73 Women of Peterborough
Peterborough is a beautiful city on the Otonabee River in Central Ontario. This diverse community celebrates history, arts, development and their local community - Peterborough lives and thrives on the love for their local businesses and people. The women celebrated from Peterborough are ambitious, self-made, boss ladies who take charge and inspire the people around them with their inspiring, raw, unedited stories.
Nominations Are Open
Nominations are open year round for INSPIRE: The Women's Portrait Project. Do you know a woman who deserves to be applauded for her supportive and inspirational actions? Do you want to invite INSPIRE to your community?
Submit your nomination-
Abeer Al-Salihi
Compassionate • Inspirational • OptimisticI am a Syrian Woman and I chose Canada and made it my family final destination. I am a Muslim woman and proud of my colourful hijabs. I am a wife of a lovely Iraqi man and a mom of 2 kids who are teaching me new things every day. I am an engineer and… Continue reading
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Amanda Nichols
Bubbly • Amazing • PassionateEver since I can remember, I have LOVED being at the fire station. I love the smells, the sounds, the people, the family, the job. Like my Father, Grandfather and Great Grandfather before me I wanted to be a part of something bigger and more special than me. I wanted to leave this world better… Continue reading
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Amber Rimmer
Outgoing • Compassionate • StrongToday I am the mother of a wonderful, kind hearted, strong spirited, young lady who seems to have an old soul and in which we call our rainbow baby. We fought hard to bring her into this world and when I allowed myself to bond completely with her around 5 months; I was asking her… Continue reading
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Anne Arnold
Courageous • Giving • CompassionateI have always believed in giving more than you receive and have always given back to my community. I was raised to always be kind to others and to go one step more when helping a friend. Just over a year and a half ago I lost the love of my life, my husband Gord.… Continue reading
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Ashley Buck
Compassionate • Motivated • GivingMy names Ashley Buck, I’m 23 years old, and I grew up on a farm in Norwood Ontario. At the age of nine I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, and had to spend a lot of time at Sick Kids Hospital. A disease that was hard on me for many years, ended up inspiring and… Continue reading
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Brianna Gosselin
Sarcastic • Funny • Honest“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” – Thomas Merton Art has always been my haven. The place where no matter where I am in life. or what I’m going through, offers peace. I am an Intuitive Artist currently residing in Peterborough, Ontario with my English cocker spaniel named… Continue reading
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Bridget Leslie
Kind • Fun • DeterminedAt the age of 46 I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Luckily for me a new drug has just been approved in Ontario which targeted my HER2 positive diagnosis. Herceptin saved my life. With the support of my close friends and loving family I survived surgery, 8 rounds of chemo, 16 Hercepton, and 25 radiation… Continue reading
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Brittany Cameron
Humanitarian • Inspiring • VictoriousI describe myself as an HIV Positive Mother, Wife, LGTBQ* Ally, Intactivist and Human Rights Activist. In addition to being a loving mother to three children, I am in a committed long term relationship with my partner who is HIV Negative. I came to Peterborough in November of 2005 to escape the streets, sex work… Continue reading
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Carlotta James
Passionate • Energetic • FriendlyPresent…Life in Peterborough: I am passionate about re-wilding urban greenspaces and creating pollinator pathways as a way of supporting resilient ecosystems and contributing towards a rich urban biodiversity in our city. For most of my life, I have been committed to community building projects, to protecting the natural environment, and to empowering citizens to develop… Continue reading
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Carol Lawless
Spiritual • Creative • InspiringSpiritual I grew up in a family that prayed to St. Anthony when you lost something. After failing my driver’s exam twice because I couldn’t master the parallel park, my mother told me to pray to St. Jude. “He’s the saint of impossible causes.” When I couldn’t get pregnant I asked my mother who I… Continue reading
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Catherine Hanrahan
Workhorse • Brave • Forward ThinkingWorkhorse In my adult life, I have never had just one 40 hour a week, 9-5 job. A friend of mine called me a workhorse and it rubbed me the wrong way at first, as if it were a phase in life that I had to get past. In my 20s, I worked long hours… Continue reading
