Well-Being: We Are Stronger Together

Posted On Tuesday December 24, 2019
OPG Charity
L-R: Rob Davidson (2019 Chair of the OPG Pickering Nuclear Employee Charity Campaign), Randy Lockwood (Senior Vice President, OPG Pickering), Evelyn Smith (Rotary Club of Pickering), Joan Halket (Civil Maintenance, OPG), Charles Eberth (Rotary Club of Pickering), Fairport Beach PS Snack Program Volunteer Sherie Fernandez, and Fairport Beach PS Principal Caryn Hurst helped deliver snacks to students on December 3rd.

OPG Employee Charity Campaign and Pickering and Ajax Rotary Clubs donate a total of $4,000 to DDSB school snack/breakfast programs

“None of us are as strong individually as we are together,” says Charles Eberth, a representative of the Rotary Club of Pickering.

The Rotary Club of Pickering, Rotary Club of Ajax, and Ontario Power Generation (OPG) Pickering Nuclear Employee Charity Campaign recently joined forces to donate $2,000 to the snack program at Fairport Beach Public School in Pickering, and another $2,000 to the breakfast program at Bolton C. Falby Public School in Ajax.

During the first week of December, representatives from the organizations delivered the donations to both schools, and volunteered their time to prepare and serve food to the students.

Fairport Beach PS

On the morning of December 3rd, representatives from OPG Pickering and the Rotary Club of Pickering met at Fairport Beach PS to lend a helping hand to the school’s snack program.

Mary Schlag, one of the school’s regular volunteers, says their snack program has been running every Tuesday and Thursday for the past five to six years, “Receiving a donation like this is huge. Nutrition is so important for student learning. When community organizations team up to help us continue this program, it makes all the difference.”

Charles Eberth and Evelyn Smith (Rotary Club of Pickering), Randy Lockwood (Senior Vice President, OPG Pickering), Rob Davidson (2019 Chair of the OPG Pickering Nuclear Employee Charity Campaign), Joan Halket (Civil Maintenance, OPG), and Crystal Neault (Communications Officer, OPG) prepared baskets full of fresh veggies, crackers, and hummus for students.

The team delivered the snacks to each classroom in the school, and witnessed the students beaming with excitement upon receiving their morning snacks.

Bolton C. Falby PS

On the morning of December 5th, the OPG volunteer team (this time with Analiese St. Aubin, Manager Corporate Relations, OPG) met up with Tom Batchellor (Rotary Club of Ajax), and Durham District School Board (DDSB) Ajax Ward 3 Trustee Donna Edwards to prepare and serve breakfast to the students at Bolton C. Falby PS.

Principal Conor Jinkinson says the breakfast program at Bolton C. Falby PS provides breakfast to approximately 150 students per day, “Community partnership is the key to this program. When we all collaborate, that’s when everyone is pulling together for the best of the children.”

Awareness in the Greater Community

“The goal of participating in local school nutrition programs is to help bring awareness and encourage other community partners in Durham Region to also provide support,” says Randy Lockwood. “Giving back to our community is the right thing to do. We all benefit by investing efforts in community youth programs.”