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For members of the Petrie Island Canoe Club, their final paddle of the season was also a victory lap.
One month ago, the club risked shutting down if it couldn’t come up with $78,000 by Nov. 1. Construction costs on their new boathouse ended up being more than twice the initial estimates due to the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching $1.45 million and decimating the club’s finances.
By Sunday afternoon, donations to their fundraising campaign had topped $90,000, enough to keep the club afloat for now.
“It was amazing how we got support from all over our community,” said Sarah Kennedy, the club’s commodore and founder.
“Grandmas and grandpas, people who had, you know, dropped by … they’re people from all over.”
The club tried to navigate the rough financial waters for a few years, but they got “further and further behind … to the point where it was very difficult to pay our employees,” Kennedy said.
To raise money, Petrie members hosted outreach and fundraiser events, while donations poured in from across the city.
They also came from across Canada, Kennedy said, and even internationally.
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The Petrie Island Canoe Club is looking for a lifeline as mounting financial pressures could force them to shut their doors by the end of the month. The CBC’s Emma Weller has more.Scared but optimistic
For many members, the thought of losing the decade-old club seemed unfathomable.
“It scared me a lot, but I was also optimistic because I knew what our club offered to our community,” said club coach Nuala Clark. “I knew it was important for us to be there, and people recognize that.”
Several parents said the club has taught their children valuable life lessons like teamwork, water safety and respect for the environment.
The fundraising campaign also let members raise the profile of the club itself, said Holly Longhurst, who has four children involved with Petrie.
The club has roughly 250 members, and outside of competitions also offers French-speaking programs, nature education excursions and free paddle nights throughout the summer.
“I think we took it as an opportunity to get the community to be aware and to see the value that we have for families and kids,” Longhurst said.
Commodore and founder of the Petrie Island Canoe Club, Sarah Kennedy, is also the organization’s head coach. Kennedy says while the club reached its fundraising goal, it’s still in debt and not out of the weeds just yet. (Jonathan Jobin/Radio-Canada)
Not out of the weeds
The money raised through the fundraising campaign, Kennedy said, will go toward the club’s operational and boathouse expenses for the next year.
But despite hitting their goal, both Kennedy and Clark say they’re not out of the weeds just yet as the club remains in debt.
Currently, Petrie is in discussions with the city to buy the club’s boathouse, while city staff are assessing how the municipality can play a role at Petrie.
CBC reached out to the city about these discussions and was told more information would come later in the week.
“We’re going to try and find a solution that works, that’s fair and that works for the club,” Kennedy said.
“We don’t want to enter a new chapter already being burdened by debt.”