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Cheryll Dancey
Patient • Active • Strong-WilledI’ve been thinking long and hard about what to write for my bio, the truth is there’s so much behind who I am today that it could never possibly fit into 300 words.. so I’ll start with how I got here. About 2 1/2 years ago a, for lack of a better word… toxic relationship… Continue reading
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Cora Whittington
Intuitive • Insightful • InspirationalI was 18 when my sister passed away with a rare bone disease. Her funeral was her 16th birthday. An experience like this at that age can’t help but affect you profoundly. It started me on a lifelong journey of working with people move through and beyond their suffering, no matter the cause. Six months… Continue reading
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Crystal Jessup
Energetic • Personable • MotivatedI think I have the best career in the world and I’m certain my opinion is biased but I’m a photographer and I love to photograph happiness along with everything else for that matter. Emotion captivates me and I strive to create artistic and dreamy images that capture candid moments. I focus on the little… Continue reading
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Danielle Dickenson
Dedicated • Resourceful • AuthenticI had a great deal of trouble writing this bio. Ask me to write an article, social media post, or new office policy and I’m all over it. But to write about myself? Well that’s difficult. I try to live my best life. I work hard, I try to help everyone at all times as… Continue reading
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Danielle French
Creative • Driven • AuthenticI moved to the Bethany Hills from Toronto with my four daughters, Carlyle, Grace, Olivia, and Aubrey Rose and our dog Mollie. It seemed like a good thing to do – we were ensconced in the city and I thought if I had any chance getting them to experience rural life, then it was the… Continue reading
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Debbie Carriere
Serene • Pensive • CourageousI have worked at the Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough since 2012. It is impossible to work here without becoming a passionate advocate for the mission. Every day I have the pleasure of interacting with women who courageously invite us to walk along with them on their journey. Every woman’s story filled with unbelievable courage,… Continue reading
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Deborah Miller
Honest • Knowledgeable • QuirkyAll of the pieces, good and not so good, fit together. Hold me together. My puzzle is incomplete. My lifelong quest for knowledge affords challenges and changes the structure of my being. Alternate perspective and solutions are sought in unusual places. Though I seek to evolve, my foundation corner pieces remain intact. I am ambitious,… Continue reading
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Dr. Neera Jeyabalan
Introspective • Resilient • CompassionateMy family left my native country of Sri Lanka for Zambia when I was a child. A civil war made it impossible to return to Sri Lanka so, Canada became home. A mere four years after arriving in Canada, my father passed away. I was just a teen and my dear mother was left to… Continue reading
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Elizabeth Rahman
Accepting • Empathetic • CompassionateMy pride and joy are my two children and four grandchildren. I love the fact that a small part of us lives on in our offspring, so we are in a way immortal. My passion is working in the multifaith community. I love spending time with people of faith (any faith)…. They feed my soul!… Continue reading
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Ellen Stewart
Kind • Inspirational • EnergeticWith age comes wisdom, that much I know is very true. If only I knew then what I know now, my life would be different. Our experiences shape us, life’s up and downs make us who we are. I am who I am by the choices I have made and the circumstances that resulted from… Continue reading
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Emily Ferguson
Authentic • Aspirational • UnafraidWhen I read the word “extraordinary” used to describe the women who are part of this project, a lump forms in my throat… I cannot see myself here. When I read their astonishing bios and realize their tremendous achievements, that lump in my throat gets bigger…. How on earth can I even be considered? These women… Continue reading
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Grace Mahoney
Creative • Encouraging • EclecticI am addicted to growth. The more opportunities I have to encourage it the happier I am. I live for change. If it isn’t working how can I make it work. I love a challenge as long as it doesn’t include running. I make meaning. Everything I create tells a story. I see potential. I… Continue reading
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Gwyneth James
