“Sarah volunteered again as Head Coach of the Petrie Island Canoe Club in 2022, as she has done since 2013, 10 years that she has devoted to the kids. Sarah is a real sport hero. The amount of time and effort she devotes to the club is incredible. She is always thinking about the next thing that needs to be done to make the life of her athletes and their families better.” – Hector Carranco, Petrie Island Canoe Club
Petrie Island Canoe Club (PICC) is a community and volunteer-run paddling club in Orleans. Their goal is to foster a sense of community where everyone can have the opportunity to paddle, from beginners to high performance training. The club was born out of learn-to-kayak programs, directed by Sarah Kennedy in 2013, under the leadership of Rideau Canoe Club and Friends of Petrie Island. Since then, Sarah been the volunteer Head Coach, and has worked to build the PICC to camps and programs that run year-round!
After a paddling life in the East Coast, in which Sarah went from the “kiddie canoe” program to compete for Canada in the 1995 Junior World Championships, Sarah completed her science degree and started a family. In the summer of 2011, they moved to Orléans and found Petrie Island, known as a little pocket of paradise by Sarah and PICC members. It was obvious for her from the moment she visited for it for the first time that what the island desperately lacked was a canoe club!
As Sarah worked with Rideau Canoe Club from 2013 to 2015 to build the camps and program at Petrie Island, the endeavour grew larger than Rideau Canoe Club wished to manage. In 2016, Sarah collaborated with others to form the Petrie Island Canoe Club. To date, Petrie Island Canoe Club has won several provincial titles and many athletes from the club have competed at the Canadian National Championships, some of whom are training to make the Junior Worlds Team just like Sarah did almost 30 years ago.
In addition to their work in shaping excellent athletes, the Petrie Island Canoe Club has maintained a close partnership with Friends of Petrie Island since 2013. This partnership provides PICC campers with regular opportunities for ecological learning and stewardship. Within the core mission of the club, PICC aims to be good stewards of the environment, through educational programs and volunteerism to protect clear waterways and natural ecosystems on and around Petrie Island.
Sarah and the Petrie Island Canoe Club are also commitedt to long-term growth of the club to continue to offer a variety of paddling opportunities for all levels, ages, and abilities. In 2021, the club was awarded a grant from the Canada Community Revitalization Fund and received contributions from the Innes, Orleans, and Cumberland City Councillors to initiate the first phase of a permanent boat house as part of the clubhouse plans on Petrie Island. Additionally, PICC was awarded funding from Ontario Trillium Foundation’s Community Building Grant to support the club’s goals after three challenging years in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Those involved with the Petrie Island Canoe Club recognize Sarah’s dedication to the club. Sarah was nominated by PICC employee and long-time friend, Hector Carranco. He shared with us that her energy and enthusiasm for what the club can do for the community are endless. She motivates the board members, the coaching staff, the participants, from the kiddie canoers to the masters paddlers. The amount of time and effort she devotes to the club is incredible. She is always thinking about the next thing that needs to be done to make the life of her athletes and their families better.
Learn more about the great work of Sarah Kennedy and the Petrie Island Canoe Club on their website: https://petriecanoe.ca/