money in town.”

The PRHC Foundation encourages community members inspired by their own PRHC experience, a loved one’s care or who want to memorialize a friend or family member as the Roessl family has done to host a fundraising event that will support the Campaign for PRHC and bring world-class healthcare closer to home.

“Donors that take the time to organize something for a cause that means a lot to them, or honours the memory of someone they love, are going above and beyond to advocate for the hospital,” says PRHC Foundation President and CEO Lesley Heighway. “Third-party events are a great way to see the community rally around the hospital, bringing out new donors to hear the stories that might inspire them to host their own event.”

With organizational support from the PRHC Foundation, community fundraising events can be very personalized. Many are focused on physical activity, like the One Eighty Heather Roessl & Friends Memorial Golf Tournament and the annual HunTer Fondo cycling event organized by the Peterborough Cycling Club.

Other fundraisers are focused on arts and music like the annual Cancer Takedown variety show, while some donors have built and sold bird houses, organized walks or other personal challenges, hosted meals, created online fundraising pages to share their stories, and sponsored fundraisers through their businesses.

“Anyone from ages five to 100 can do an event and, whether it’s a lemonade stand or a concert, every single dollar raised counts,” Heighway notes. “It’s a really wide range, but we want donors to find something that they are personally interested in and see the value in, and then bring like-minded people along for the ride.”

The PRHC Foundation makes it easy for individuals to organize their event by offering a number of supports including providing a customizable online fundraising page, promoting the event, providing donation receipts, and offering grateful patients the chance to tell their story and share the PRHC Foundation’s vision for healthcare at the hospital.

“It makes it hit home for people,” Franzie points out. “It means a lot to me to hear from a speaker before the golfers go out to golf, so they actually understand why this is happening and where the money goes.”

After two and a half decades, the One Eighty Heather Roessl & Friends Memorial Golf Tournament often sells out before Franzie can even advertise the date. He can already see the future of the tournament, having already been passed down a generation from father to sons, as his nephew is just beginning to learn to golf and will likely be on the greens soon. His four-year-old niece is actively involved in the tournament, having become an engaging emcee and 50/50 ticket seller.

“There are a number of factors that make this such a wonderful fundraiser, one being that the tournament has moved between generations, and that PRHC is still so important to the family 25 years later,” says Heighway. “Like for so many families in our region, the hospital becomes essential to each generation.”

Franzie notes that the One Eighty Heather Roessl & Friends Memorial Golf Tournament would not be as successful without the help of the golf club, the sponsors who donate prizes, and the golfers who give to the cause.

“It comes down to people giving back to us and we uphold that by keeping it a fun tournament,” he says. “People are always happy to come out for a fun time, knowing their donations are going into the community.”

While Franzie suspects his father wouldn’t have expected the family to still be running the tournament more than two decades later, he knows his mother would have been very pleased.

“This is keeping her legacy going,” he says. “She’d probably be winning this tournament every year if she was playing in it. She’d be the one having the most fun.”

For more information on organizing third-party events to support the Campaign for PRHC or to make a donation, visit prhcfoundation.ca. You can also find out more about events or volunteering as a campaign ambassador by emailing foundationeventsonline@prhc.on.ca or calling 705-876-5000.

This branded editorial was created in partnership with the Peterborough Regional Health Centre Foundation. If your organization or business is interested in a branded editorial, contact us.

For 40 years, the Good Neighbours Care Centre in Peterborough has been run by exactly that — good neighbours. From the volunteers who commit countless hours stocking the shelves to the local businesses that donate what they can, the charity is a long-standing community effort and the demand for its services is only increasing.

“Over all these years, it’s been a whole variety of volunteers that just continue to make it what it is,” says Robin Adair, volunteer treasurer of the Good Neighbours Care Centre. “We just spent all those years keeping it going and serving our community and we will do that for as long as we get community support.”

Though Adair has been volunteering for the registered charitable organization since his retirement in 2019, the Good Neighbours Care Centre was established in 1984 and has run out of the same building at 164 Sherbrooke Street ever since.