Compassionate • Confident • CleverI’m a numbers gal…not so good with words. So, here’s me in the form of an equation: [mom + dad + sister] = happy childhood! Victoria, BC 4 years x UBC + 2 years x U of Ottawa + 2 years x CGA Association = lots of letters after my name, but not much work… Continue reading
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Hajni Hos
Eclectic • Spiritual • HumourousI don’t fit in a box. I am Canadian but I am also Hungarian (Canadian during the winter Olympics and Hungarian during the summer Olympics). I am a mom, lead a non-profit, but I am also a lawyer and a teacher. I lead a community choir. I moved to the other side of the world… Continue reading
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Heather Avery
Caring • Patient • EnergeticI have worked in education most of my life, helping students from middle school to graduate school to achieve their goals and dreams. It’s been an honour and an inspiration to help young women and men believe in their abilities, understand their potential, learn how to learn—and then fly. Most recently, I have come to… Continue reading
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Hollie Lawder
Vivacious • Caring • DeterminedI am a Registered Massage Therapist, mother, wife, book junkie, and indulger of happiness. I love anatomy, and the way the body moves. I love the challenge that comes with the body when there is a muscular imbalance, but what I love more is when a client tells me how much better they feel. Massage… Continue reading
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Janet Dawson
Caring • Thoughtful • Hard WorkingIt’s funny how you go through life making statements about the kinds of things you will do or not do when you get older. If I had to bet, probably every statement I have made has gone the exact opposite from what I planned. In my memories, I can see myself as a young child… Continue reading
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Janet McLeod
Loyal • Generous • ResponsibleLooking for the house I live in now, I told the real estate agent I wanted three bedrooms and a garage, but what I really meant was peaceful and safe. Three bedrooms are more than I need day to day, but filling them isn’t hard. Duvets and quilts for family at holidays, my mother visits… Continue reading
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Jeannine Taylor
Trailblazer • Supportive • BadAssI am driven to be near water and love the Kawarthas. I love that we are surrounded by water in every direction. I grew up in Peterborough, was educated here and never had any desire to move away. I am grateful to my parents for moving here from Toronto after the war, and to my… Continue reading
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Jen Avis
Thoughtful • Strong • HealingI struggle to write about myself – it always feels like I am painting such an incomplete picture! So, since this project is all about amazing and inspirational women (pretty wild to think I have been included on the list) I thought I would think about the people and events that I think have been… Continue reading
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Jennifer Scates
Strong • Organized • HonestIce Cream has always been apart of my life… As a kid my favorite food was ice cream, and not a day afterschool went by with out a cereal bowl full of ice cream to finish off the day. In high school, every lunch was spent with my friends eating grilled cheese sandwiches and chocolate… Continue reading
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Jessica Correa
Hard-working • Creative • BubblyHi ! My name is Jessica Correa. I’m a 20-something from Oakville, Ontario who moved to Peterborough for university. Ever since high school, I’ve had a deep-passion for our planet and have fought hard to find innovative solutions. I am the middle sibling of 2 beautiful sisters, girlfriend of a handsome Indian water-resources engineer,… Continue reading
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Karen Giles
Passionate • Creative • TenaciousI am so proud to call Peterborough my home. Peterborough “the City of Light”. As a teenager, leaving for college meant screeching out of here, and never coming back, but alas in 1989 I returned to start my family and Peterborough was the only choice. Nursing is my passion and helping others has always been… Continue reading
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Karen Irvine
Loyal • Energetic • CaringI moved to Peterborough 15 years ago to marry the love of my life. I have been riding motorcycles for 40 years, and am a founding member of the now disbanded Fallen Angels Motorcycle Club, a group of all women riders who raised money for charitable organizations doing what they love to do: Riding motorcycles.… Continue reading
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Karen Jopling
Adventurous • Engaging • TenaciousBorn and raised on a dairy farm in Peterborough County, and then marrying a farmer, agriculture has always been a big part of who I am. While I always recognized the value of farming, I saw the true importance of agriculture when I became the 1987/88 Peterborough County Dairy Princess. My role was to educate… Continue reading
