Masons donate $20,000 for children’s cancer treatment centre

By Jeff Green

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Bill Bowick; Alistair Lamb, operational director, cancer programs; Kelly Bodie, Cesarina Kidd, Tim Barber, Richard Kizell, VP, University Hospitals Kingston Foundation

It’s funny how one good thing leads to another.

In the spring of 2007, Bill Bowick was one of the volunteers helping to organize the first Relay for Life for Central and North Frontenac. He was given the name of Caleb Daigle, from Canoe Lake Road, as someone who could help publicize the event. Caleb was seven at the time and battling neurofibromatosis, a rare form of cancer.

Caleb was happy to help out, and became part of the media effort that helped the Relay for Life achieve an unexpected level of success.

Later in the year, Bill, who is a Mason, took on the role of district deputy grand master of the Masonic Association of Frontenac District, which encompasses 16 separate lodges between Gananoque and Napanee and as far north as St. Andrews Lodge in Northbrook and Cloyne.

Bill thought about Caleb, and he asked Caleb what kind of project he should identify for fundraising in the district during his year as deputy grand master.

Caleb talked about the new Eastern Ontario Cancer Centre that is being constructed at KGH, and Bill got in touch with Nancy Druick of the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation. She suggested that the Masons contribute to furnishing the new playroom that will be part of the paediatric centre when the cancer centre is completed in 2012.

In the existing cancer centre, children receive treatment with the adults, and caregivers and families have to struggle to deal with the unique needs of children undergoing cancer treatment. All that will change when the new centre opens.

Children’s services include a new dedicated exam room and treatment space as well as a large, well-equipped, child-friendly playroom for patients and their siblings.  Children living with cancer, and their families, will have a special, private place to receive assessment and treatment.

The Frontenac Masonic Association raised money at events throughout the past year and at fundraisers for their own members, with Caleb coming along whenever he was available. In the end they raised just under $20,000, which was donated to the hospital foundation on Tuesday night (November 18).

According to Nancy Druick, the money raised will not only be sufficient to furnish the new playroom but will also be used to buy intravenous pumps for the chemotherapy suite.

“We are very grateful for this generous gift from the Masons and for their ongoing support of Kingston's hospitals. The Masons’ gift to the new Cancer Centre will help ensure that cancer patients throughout south-eastern Ontario have access to the very best care environment,” said Richard Kizell, the Vice President of the foundation, in receiving the donation.

The foundation is in the midst of a massive multi-year campaign to raise funds for needed upgrades at the KGH, Hotel Dieu, and Providence Care Campuses of the Kingston hospital.

“Thanks to organisations like the Masons, thus far we have raised $57 million towards our goal of $70 million,” said Nancy Druick.

Thanks also to Caleb Daigle, who provided much of the inspiration for the Mason campaign.