Representatives from “Lions for Sight” announced yesterday (June 14) that the campaign has raised $202,699.68 for cataract surgical equipment for Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC).

“Lions for Sight” is a regional campaign supported by 26 Lions and Lioness Clubs from across the Kawarthas. The clubs combined their fundraising efforts from community-based projects, along with a grant of $88,149.68 from Lions Clubs International Foundation, and a $15,000 donation from the physicians who make up the PRHC Ophthalmology Group.

The clubs surpassed their $200,000 goal for the campaign.

VIDEO: Regional Lions Clubs fund cataract surgical innovation at PRHC

Lesley Heighway, PRHC Foundation President & CEO, says the campaign has funded a new state-of-the-art cataract surgical unit and camera for the cataract surgical program at PRHC, which performs as many as 3,000 surgeries a year.

“This enables PRHC’s medical experts to deliver improved results, offering even safer surgical procedures with less trauma to the eye and shorter recovery times,” she explains.

According to Fowlers Corners & District Lions Club Past President Carl Young, the project was conceived as a Lions International Centennial Community Legacy Project.

“For 100 years, Lions have been known for their service to the blind and visually impaired,” Young says. “We’re very pleased to join with clubs from across the region to support the technology that can help eliminate unnecessary blindness, changing lives for our loved ones, friends and neighbours whose vision is clouded by cataracts and for whom simple pleasures have become difficult if not impossible.”

The 26 Lions and Lioness Clubs from across the Kawarthas that contributed to the “Lions for Sight” campaign are:

• Apsley & District Lions Club
• Campbellford Lions Club
• Chemung Lake District Lions Club
• Coboconk and District Lions Club
• Dunsford & District Lions Club
• East Peterborough Lions Club
• Fenelon Falls & District Lions Club
• Fowlers Corners and District Lions Club
• Haliburton & District Lions Club
• Havelock Lions Club
• Keene Lions Club
• Kendal Lions Club
• Kinmount & District Lions Club
• Lakefield & District Lions Club
• Lakefield Lioness Lions Club
• Lindsay East & District Lions Club
• Lioness Club of Campbellford
• Marmora Crowe Valley Lions Club
• Millbrook and District Lions Club
• Minden & District Lions Club
• Norwood & District Lions Club
• Omemee and District Lions Club
• Omemee Lioness Club
• Peterborough Lioness Club
• Peterborough Lions Club
• Warsaw & District Lions Club

Now that summer weather is finally here, we can look back on May with a little more fondness than the rest of this spring.

We moved from winter temperatures directly into summer heat and humidity in May. On Instagram, we were suddenly deluged with photos of sunsets and trilliums tagged with #kawarthanow.

Follow us on Instagram @kawarthanow and check out our feed’s monthly highlight reels for recaps of every month in 2018. Don’t forget to use #kawarthanow to tag us for shares.

#1. Adult Outdoor Gym at Beavermead Park by kawarthaNOW @kawarthanow

Bruce Head of kawarthaNOW took this photo of Peterborough’s first adult outdoor gym in Beavermead Park. See more photos of the gym at kawarthanow.com/2018/05/27/peterboroughs-first-adult-outdoor-gym/. Posted May 27, 2018. 6,908 impressions, 319 likes

??? Take a tour of Peterborough's first adult outdoor gym. Located at Beavermead Park, construction is complete with ribbon-cutting coming soon. Read the story and see more photos in our News & Community section at kawarthanow.com (link in bio) #fitness #lifestyle #outdoorgym #peterborough #ptbo #ptbokawartha #ptbocanada #kawarthas #kawarthanow

A post shared by kawarthaNOW® (@kawarthanow) on May 27, 2018 at 6:14am PDT

#2. Bancroft Turtle Yarn Bomb by kawarthaNOW @kawarthanow

Photo by Barb Shaw, story at kawarthanow.com/2018/05/17/bancroft-turtle-yarn-bomb/. Posted May 17, 2018. 6,535 impressions, 389 likes

?? On May 17, 2018, volunteers decorated Bancroft with hand-knit and crocheted turtles as part of a "yarn bomb" campaign to raise awareness for the local turtle population. The turtles will remain on display for 10 days, including on World Turtle Day on Wednesday, May 23. Knittervention, the volunteer group that created the turtles, is encouraging residents and visitors to Bancroft to share photos of the turtles on social media using the hash tags #turtlebomb, #bancroftyarnbomb, and #worldturtleday. Read the story in our News & Community section at kawarthanow.com (link in bio). #turtles #environment #bancroft #hastings #northhastings #hospice #caringthroughculture #iamhospice #peterborough #ptbo #ptbokawartha #ptbokawarthas #kawarthas #kawarthanow

A post shared by kawarthaNOW® (@kawarthanow) on May 17, 2018 at 4:05pm PDT

#3. Dockside at “The Nook” near Lakefield by The Nook @lovethenook

Photo of “The Nook” yoga studio and retreat taken by Melissa Nagy @_moonlissa/. Posted May 10, 2018. 6,366 impressions, 707 likes