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Katie McVety
Resilient • Capable • SpiritedTo say that I was completely shocked when I was nominated for this project would be an understatement. Me? Inspiring someone? I’m the nameless voice you reach on the other end of the phone when you have an emergency and need help. You don’t see me. You don’t know who I am. No, my job… Continue reading
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Katy Shufelt MD FRCPC
Confident • Compassionate • ConscientiousI am grateful to call Peterborough my home for so many reasons. My family moved to Peterborough in 1991, when I was in my last year of high school. I only attended Adam Scott for one semester, but met two people who impacted my life in a large way. The first was Mrs. McIlmoyle, my… Continue reading
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Kemi Akapo
Passionate • Candid • Action-OrientedThis is a quote I often think about. I do not, in fact know what my ancestors’ dreams were but I’d like to think that they dreamed that life for their descendants would be one of more opportunity than they had. This quote boosts me up when I am feeling drained, reminds me of how… Continue reading
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Kerry McCann
Genuine • Tenderhearted • DedicatedThe path that brought me here would be; fate. I had always wanted to be a secretary, like my amazing Mom, but I didn’t think that I could do it. My Dad was in the medical field, so it is funny that I would become a medical secretary. To help women through their pain and… Continue reading
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Kim Blackwell
Vivid • Wicked • UnstoppableI am a veteran 4th Line director/producer – 2018 will mark my 24th season with 4th Line Theatre where I have directed 16 productions including seven world premieres. Selected credits include: Artistic Director (2014 – Present), Artistic Producer (2009 – 2014), Artistic Associate (2001-2009), directing: The Shadow Walk of Millbrook (2016), The Hero of Hunter… Continue reading
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Kim Driscoll
Happy • Optimistic • FunI will begin my 29th year of teaching in September. I still enjoy getting up and going to school each day. I like being one of the caring adults who helps students transition into and through high school and find their way on the windy, twisty road of being a teenager. While it’s never easy,… Continue reading
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Lesley Heighway
Innovative • Inspired • GratefulI am grateful every day for the opportunity to make a difference in my community through my work at the PRHC Foundation. Having lost my Dad to brain cancer when I was 23, I know first-hand what it means when families have to travel for care. I watched my Mom travel 3 hours each way… Continue reading
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Lola Keating
Kind • Strong • PhilanthropicMy name is Lola Keating, I am twelve years old. I go to Chemong Public school and I am going into my grade seven year. At my school I am a Red Dragon that means I help out younger grades on the school yard. I also am a library helper so I help put away… Continue reading
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Louise Racine
Innovative • Authentic • NurturingMy interest in women’s issues began while working for the federal government in the 70s and 80s when the equity movement was gaining momentum. In fact, my awareness of gender inequality was sparked at about the age of 10 when I noticed how differently the boys and girls in my family and small Ottawa Valley… Continue reading
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Maggie Vanderbyl
Passionate • Hardworking • BraveInspire definition ( thanks Siri) “ Fill someone with the urge or ability to do or feel something , especially to do something creative “ Let me introduce myself. My name is Maggie Vanderbyl, I’m 30 years old and I grew up in Peterborough in a little war time house in the north end… Continue reading
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Marina Wilke
Resilient • Nurturing • ConfidentWhen I turned the page on the chapter of my life called Single Parent, it was a plot twist I wasn’t expecting. The narrative that I had carefully crafted for my future lay in ruins. When I tried to skip to the end- “you know, the “happily ever after” part?” All of the pages were… Continue reading
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Mary Smith
Passionate • Committed • PrincipledIt has been a privilege and honour to have served as an elected official for the past twenty one years. I have met so many amazing people and learned so much about our community. I grew up on a family dairy farm in what is now the City of Kawartha Lakes, so I have always… Continue reading
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Megan Collyer
Confident • Driven • CourageousI’m Megan Collyer, a grade ten student at Thomas A. Stewart. I live in Peterborough and love to be involved with my community. Recently I have been a part of Junior Achievement and have been working with them ever since. I was introduced to JA through my grade ten business class where we created our… Continue reading