Four times per week, volunteers of the charity go to three grocery stores in Peterborough to pick up food items like breads, premade salads, and produce. As a member agency, Good Neighbours Care Centre also received items from Kawartha Food Share up to three times per week, on top of receiving a major shipment with up to 10 skids full of packaged food once per month.

Then, clients can drop into the Good Neighbours Care Centre on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to pick up, at no cost, the fruits, vegetables, and bread, as well as visit the “sweet corner” full of cakes, cookies, crackers, and other pastries. Editor’s note: the centre is closed for the holidays and will reopen on Friday, January 3.

There are additional opportunities for clients to pick up household goods like gently used clothing, shoes, tableware, toasters, and personal hygiene products — all of which have all been donated by businesses and individuals in the community. If the charity has extra cash, they will purchase additional food to even out the offerings, if necessary.

“We run a pretty high-quality operation,” says Adair. “Those who come in to use our services can walk out knowing they have a zipper that works, the clothing is clean, and the food is good.”

Additionally, once per month, clients can get a larger haul of staple goods from the kitchen, including milk, eggs, frozen meals, proteins, coffee, tea, canned goods, pastas, and more. The clients will be able to get enough for the whole family and all it requires is showing a piece of government ID.

“Sometimes we get pork chops or salmon and its $40 worth that can be part of their big shop for the month,” says Adair. “Food banks aren’t there to supply every meal for our clients, but they are here to help them get through the month.”

Thanks to the suppliers and donors, beginning two years ago, the Good Neighbours Care Centre was able to undergo transformations to better improve client service. The charity repainted the interior of the 100-year-old building, installed central air conditioning, and received a brand-new laminated floor that was entirely donated.

“Our clients are our focus obviously and we want to do the best that we can for them in providing food, providing facilities, and just getting to know them a little bit and build a bit of a relationship with them,” Adair says.

He adds that the pantries are intentionally designed so clients can walk through and select their own vegetables, produce, and products as if they’re shopping at a grocery story.

“We try to present a place of high dignity all the way through the system,” Adair says. “That’s our goal with what we do. Treat them on a human basis, because we see all kinds of different economic status of people and how they have to live life.”

Though the centre never closed during the pandemic, Adair says he has since noticed an increase from roughly 50 to 60 people coming in daily before the pandemic to up to 80 or 85 now coming through daily. Some of the increased demand came earlier this year due to higher food prices.

“We found when inflation started going bad on food, around March this past year, all of a sudden we’re getting people we hadn’t seen before,” he says. “Making $36,000 a year on minimum wage doesn’t go very far anymore, so we’re just there to support and give a hand to those who need it. That’s always our aim.”

This year, the charity has served between 11,000 and 12,000 clients.

“We have clients that are there at 7:30 or 7:45 in the morning for a 10 a.m. start, so it would not be unusual for someone to stand in line for an hour or an hour and a half to get in because it’s first come, first served,” Adair says, adding that occasionally they’ve had to turn people away. “That doesn’t happen real often, but it’s heartbreaking to go out and tell somebody that we’re out of food.”

Increased living costs not only exacerbate the demand for Good Neighbours Care Centre, but also create a barrier for individuals in having the disposable income to donate to the charity.

“Even for a middle-class family, their grocery bill went up, and now they’re just trying to stay alive themselves, so they don’t have more to give to anybody else,” he says. “It’s hard on everybody.”

Those who are unable to financially support the charity might be interested in a volunteer position. Such work can range from driving the trucks for pickups, sorting donations, and running the shop during opening. Currently, the centre is made up of more than 30 volunteers, many of who are retirees.

“A person should volunteer long before they retire — you don’t have to wait until you’re 65 to volunteer,” Adair says. “Maybe it’s only a couple hours a week somewhere, but the whole concept of volunteering should be just a part of everybody’s life. Whether you’re a hockey coach or whatnot, you’re taking some of your time and giving it to somebody else.”

Those interested in volunteering can email hello@goodneighboursptbo.com.