Good Thursday morning our #kawarthapeeps from @lovethenook with this stunner. Photo by @_moonlissa #dockside #dockviews #springinthekawarthas #cottagecountry #ptbokawartha #kawarthalakes #thekawarthas

A post shared by kawarthaNOW® (@kawarthanow) on May 10, 2018 at 3:33am PDT

#4. Fireworks over Little Lake by Devon Ulrich @devonulrich

Devon Ulrich’s time lapse photo captures the glory of the Rotary Victoria Day fireworks display in Peterborough. Posted May 21, 2018. 5,685 impressions, 481 likes

Happy Victoria Day with this stunner from @devonulrich #victoriaday #victoriadayweekend #littlelakepeterborough #otonabeeriver #peterboroughontario #ptboON #ptbokawartha #rotaryptbokawartha #trentsevernwaterway #tsw

A post shared by kawarthaNOW® (@kawarthanow) on May 21, 2018 at 8:00am PDT

#5. Trilliums on the forest floor by Kathryn Frank @_katy.did.it_

Posted May 20, 2018. 5,594 impressions, 534 likes

Good Sunday morning our #kawarthapeeps! #Trilliums on the forest floor by @_katy.did.it_ are a reminder why we need some rain. #ontario #ontariotrillium #trillium #victoriaday #victoriadayweekend #kawarthas #thekawarthas #theybloominmay #kawarthalakes

A post shared by kawarthaNOW® (@kawarthanow) on May 20, 2018 at 3:35am PDT

#6. Misty morning on the lake by The Bear Stand @thebearstand

A long weekend photo of the award-winning The Bear Stand luxury wilderness resort near Gooderham. Posted May 22, 2018. 5,562 impressions, 500 likes

Good Tuesday morning our #kawarthapeeps with this beauty from @thebearstand #gooderham #highlandseast #haliburtonhighlands #victoriaday #victoriadayweekend #cottagecountry

A post shared by kawarthaNOW® (@kawarthanow) on May 22, 2018 at 3:12am PDT

#7. Ryan’s dock chairs on Gold Lake by Ryan Coleman @ryancoleman

Our regular followers will recognize Ryan Coleman’s dock chairs and Gold Lake. The reappearance of Ryan’s chairs on the Victoria Day weekend heralded the opening of cottage season. Posted May 21, 2018. 5,439 impressions, 433 likes

Good Victoria Day Monday our #kawarthapeeps from #goldlake thanks to @ryancoleman. #ryanschairs are back! How is your long weekend? #victoriaday #victoriadayweekend #northkawartha #kawarthalakes #thekawarthas #ptbokawartha

A post shared by kawarthaNOW® (@kawarthanow) on May 21, 2018 at 3:16am PDT

#8. Kawartha sunrise by Tim Haan @tim.haan.photography

Posted May 27, 2018. 5,429 impressions, 465 likes

Good Sunday morning our #kawarthapeeps with this beauty from @tim.haan.photography #kawarthasunrise #ptbokawartha #peterboroughontario #ptboON #kawarthalakes #thekawarthas

A post shared by kawarthaNOW® (@kawarthanow) on May 27, 2018 at 4:18am PDT

#9. Double Kawartha rainbow by Brad McCullum @mccullum.co

Posted May 9, 2018. 5,381 impressions, 461 likes

Good Wednesday morning our #kawarthapeeps with thanks to @mccullum.co for this stunner from #peterboroughontario #ptboontario #ptbo #rainbow #springinthekawarthas

A post shared by kawarthaNOW® (@kawarthanow) on May 9, 2018 at 3:38am PDT

Earlier today (June 14), the Peterborough Police Services Board announced that Scott Gilbert has been appointed as the ninth Chief of the Peterborough Police Service.

As of July 1st, Gilbert will replace Chief Murray Rodd, who announced his retirement last October after 35 years with the Peterborough Police Service, including the past 10 years as chief.

Gilbert comes from the Toronto Police Service, where he started as a cadet and rose through the ranks.

He has served as a member of Toronto’s Emergency Task Force, held various positions in the Criminal Investigations Bureau, was an inspector in Prosecution Services, and superintendent of various divisions.

He was also elected as the President of the Toronto Senior Officers’ Association for two years and was a director with the provincial association. He is a graduate of Humber College and Guelph-Humber University.

Carmela and George Mangos, owners of Sugar Dust Bakery & Cafe in Port Hope, wanted to do something to give back to their community.

The couple were introduced to the concept of a pay-it-forward meal program while visiting a friend’s restaurant in Oshawa. Taking note of what worked well (and what didn’t), Carmela and George decided to approach community outreach groups directly to create a program that is both unique and discreet.

“One of the things we took away from the restaurant in Oshawa was that their program was offered to buy lunch for anyone, not just someone in need,” George says. “We saw how that caused a lot of problems.”

“Because the donated lunches in Oshawa were available to any customer at all, the restaurant had to deal with customers arguing over who would receive a free meal,” Carmela explains.

“For us it was easy to set the boundary of offering lunches to a specific group of people, because we want to make sure that our lunches go directly to those most in need. It is important to us that our donors are getting what they paid for — a chance to help someone who really needs it.”