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Michele Kadwell-Chalmers
Courageous • Resilient • CompassionateI am the owner of The Original Flame, a fireplace boutique shop in Peterborough, ON. I have always been shy & quiet but love people, so I ended up in sales! I have sold, everything from pet caterpillars to Kool-Aid when I was a kid, to motorcycles & ATVs and finally settled on fireplaces. I… Continue reading
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Michelle Thornton
Optimistic • Reilient • DependableHmmm…this is hard. I guess to start, I can tell you I’ve been married to my teenage summer love for 34 years. I am grateful to be a mom to an amazing daughter and son, and I am so proud and happy to be gramma/namma to four precious grandchildren. I work full time as Deputy… Continue reading
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Monika Carmichael
Driven • Compassionate • GenerousI am the proud and dedicated owner and active General Manager, of Trent Valley Honda, ( as well as the only female car dealer in Peterborough) , which next year will be celebrating 44 years serving the Peterborough community. My father instilled in me a great work ethic, showed me how to live with genuine… Continue reading
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Paula J Cassidy
Random • Curious • ShapeshifterIt has been said, according to my teen children, that the alien face emoji is so not cool. I use it ever single time I text them. My third child – my youngest, who was blessed with Down Syndrome – says that she loves me because I make her bacon. This is surely a good… Continue reading
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Paula Kehoe
Inquisitive • Humorous • ResilientInquisitive My story starts in a small fishing town, located on the tip of Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula, called Red Head Cove. I spent my free-range childhood playing among the grassy knolls, wandering through the rugged landscape, building tree forts, and chasing waves on the wharf. I loved my childhood. Outside play nurtured my imagination and… Continue reading
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Peyton Henry-Dancey
Generous • Kind-Hearted • RespectfulMy name is Peyton, I am 8 years old. I don’t ask for birthday presents, because I have everything I need, instead I ask for donations and donate them to local shelters, like the humane society and the warming room. Other kids in my class have now started to do it too. I dance competitively,… Continue reading
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Rhonda Barnet
Inspirational • Passionate • StrategicI am the Chief Operating Officer of Steelworks Design, an engineering and custom automation firm co-founded with my husband, Don Barnet. I am responsible for the finance and development portfolios, and have guided SWD to 15% annual growth year over year. In 2017, my role expanded to include Co-President, coinciding with a push to realize… Continue reading
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Rita Wilke
Adventurous • Resolute • StrongMy portrait was taken on the banks of the Otonabee River with Trent University’s Faryon Bridge in the background. This bridge holds a very special place in my heart. Family memories were made here, too many to tell. To bridge is to form a connection, bond or link between two things in order to cross… Continue reading
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Rosemary Ganley
Globally Minded • Positive • ActivistI am a lifelong feminist activist and writer, who attended the Fourth UN Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995. I lived in Jamaica and Tanzania for six years and with my husband John founded the development agency “Jamaican Self Help” in 1980. I later published a book on this experience: “Jamaica Journal: the Story… Continue reading
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Roxanne McDonald-Brown
Dedicated • Passionate • TenaciousHi, my name is Roxanne. I was born and raised in Rexdale Ontario, which is a suburb inside of Toronto. As a child I saw first hand what it meant to have a strong work ethic. My parents would often work double shifts to ensure my sister and I had what we required. This… Continue reading
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Sandra Dueck
Community-Driven • Policy Nerd • SmartRaising humans is hard. but my love and dedication to those same humans has pushed me in ways I never imagined. My husband and I successfully made it through the baby and toddler years with our two daughters and son, but now I feel we’re in the place where the rubber hits the road, those… Continue reading
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Sara George
Sarcastic • Funny • HonestIt is really hard to describe who I am when I feel like I am just discovering that myself. My husband and I met in high school and ended up marrying each other after being friends for 20 years. We eloped in 2015 and 11 months later our daughter Elora joined us. She was just… Continue reading
