As Shirley Shuttle celebrates 15 years of service to local cancer patients, the Freemasons on the Central Coast have donated $21,000 to meet the replacement cost of one its four vehicles.
Shirley Shuttle is named after Shirley Galvin, who passed away in 2006 from cancer.
During the many treatments that her mother received, Barbara Galvin meet many people who didn’t have family members or friends to provide the constant transport to the treatments.
In 2008 she donated a Toyota Mini Bus to the Cancer Council of NSW which was based at Erina Fair; with Central Coast Local Health District providing the fuel.
Eventually, as the demand for patient transport and maintenance of the vehicle increased, Community Transport Central Coast agreed to administer the service.
In 2009, Freemasons on the Central Coast (FotCC) and Lodge Wyong Tuggerah Lakes provided $10,000 to help with the purchase of a Toyota Mini Bus – Shirley Shuttle No. 2 – at a cost of around $35,000.
The service now has four vehicles, one of which will be replaced with the latest donation.
The vehicles provide more than 10,000 trips every year to Central Coast residents undergoing cancer treatment, through Community Transport Central Coast and Coast Connect.
“This will (help) enable the door-to-door service for ‘transport challenged’ cancer outpatients to attend oncology appointments to continue for at least two years,” Galvin said.
“Who would have thought that my donation of $50,000 in 2008 for the purchase of the first vehicle could have resulted in such an amazing service for cancer outpatients to attend potentially life-saving oncology appointments?
“The service could not continue without the ongoing generosity of Central Coast community organisations and major donors and sponsors.
A spokesperson said FotCC was proud to support the worthwhile community service.
Source:
Media release, Mar 3
Freemasons of the Central Coast