“There’s fulfillment in helping somebody else,” Adair says. “I’m in a position that I can do that, and I enjoy doing that. Look at all the people we served this year — 11,000 is not a small number and there’s a lot of households involved in this, so we are thankful for it and for all who support us.”

He notes that while Good Neighbours Care Centre is entirely volunteer-run, there are always ongoing costs like operating the trucks and paying rent, and every bit of support can make a difference.

“Often you get somebody who says ‘I only have 50 bucks’, but we’re grateful for whatever you have,” Adair points out. “We appreciate it even if all you have (to give) is some clothes. Somebody else will be using those clothes. As an organization, we’re just grateful for whatever help somebody can give us, and we’ll just keep it going.”

For more information about the Good Neighbours Care Centre or to make a monetary donation, visit www.goodneighboursptbo.com.

“Relentless demand, inadequate supply, surging rents, and growing concerns around affordability make this the most challenging rental environment in Peterborough’s history.”

That is just one finding of a housing report released in early December by the United Way Peterborough & District that explores the challenges with securing a place to call home in Peterborough and area.

Year-over-year Peterborough’s rental market continues to be tighter and more expensive, notes author Paul Armstrong in the 19th edition of the “Housing is Fundamental” report.

The report provides an analysis of Peterborough’s worsening rental market and “underscores the ongoing challenges posed by housing affordability and accessibility,” stated a media release about the document.

“Affordability” is defined as spending no more than 30 per cent of total before-tax income on housing. But with the average market rent in the Peterborough area now $1,325, that means a household has to make $53,000 for a rental unit to be “affordable.”

The report states this means there’s little, if any, affordable housing for people who have low incomes.

A significant portion of renter households are in “core housing need,” with some spending well in excess of 50 per cent of their household incomes on rent, the report found.

“Meagre” additions to the Peterborough CMA rental stock in 2023 mean hundreds of units are still required, with the demand for rental units far exceeding supply.

Meanwhile, Trent University and Fleming College place a substantial demand on the city’s rental market, the report notes. New immigrants and foreign students to the area require housing. Housing suitable to transition people out of homelessness is also needed.

According to the report, the housing and homelessness crisis has been mainly caused by governments withdrawing from providing public housing, leaving it to the for-profit market to provide housing.

“Governments will need to return to direct provision of social housing and render additional support for non-profit housing,” the report states. “We need to build more, much more. We need to make it more affordable. And greater density will likely result. All of this calls upon governments to assert a leading role.”

The document also points out that the maximum benefit for people receiving Ontario Works is $733 per month, but the average rent in Peterborough in 2023 for the smallest unit — a bachelor — was $877 per month. A single bedroom unit went for $1,173 while a two-bedroom apartment was $1,411, and a three-bedroom unit cost, on average, $1,640.

On a broader scale, the Canada-wide vacancy rate was 1.5 per cent as of October 2023, which was a new low, with Peterborough’s vacancy rate standing at one per cent. Recent renter households (43.2 per cent) were also more likely to live in unaffordable housing than existing renter households (30.5 per cent), with unaffordable housing meaning more than 30 per cent of pre-tax household income is spent on shelter costs.

“When inadequate supply of rental units produces a one per cent vacancy rate in Peterborough, something has to change,” Amstrong notes. “When housing costs are now the primary driver of inflation and 20 per cent of Canadian rental stock is owned by large capital enterprises, something’s inequitable. When homelessness grows, but social housing builds don’t materialize, something’s unjust. The housing crisis deepens with little indication of relief.”

On the other end of the scale, high ownership prices have prevented renter households from making the move to jp,eownership.

And, finally, 2023 saw an unprecedented period of multiple converging crises, which included homelessness, housing precarity, food insecurity, income precarity, mental health challenges, and addictions.

“Flawed government policy has resulted in profound crises in an otherwise prosperous country,” Armstrong states. “Clearly, the government’s chosen, market-driven model for housing provision and personal security has failed.”

To read the report and learn more about the call to action, visit uwpeterborough.ca/our-research/.