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Selena Wilson
Brave • Strong • SweetMy life really began this past year at the age of 30, unfortunately in order for my life to begin I had to go through hell. Looking back, I realize I excelled at coasting through life, that is until 4 years ago, when the answer to why I had so many walls built up came… Continue reading
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Shari Darling
Coachable • Tenacious • GratefulIn 2018 I completed my Alzheimer’s Caregiving Tour of Duty in caring for my husband, Jack, who passed away from Alzheimer complications on January 14, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. Caregiving for a loved one with Alzheimer’s for over 5 years was the most mentally, spiritually, intellectually, and emotionally challenging mission of my life. AND it… Continue reading
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Shelby Leonard
Honest • Spastic • LateI don’t consider myself to be inspiring: dorky, scattered, perhaps determined but not inspirational. Actually, I turned down the nomination because I didn’t feel as though I should be a part of these amazing group of women. But then I thought about it, and someone thought to nominate me, so I graciously accepted. I don’t… Continue reading
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Shelby Parker
Friendly • Passionate • QuirkyIt’s hard to put into words how different my life is now compared to how I always dreamed it would be. Even as a child, the only thing I dreamed of being is a journalist. In the fifth grade on career day I came with my pad of paper, my camera (that came in my… Continue reading
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Shirley Williams
Humble • Dedicated • KnowledgeableMy name is Shirley Ida Williams nee Pheasant(Neganigwane) and I am a member of Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve, Manitoulin Island. I graduated from the Diploma program in Native Studies(Trent U) in 1982, BA in Native Studies (Trent U) in 1983, Life Skills certification (George Brown College) in 1984, Diploma on Native language Instructions Program (Lakehead… Continue reading
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Sneha Wadhwani
Effervescent • Creative • CompassionateMy story begins in a small town in central India. By some stroke of magic, my parents decided to sacrifice everything they knew, so that my sister and I could know better things. My story rests in the hearts of those I have been able to touch. Whether on a stage reciting poetry, sharing ideas… Continue reading
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Sofie Andreou
Fearless • Fierce • FreeMy tattoo is of the Lady of the Lake sword. It’s all about being authentic and not letting anyone have an unhealthy hold over you. Something happened to me over a period of time, walking home from school, that scared and embarrassed me so much that I hid it from family. I thought it was… Continue reading
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Susan Dunkley
Dynamic • Thoughtful • SupporterHaving now lived in Peterborough for over 30 years, I consider myself a true Peterboro-ite. I love my husband, my boys and my pets (two cats Squirt & Zeus and my beloved “garga-poo Zoey). I have the joyous job of working at the Peterborough Humane Society, where my love of animals and community collide. Coming… Continue reading
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Tanna Edwards
Dedicated • Generous • AdvocateTanna… Name…from Mom, who chose it from a classmate of hers when she was a girl. Not short-form for anything else. Sadly, my namesake was unfortunately one of the many victims of Hurricane Hazel in Weston, ON, back in the early 50’s. Wife to Joe, my supportive rock, and proud “other mother” to my inherited… Continue reading
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Tracey Ormond
Vibrant • Courageous • KindI am the owner of That’s A Wrap Catering.here in Peterborough, ON. I am also co-owner of Classic Home Cooking, a meal delivery service for Seniors and busy families. Self-taught in the culinary arts, I got my start by providing homemade lunches and meals to friends and family. After years of private catering in my… Continue reading
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Valerie Yeo
Creative • Ambitious • IndependentMy name is Valerie Yeo. I am a 23 year old Peterborough native. I work at Steelworks Design as a Welder and a Millwright Apprentice. I have been working in manufacturing for almost 5 years now and finding more reasons everyday to continue working in my sector. My work-life goal is to be Red Seal… Continue reading
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Wendy Trusler
Nurturing • Resourceful • ResilientI am an interdisciplinary visual artist, designer, writer and food stylist. Balancing a life of art and food for over twenty years; I have cooked and catered across Canada and internationally, food styled for film and television and developed an art practice that encompasses visual art, curatorial projects, performance, film and writing. I have exhibited… Continue reading