Just For The Fun Of It

Yesterday Mark Potter wrote a very heartfelt article on his blog about his relationship with Don Petersen. It is an insightful look at the man so many viewed as a mentor, advisor, supporter and friend. Don was awarded a Paul Harris Fellow a few years ago, and the motto of that award is “Service Above Self”. Pete was everything that award embodies every day of his life, and Mark does an amazing job of capturing the magic that was Don Petersen. Here is the link to the story.

https://ktownsports.blog/2021/12/04/hey-pete-thanks/

Today is National Philanthropy Day and so, we want to take a moment to thank all of the individuals and businesses that have taken the time over the years to make personal and business donations to support our program. Those donations have been made in memory of individuals, to celebrate events, and from businesses and individuals that believe in what we do to support the children and families in our community. In these trying times, all of us involved with the league continue to be overwhelmed by the generosity of your donations. Along with the ongoing support of the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District school Board, we could not continue to keep the dream of Don Petersen alive without your help. Don wanted to give the children in his community a safe and affordable place to learn how much fun the game can be. Our thanks to all of you for helping make that dream a reality. RB

This weekend I was contacted by local artist Herman Kaur with the following message

“My name is Herman Kaur and I am an artist by passion.
I have some of my artwork set up at Coffee Way donuts on Division street.
Through my artwork, I always donate a significant part of it to local charities/ community work.
Kris at Coffee Way mentioned their relationship with the Pete Petersen Basketball League and I wanted to reach out to you as I wanted to donate some amount from my recently sold artworks at Coffee Way.
You can check my artwork here: https://instagram.com/artsie_by_passion?igshid=ydgk9kayzhvk

Herman was born and raised in New Delhi, India and is a Queen’s Alumna (2019). She did her Bachelor of Engineering from India and Master of Engineering from Queen’s.
She is currently working as a Project Manager, where she is leading a team of Engineers and product designers.
As a trained Indian classical singer, Herman has been performing in India and overseas for a long time.
In her free time, she loves to paint and pursue her passion for Fine Art.

Thank you Herman for exploring what we do for the children in our community, and thank you for believing in our organization. Our thanks too, to Kris at Coffee Way for telling Herman about us. If you are at Coffee Way take the time to have a look at some of Herman’s work on display there. Christmas is coming!

We would like to welcome the Kingston Community Credit Union to our list of local businesses that support what we do for the children of the community! Earlier this year we were contacted by Kathy Lavorato, KCCU Manager of Compliance / Operations in Kingston, to explore what KCCU could do to help with league operations. After our ongoing delays, it was decided that they would make an initial cash donation to offset operational costs associated with a COVID 19 restart, and continue to explore additional ways that the KCCU team can work with us in the future. Yesterday we picked up a cheque for $1000 at the KCCU branch on Gardiners Road, presented to league representative Roland Billings by KCCU Board member Bram Fisher (left in the photo) and KCCU CEO Jon Dessau (right side of the photo). Our thanks to both of them, and to Gardiners Road Branch Manager Carrie Pereira for hosting the cheque presentation and for taking the photo for us.

Our thanks to the KCCU Board of Directors and the local leadership team for believing in what we do for the children in our community. You are making a difference in their lives.

We look forward to continuing to work with the Kingston Community Credit Union in the future.

Recently we received very generous donations from the following individuals in support of the league.

From Yvonne Way and her family in memory of Hilda Walker. Yvonne herself passed away shortly after making the donation so in addition to our thanks, we pass along condolences from the league family to the Way-Brackenbury family on their loss.

Long time league supporter Mark Potter made a significant personal donation to “Help keep Pete’s dream alive”.

David Reid and Heidi Traulsen also made a significant donation as they have annually for many years now. Dave is a former coach of the Raptors in the Biddy Division, and he and Heidi hope that the gyn will soon be alive again with the sound of basketball.

To all of these supporters, thank you for believing in what we do for the children in our community. You have made a difference in the lives of the children that will be part of our program. Be proud of that. R

We are pleased to let you know about two significant donations made to our basketball league recently. The first is from the family of the late Estelle Rutherford to thank John and Colleen Sutton for helping at her house, and the second is from the Crothers – Rutherford family for all the fun we gave their kids long ago. We want to thank John and Colleen Sutton for asking that a donation be made to our program, and to Estelle Rutherford’s family, Gord Crothers and Liz Rutherford for believing in what we do to help the children in our community. Your donation is very much appreciated and we want you to know you all have made a difference in the lives of our league families.

