NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 7, 2010

$21,000 Masonic Donation Caps off Another Successful Palliative Care Tournament
 
Brockville—The 17th Annual Friends of Palliative Care Golf Tournament marked another successful year on September 1 by matching last year’s total funds raised of $135,000—capped off by a donation of $21,000 from tournament platinum sponsors St. Lawrence District Masons.

“We’re thrilled and touched by their generosity,” says Dave Publow, Co-Chair with Jim Cooper of the high-profile fundraiser for the Brockville and District Hospice Palliative Care Service (B&DHPCS). “The support in the community for this service is tremendous. The Masons have been platinum-level sponsors of the tournament since the first year, one of the first groups to join.”

The St. Lawrence District Masons represent 17 lodges in the community, reaching from Lansdowne in the west to Prescott in the east and north through Lanark/Smiths Falls/Athens—with a total membership of 1400 Masons.

“We’re a very active district,” says Past District Deputy Grand Master Sonny Clark. “Every year, all districts are encouraged as Masons to take on charities of our choice, to fundraise on their behalf with events and functions, and to donate the proceeds to help support their works.”

Last year, as Deputy District Grand Master, Clark chose to donate the funds to the Friends of Palliative Care in support of the B&DHPCS. Over the course of the year, the St. Lawrence District raised $21,000 for their 2010 donation. The gift was presented at the tournament dinner, and was given on top of their annual sponsorship.

The Palliative Care Service offers support at any point from diagnosis to bereavement—and beyond, for family members coping with loss. Based at Brockville General Hospital, the team works with patients at home, at long-term care facilities, and at both Charles and Garden Streets sites of BGH. On average, they support 70 individuals in the community, in addition to inpatient care in the six-bed unit at Garden Street Site for direct symptom management or final days care. The program receives no government funding and operates entirely through local fundraising. Launched in 1979 at the former St. Vincent de Paul’s Hospital, the service has grown through the years from a single nurse to six consult nurses and over 100 trained volunteers.

Clark’s successor has already chosen the B&DHPCS again for the 2010 – 2011 St. Lawrence District fundraising year.

“We’re going to continue to work for this great cause and raise another $20,000 for palliative care,” says Clark. “It’s a good fit because the Hospice Palliative Care is an important service—and it’s local. “We like the funds raised in the district to stay in the district.”


Accepting the donation of $21,000 are the Friends of Palliative Care Golf Tournament Co-Chairs Jim Cooper (fourth from left) and Dave Publow (extreme right) from St. Lawrence District Masons (l – r) Richard Ferguson, Sonny Clark, Bryan Cook, David Gill, Ken Tuckwood, Ray Avery and Tom Delong.
 

For more information, please contact:

Joan McLaughlin Executive Director Brockville and District Hospital Foundation 613-345-4478 mcljo@bgh-on.ca

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