Life-enhancing support provided by the Hugo Charitable Trust
A substantial donation from the Hugo Charitable Trust couldn’t have come at a better time for Cancer Society Southern with demand for its services increasing by over a third in the last eighteen months.
The $400,000 donation will fund a lounge at the Canterbury Cancer Centre as well as support essential patient services such as transport and accommodation, CEO Nicola Coom said.
“With 1-in-3 of us already affected by cancer, a figure quickly nearing 1-in-2, and the age of diagnoses getting younger, being able to provide a full range of services to our clients and their whanau is vital,” Nicola said.
“If having the uncertainty of a cancer diagnosis hanging over you isn’t enough, often patients are forced to leave their home and community while they undergo intensive treatment.
“There are so many things a family must cope with when one of its members is diagnosed with cancer. Money can be tight as they become unable to work, and their partner is often forced to cut their hours to care for them.
“Trying to navigate their way around our under-pressure health system can be overwhelming and add to the stress. The Cancer Society is the only organisation that supports anyone, any cancer, anywhere.
“As we receive no direct government funding, we could not do that without the generous support of our donors. I can’t thank the Hugo Charitable Trust more for their generosity and support. There sponsorship means everything to those people undergoing their own cancer journey.”
Nicola said as well as supporting the essential everyday services, the Cancer Society also invests in research in its ambition to work towards a future free from cancer.
The Canterbury Cancer Centre opened in mid-2023 and has already provided over 6,000 nights of free accommodation to people undergoing cancer treatment. Built with the support of donors and the wider community, the Centre is a purpose-designed haven in Christchurch where patients and their whānau can stay at no cost during what is often one of the most difficult times in their lives. Guests travel from across the South Island — from places like Timaru, Greymouth, and Queenstown — to access treatment in the city. As one guest shared, “Staying here has been a godsend. It’s warm, welcoming, and full of kindness — I honestly don’t know what we would have done without it.”
Hugo Charitable Trust CEO and Trustee Aoibheann Monaghan said they were delighted to be able to support the Cancer Society. It was an organisation which touched just about every New Zealander.
“Supporting community wellbeing is something we couldn’t do without the generosity of our founders and the continued generosity and support of our people.
The trust has been able to donate over $20million since 2017 to benefit New Zealanders and it’s a pleasure to be able to provide sponsorship to the Cancer Society.”
Each year, the Trust provides funding towards medical research, the environment, health and disabilities, and community wellbeing among other things.
The Cancer Society Southern’s mission is to reduce the incidence and impact of cancer through support, research, and advocacy. The generous donation from the Hugo Charitable Trust will go a long way to help the Cancer Society support the 1-in-3 people affected by cancer.