Three of the 14 pickleball courts at Bonnerworth Park at 560 McDonnel Street in Peterborough have been closed due to recent vandalism.

In a media release issued Thursday (April 30), the City of Peterborough reports that rocks and balloons filled with high-visibility paint were thrown over the fence surrounding the pickleball courts earlier this week.

The rocks and paint-filled balloons resulted in damage to the playing surface of three courts, resulting in them being closed.

“An estimation of the cost of repairs or the duration of the closures is not available at this time,” the media release states.

The city adds that the remaining 11 courts will open on Friday as scheduled.

The vandalism has been reported to Peterborough police. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 705-876-1122 or submit an anonymous report at Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at stopcrimehere.ca.

A 57-year-old Peterborough woman is dead after a two-vehicle collision on Highway 7 near Fowlers Corners west of Peterborough on Wednesday morning (April 29).

At around 6:15 a.m., City of Kawartha Lakes Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to a collision involving an SUV and a pickup truck hauling a trailer on Highway 7 between Frank Hill Road and Emily Park Road.

The driver and lone occupant of the SUV, a 57-year-old woman from Peterborough, was pronounced dead at the scene.

No injuries were reported for either the driver or passenger of the pickup truck.

Highway 7 was closed in both directions between Frank Hill Road and Emily Park Road for several hours while emergency crews and investigators were at the scene.

Police are continuing to investigate the fatal collision. Anyone with information or video footage of the incident is asked to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122, or report anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at ontariocrimestoppers.ca.

The Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) Foundation has announced the launch of Business Cares, an all-new flexible program that will make it easier for business owners and entrepreneurs to support world-class healthcare close to home.

The announcement took place on Tuesday (April 28) at Hanoi House, a Vietnamese restaurant in Peterborough whose owner Susan Tung is already a supporter of the PRHC Foundation.

The Business Cares program is designed to make it simple for businesses to show their support for the $70 million Campaign for PRHC while also strengthening their own brand in the community. Through the program, business owners can inspire and engage their employees and customers to support the regional hospital and also gain valuable exposure for their business.

“More than ever, as our population grows and ages and our healthcare needs become more complex, while access to care can be difficult and wait times long, we hope everyone in our community will join us in supporting all the ways PRHC is facing those challenges head-on,” says PRHC Foundation President and CEO Lesley Heighway. “Business Cares makes that uncomplicated and flexible for our business partners.”

Since the government doesn’t fund hospital equipment and technology, PRHC relies on community investment to ensure its healthcare professionals have leading-edge tools to provide world-class care. This is especially important for a regional hospital that supports a population of more than 600,000 people across Peterborough City and County, the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, the Haliburton Highlands, and Durham Region.

“Business Cares is about creating a strong connection between community-minded businesses and the future of healthcare in our region,” says Heighway. “We know that the area’s businesses care deeply about the communities they serve. This program offers an easy, adaptable way to turn that care into impact. They’ll help PRHC Foundation fund lifesaving equipment and technology, and strengthen relationships with their teams and customers.”

It’s simple to become a Business Cares partner. Business owners can choose how they want to give, whether it’s by hosting a fundraiser, running a point-of-purchase promotion, becoming a sponsor, or making a direct contribution in a way that is meaningful to them.

Once a business supports the PRHC Foundation with $1,000 annually, they can become a Business Cares partner. As part of a community making a real difference, they will receive added recognition and benefits.

That includes the PRHC Foundation promoting the efforts of Business Cares partners on the Foundation website, through its social media channels with more than 12,000 followers, and in the hospital itself.

As for Tung, the Peterborough serial entrepreneur is an example of how healthcare benefits when businesses and the community work together.

Last fall, Tung held a month-long fundraiser at Hanoi House where 50 per cent of sales of the restaurant’s frozen handmade dumplings were directed to the PRHC Foundation. Hanoi House also hosted a charity dinner in support of the Foundation with a Chinese food pop-up buffet when Tung announced the opening of her latest restaurant Mei Mei.

“That was a lot of fun,” Tung says. “It was a really great way to do something different and create buzz, but also give back to the community at the same time.”

Tung’s recent efforts alone have raised $3,019 for the PRHC Foundation. As someone with children, she says she’s grateful that the PRHC Foundation uses community donations to acquire state-of-the-art technology that attracts top physicians and ensures world-class care is available close to home.

“In your day-to-day life you’re not thinking about the hospital, but when something happens, they are there for you,” Tung says. “It’s important to equip our healthcare professionals with the best resources because we are all going to need them one day.”

As a business owner, Tung believes in the power of building relationships, whether those are connections with her customers, her staff, or her community. She considers the hospital to be another crucial connection given how it impacts so much of the community and that, by supporting PRHC, she is setting an example for the customers of her restaurants.

“My business is very passionate about giving back to the community and being community-oriented, and those are the customers that I want — the ones that value that,” she says. “For me, it’s a magnet. I’m trying to draw the people that also care about the community and that want to see us all do well. Those are the customers I want to serve.”

Heighway calls Tung’s fundraising efforts and the response of Hanoi House customers “so generous and heartwarming.”

“Not only did they support their hospital, but they also raised awareness, interest, and community-spirit in others, and we’re so appreciative of that too,” Heighway says. “If we can make that even easier for them and other businesses going forward, we’re hopeful that more companies will join us.”

The annual Business Cares program will come with perks and exposures that scale with each business’s contribution level, across three tiers: Supporting Partners ($1,000 to $2,499 annually), Community Partners ($2,500 to $4,999 annually), and Leadership Partners ($5,000 or more annually).

“It doesn’t matter how much you contribute — you can be a small supporter or a large supporter, and that’s okay,” says Tung. “Just being involved is really important, and committing is really important.”

Heighway says Tung is just one example of many business owners who have given their time and dollars to support the $70 million Campaign for PRHC, proving how much a community thrives when a business shows it cares.

“A huge thank you to Susan and Hanoi House for all they do for our community,” Heighway says. “If you’ve been to the restaurant, eaten their food, interacted with the team and Susan, or seen their social media channels, it’s clear that community, connection, and kindness are key ingredients to their delicious success.”

“At the PRHC Foundation, we’ve seen their generosity firsthand and we’re very grateful for their ongoing commitment to the Foundation and PRHC. Now, they have helped us launch the new Business Cares program, which I’m sure will inspire their customers and community all over again.”

To find out more or to join the Business Cares program, visit prhcfoundation.ca or call 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.