Business
26 January, 2025
Large boost for COUCH
TWO Freemason lodges have donated $40,000 to the COUCH Wellness Centre to promote awareness and assist in post-cancer treatment services.
Representatives from COUCH, Prostate Cancer Cairns, the Endeavour and Bentley Park lodges and Hand Heart Pocket (HHP), the charity for Freemasons Queensland, met for morning tea at the COUCH Wellness Centre to mark the occasion and to discuss ways in which the funding would be used.
HHP’s Cairns representative Alan Sims said $15,000 was raised by members of the two lodges which was then boosted to $40,000 by the state charity.
This money would support an awareness campaign on prostate testing and go towards services delivered by COUCH for post-cancer treatment support.
“Local lodges from the District Grand Lodge of Carpentaries, together with matched giving from Hand Heart Pocket, made donations in North Queensland in November and December alone, of the staggering amount of $86,300,” Mr Sims said.
“The charities that were supported were prostate cancer, Royal Flying Doctor Service, COUCH, Marilyn Mayo accommodation, the Rural Fire Service, Tableland Food Truck, and a school in Innisfail.
“So many people in the community are not aware of the benevolent work done by Masonic lodges with the assistance of HHP.
“Over and above what the lodges give to charity, Hand Heart Pocket gives approximately $5.5 million a year to charity throughout Queensland.”
COUCH chief executive officer Wendy Hughes said the donation was a welcome contribution to the organisation.
“It will go towards supporting people to recover quickly from intervention-based medical treatment for cancer, through our planned exercise, yoga, pilates, music therapy, art classes and nutrition workshops,” she said.
