The Peterborough District Masonic Association and the Masonic Foundation of Ontario have donated $20,500 to the Building Abilities For Life campaign of Five Counties Children’s Centre.
Serving children in the counties of Haliburton, Northumberland, Peterborough, and the City of Kawartha Lakes, Five Counties Children’s Centre provides therapy services that assist children who are delayed in their development to build the skills they need in everyday life such as walking, talking, and activities of daily living.
The donated funds will go directly to reduce wait times for children and youth by getting them access to high-demand treatment like speech and occupational therapies.
“Our donation to Five Counties’ Building Abilities For Life campaign is a natural fit,” says Drew Wilson of the Peterborough District Masonic Association in a media release. “We are a fraternity of builders. We build better men who strive to make a better world. It only makes sense then to support Five Counties programs that build better lives for children and families in our district.”
Freemasonry is the oldest and largest fraternal organization in the world. Historians identify its origins in English medieval stonemason guilds, which formed among the skilled craftsmen who built cathedrals, castles, and other stone structures. The term “Masonic lodge” refers to the working quarters that masons built next to construction sites. Today, members include politicians, businessmen, physicians, construction workers, farmers, and more.
Wilson says many local Masons, including himself, know or have had their own children benefit from treatment at Five Counties. The funds being given to Five Counties will also assist children and families in all of the communities within the Peterborough Masonic District, including Peterborough and Northumberland County.
Local Masons have been raising money for Five Counties through various events and personal donations, from both Masons and non-Masons. The latest donation from Peterborough District Masonic Association follows one made by the Norwood Masonic Lodge last year.
“We greatly appreciate the generosity of Masons of Peterborough District and the Masonic Foundation of Ontario,” says Lyn Giles, director of fund development with Five Counties. “Building compassion, kindness and charitable giving are all hallmarks of the Masonic Order, and now they can add building abilities for life to that list. These funds will go directly to helping more kids and youth get the speech and occupational therapies they need to succeed.”
In 2022-23, Five Counties Children’s Centre served more than 6,200 children and youth in its region — the highest number of clients in its nearly 50-year history. For more information, visit www.fivecounties.on.ca.
