GUEST SPEAKER: The County in Ghana - The Atorkor Story

Peta grew up in Zimbabwe, came to Canada in 1975 and arriving in the County in 1994.  She dove into bringing the arts to the County by established the Studio Tour, the Makers Hand, the Arts Trail and programming for the Baxter Arts Centre, in Bloomfield and more recently her work with Wellington Community Association, bringing art to the village!

In 2009, needing to return to her African roots, she raised funds in the County to build the Atorkor Vocational Training Institute, in a remote, impoverished coastal part of Ghana, West Africa. This club generously supported the school; which now has over 500 students and is administered by the Ghanaian Department of Education who renamed it, the Atorkor Technical Institute.

It is a thriving institution with a strong academic and vocational reputation, drawing students from far afield. In 2022 she established the Atorkor Graduate Program to assist graduates to further their education.

She has been active on many boards, including the Ontario Arts Council, Quinte Arts Council, Prince Edward Arts Council, Bloomfield and Area Business Association, Alternatives for Women, Wellington Community Association and in Ghana the Atorkor Development Foundation, Dream Big Ghana and the ATI Board of Directors.

Peta lives in Wellington and returns to Africa as often as she can!