Below you will find a press release issued October 4 by the KFL&A Health Unit. Let me summarize as it pertains to our program, if and when we resume play.

ALL coaches , volunteers and officials MUST be fully vaccinated against COVID 19 and MUST show proof of their vaccination status prior to participating.

In addition to this requirement, we will be requiring that anyone entering the places where we play. or participating in league activities, must also be fully vaccinated and show proof of such. For players, at this point in time it will apply to all those 12 years of age or older. If vaccination is available for the balance of our age groups in the coming months, proof of vaccination for them will also be required.

As with the Health Unit requirements, we have made this decision in the best interests of the public and our league families. Once we know return to play status we will share with you additional information about our safety plan. RB

Here is the Press Release

“Kingston – Today, Dr. Hugh Guan, Acting Medical Officer of Health at KFL&A Public Health issued a Letter of Instruction pursuant to Section 2 (2.1) of Schedule 1 of Ontario Regulation 364/20: Rules for Areas at Step 3 and at the Roadmap Exit Stepto enforce required proof of vaccination for volunteers, coaches, and officials participating or associated with indoor organized sports and recreation activities, effective 12:01 a.m. on October 5, 2021. Organized sports are defined as sports and recreation activities including, but not limited to, sports leagues, organized pick-up sports, dance classes, gymnastics, martial arts, and swimming classes, or as otherwise described in the Ministry of Health’s proof of vaccination guidance for businesses and organizations under the Reopening Ontario Act, 2020.
“Indoor sports and recreation activities have the potential to increase COVID-19 transmission especially when participants remove their mask during activity,” said Dr. Hugh Guan. “This letter of instruction adds another layer of protection to decrease any exposure to COVID-19 for volunteers, coaches, and officials who are in close and prolonged contact with participants.”

Indoor sports and recreation activities may facilitate all five risk factors for COVID-19 transmission which include: close contact, closed spaces, crowded places, prolonged exposure, and forceful exhalation. The new provincial proof of vaccination requirements have exempted certain participants of organized sports, including volunteers, coaches and officials. Given that these individuals are necessary for the operation of organized sport and will have close and prolonged contact with participants, these instructions for proof of vaccination requirement will protect them and decrease risk of COVID-19 exposures in our community.

The Letter of Instruction is effective as of 12:01 a.m. on October 5, 2021 and will remain in effect until such time as the Medical Officer of Health determines it is no longer required. Individuals who do not comply with this Letter of Instruction may be liable for a fine up to a maximum of $100,000.

To learn more about COVID-19, how you can protect yourself and what to do if you suspect you may be at risk, visit kflaph.ca/Coronavirus or Ontario’s website to learn more about how the province continues to protect Ontarians from COVID-19.”

We have received several inquiries in the recent days about registration for the season and when we will start play. Nothing has changed since our last update. Currently the school board is not allowing any Community Use of Schools and we fully respect that decision. They have said that this decision will be reviewed later in the fall. We will advise everyone of our plans once that decision is made, whichever way the decision falls. There will be no registration until we know we can play.

Until then, get vaccinated if you have not yet done so, mask up, wash your hands frequently and socially distance. The best way to get back on the court is to stop the spread.

In order to ensure the safety of students, staff, and members of the community, the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board has made the decision to temporarily postpone Community Use of Schools bookings, and will reassess their position later this fall. As a result, we will defer the start of our league activity until such time that Community Use of Schools is allowed again. We fully understand and support the decision made by the board leadership, and we will continue to work with them to ensure a safe environment for the schools, our players, and their families in the future. We will post updates as they become available and we remain committed to getting players back on the court as soon as we can.

We have been asked to post the following announcement from the family of Don Petersen. Congratulations Ben!

“Congratulations Ben Sagriff, this years recipient of the 2021 Don “Pete” Peterson Spirit Memorial Award😊
Faith, family, and friends have always been the backbone of Ben’s life, a positive influence to all who surround him. Pete would be so proud!
Ben’s future finds him ready and willing to take on his next adventure in the Fitness and Health Promotion Program in Kingston at St. Lawrence College in the fall. Good luck with your endeavour… continue to work hard and enjoy life’s precious moments!”