When Fourcast, PARN and the 360 Nurse Practitioner Clinic approached the Community Foundation over a year ago asking if we could help them with a campaign to raise funds for an opioid response hub, it was easy to say yes.
As Kieran Andrews from Wild Rock said to me when they donated to the campaign, “you either have compassion or you don’t”. We know Peterborough is a giving community and that there are many compassionate people who know that addressing the opioid crisis takes an “all hands on deck” approach.
The Community Foundation does just that. We work with donors and charitable partners in the City and County of Peterborough to address complex issues. We believe that together, we can build a vital community for everyone. That includes people struggling with addictions.
And we are not alone in that belief. In just a few months, we received over one hundred donations from individuals, half a dozen from local businesses, a few from churches and professional associations, a grant from the City of Peterborough, plus contributions from four endowed funds held at the Community Foundation. The campaign to Light the Way to $160K really has been a community effort and I am grateful to everyone who has contributed.
Along with the money, the donations came with messages of support. People shared that this initiative was very close to their hearts. Some made their gifts in memory of loved ones. They told us “This treatment centre is so needed in our city. We can’t help our brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, friends unless they are alive. People deserve this chance.” And they, like us, found it “inspiring to see the community come together to provide support for individuals in need of hope and support”.
As one donor said, “our community’s response to the opioid and housing crisis must be united. We must be hopeful that better days are ahead for everyone”.
The campaign has reached its target so I am delighted that the Community Foundation is making this grant to Fourcast on behalf of everyone who helped Light the Way to $160K.
Donations will continue to be accepted to the Consumption and Treatment Services Site Fund until the end of January at www.cfgp.ca/LightTheWay