Reaching out to local grassroots charity Greenwood Coalition and The Port Hope Food Cupboard (an organization in partnership with the Fare Share Foodbank and Salvation Army), Carmela and George have found the best way to distribute their donated lunches.

“As soon as we have collected a few vouchers, we contact one of our community outreach groups and provide them the vouchers to distribute as they see fit,” Carmela says. “When a recipient comes in, they simply exchange the voucher for their complimentary lunch.”

“We are open to working with any local outreach organization that has access to people who need the help,” she adds. “Any organization that could distribute donated lunches is welcome to contact us and join the program.”

The Sugar Dust model offers customers two ways to donate. The restaurant already offers a free lunch loyalty program to regular diners, who can collect six stamps after buying six lunches and get the seventh lunch free. As part of the pay-it-forward program, these complimentary “bonus” lunches can now be donated back to the restaurant.

The second way to participate is to pay a fixed price of $7.00.

Sugar Dust Bakery is an all-butter, fresh-ingredient “from scratch” restaurant and bakery located at 74 Walton Street in Port Hope — not far from Port Hope’s biggest tourist attraction, the Capitol Theatre. While the lunch program is geared towards local customers who regularly stop in to buy lunch, tourists can also make donations.

“We wanted to provide a fixed price as an option for irregular customers who love the idea, or for regular customers who want to donate more than their loyalty card,” George says. “It’s a way for anyone to participate, at any donor level.”

Some donors have been very generous to date.

“So far we have had a lot of success,” Carmela notes. “Every time we post about pay-it-forward on social media, there is increased interest.”

Since launching the program in May, a total of 23 lunches have been donated — and at least one customer has purchased multiple lunches to kick off the program.

Port Hope resident Glyn Marr was the very first lunch donor and he loves the idea. What made him want to participate?

“I support anything that can help people, and I usually help a little bit if I can.”

George believes a program like this is long overdue.

“I think it should have been done a long time ago. When you see someone come in with a big smile on their face, getting a free lunch — that’s pretty amazing.”

For details about the Sugar Dust Bakery menu, hours of operation, and community initiatives, visit www.sugardustbakery.com or follow them on Instagram @sugar_dust_bakery.

To find out more about Greenwood Coalition, visit www.greenwoodcoalition.com. The Port Hope Food Cupboard is open to the public on Thursday afternoons from 1 to 3:30 p.m. and is located at the Port Hope Community Health Centre (99 Toronto Rd., Port Hope).

While a rainy and humid morning wasn’t the best weather for an outdoor workout, Peterborough’s first adult outdoor gym was officially opened today (June 13) with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Beavermead Park.

Representatives from the City of Peterborough, the Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha, and the Rotary Club of Peterborough attended the event, with remarks made by Mayor Daryl Bennett, Peterborough Kawartha Rotary Club president Len Lifchus, and incoming Peterborough Rotary Club president Ken Tremblay.

The outdoor gym equipment was funded by contributions of $25,000 each from Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha and the Rotary Club of Peterborough, with $40,000 committed by the City of Peterborough.

The Rotary Outdoor Gym is located in Beavermead Park just north of the beach volleyball courts and beside the beach. It includes a variety of exercise machines, some of which are accessible for people with disabilities.

At the opening, Peterborough Kawartha Rotary Club member Tom Bennett explained the background of the project, which was several years in the making. While the Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha conceived of the idea, both the Rotary Club of Peterborough and the City of Peterborough quickly came on board, he said.

“This is a gift to the City of Peterborough for the sesquicentennial year,” Tom Bennett said, and introduced the two Rotary Club presidents, city councillors Keith Riel and Gary Baldwin who represent the ward, and Mayor Daryl Bennett.

“This is another project where partnership plays such a vital role in what we do in this community,” Mayor Bennett said, acknowledging the contribution of the two Rotary Clubs.

“Fifty thousand dollars from Rotary and forty thousand dollars from the city makes it possible for a whole bunch of people in this community to make use of (the gym), for a long time.”

Peterborough Kawartha Rotary Club president Len Lifchus also spoke.

“On behalf of the 47 members of the Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha, we are delighted to give the city this gift, along with the Peterborough Club,” he said.

Lifchus thanked project chair Wendy Swain, along with Rob Anderson from the city’s parks department and Phil Jacobs from the city’s public works department, for helping to make the project happen.

“We’ve already heard and seen people using this gym in the last couple of weeks since it was completed,” Lifchus added. “We’re really excited that the residents of Peterborough are helping us make a difference in our community, by jumping on the gym and participating and getting fit.”

After Lifchus finished his remarks, incoming Peterborough Rotary Club president Ken Tremblay also made remarks.

“The 77 members of the Peterborough Rotary Club really came forward to support it,” Tremblay said. “It’s really important we can enrich the community to create a legacy of fitness and engagement … let’s hope we can become a real fit community.”

The gym was designed and constructed by New World Park Solutions in Brantford, an authorized dealer for Playworld Systems, which supplied the equipment.

New World Park Solutions project manager Brian Salter, who has been in the playground industry for 18 years, travelled to Peterborough to attend the official opening.

VIDEO: Official opening of Peterborough’s first outdoor adult gym