A Peterborough-based service club’s highly successful TV bingo, a local MPP, and two Northumberland non-profit organizations that promote mental and physical health during the pandemic all added up to several big cheques being written and donated on Monday afternoon.
Reed Manning, the Kinsmen Club of Peterborough’s co-chair of its Kinsmen Super TV Bingo, gathered with Northumberland-Peterborough South MPP David Piccini at his Port Hope constituency office to issue cheques for $40,000 from the proceeds from last year’s bingo fundraising. A cheque for $20,000 was turned over the Canadian Mental Health Association to help with its mobile clinics, as well as $10,000 each to the Castleton Sports Club and the Bewdley-based FishAbility Sports Club organizations.
Also on hand for the donation announcements were Cramahe Township Mayor and Deputy Northumberland County Warden Mandy Martin and Hamilton Township Mayor Bill Cane.
Manning said the continued success of the Kinsmen Super TV Bingo — which has become wildly popular during the COVID-19 Pandemic — has allowed the Peterborough Kinsmen to give back in a big way to the communities where the bingo cards are sold. A meeting with MPP Piccini identified the Castleton and Bewdley groups as worthy organizations for donations.
“So, with Kinsmen Super TV Bingo as part of our licensing that all profits generated in certain areas has to go back into those areas. So, I reached out to MPP David Piccini because I figured he would have a pulse as to what organizations would be in need and have been doubly affected by the pandemic and he was gracious enough to give us those two organizations who needed some dollars to move forward and we were happy to help them out,” said Manning.
For his part, Piccini said he was thrilled with the Castleton Sports Club and FishAbility receiving much-needed funds, referring to these non-profits as the “unsung heroes who make our communities special places to live.
“So when (Manning) asked me what two local organization that would be really deserving, these are the two that I instantly thought of. I thank Mandy (Martin) and Bill (Cane) who’ve been great in being staunch advocates (for their organizations),” said Piccini.
Piccini said the provincial government is fully on-board with allowing service clubs to raise money through small-stakes games, such as bingo, to give back to their communities.
“Provincially, we’ve tried to take measures as a government to relax rules to enable local organizations to do small-stakes games to raise money — 50/50s, bingo, things of that nature — small-stakes gambling that can raise money for these charities and get government out of the way and let organizations raise money and you can see it here. And, boy, do they ever do it,” said Piccini.
For Castleton Sports Club member and director Jeff Turney, he was gobsmacked by the $10,000 donation to the club, which organizes and promotes active, healthy living at its sports fields where baseball and soccer is played during the summer, and shinny hockey and pleasure skating on perfectly manicured ice rinks during the winter. The club also provides yoga classes and has a walking trail at its sprawling property in the village.
“It’s phenomenal. We were completely blown away. This came right out of the blue and it’s a gift that is going to go to very good use,” said Turney.
The good use will be the continued refurbishment of the canteen area within the pavilion at the sports fields, said Turney. The canteen, when completed, with feature new kitchen equipment to enable the preparation of pub fare including French fries, hot dogs and hamburgers that can be sold there during events.
“We’ve got a few projects on the go, and one of them is a renovation of our canteen. The canteen is something we’ve been pushing hard for and this is will be a big contribution toward that project,” said Turney, who was joined at the announcement by fellow club member and director Stacy King.
For its part, FishAbility member Debbie Hillyer said they are overjoyed with the $10,000 donation from the Kinsmen bingo proceeds as it will enable the charitable organization to continue to deliver its adaptive fishing program for those with disabilities on Rice Lake during the summer and to allow its two sledge hockey teams — the Northumberland Predators development and intermediate squads — to play each winter.
It means everything,” said Hillyer regarding the big donation. “In COVID times we’ve not been able to do any fundraising and we’ve held one fundraiser in maybe three years and it was in November. It means everything. It means we can pay for ice time, it means we can pay for new sledges, it means we can pay for new fishing equipment. Without that, we can’t provide the programs safely and efficiently to help everybody.”
Hillyer said the FishAbility Sports Club, which was formed in 2008, usually has about 350 take part in its adaptive fishing program each summer and approximately 15 club members take part in each of its sledge hockey teams each winter. The programs within the club are entirely volunteer driven.
