Area Masonic lodges continue to support local community causes.

Glengarry Highland Lodge hosted nearly 200 guests for a complimentary Christmas dinner that helped raise more than $72,000 for the Maxville Manor redevelopment and a CT scanner, and the Masonic Association of Eastern District held a curling bonspiel to fund student bursaries.

Area Masonic lodges in SDG Counties have been holding events and raising funds to support local health, long-term care and education causes. During the holiday season Glengarry Highland Lodge #418 hosted close to 200 guests for a complimentary Christmas dinner with musical entertainment. The event invited donations for the Maxville Manor redevelopment and a CT scanner for Glengarry Memorial Hospital. Separately, the Masonic Association of Eastern District held its annual curling bonspiel to raise money for student bursaries. Key details: - Glengarry Highland Lodge #418 hosted a holiday dinner with performances by pianist Tristan Das Eiras, singer Rosemary Chatterson and the Glengarry Celtic Choir. - The lodge raised over $72,000 in donations: $50,700 for the Maxville Manor redevelopment and $21,700 for a CT scanner at Glengarry Memorial Hospital. - Local businesses matched the amount raised for the Manor, bringing the total donated to the redevelopment fund to more than $100,000, which contributed toward Maxville Manor reaching an $11 million fundraising goal. - Cheques were presented by Bill Shields at a combined Robbie Burns Dinner and a visit by the District Deputy Grand Master; recipients included Linda Morrow and Chantal Lajoie from the Manor foundation and Kim Jarencio and Mark Adam from the hospital foundation, and raffle ticket sales by Nelson Das Eiras also added to district funds. - The Masonic Association of Eastern District (MAED) held a curling bonspiel at the Maxville Curling Rink to raise funds for student bursaries; eligibility for those bursaries has been expanded beyond applicants with a masonry connection. - The Frederick Earl Eaton Masonic Memorial Bursary under MAED has offered over forty $250 bursaries, and Eastern District Deputy Grand Master R.W. Bro. Guy Laberge is aiming to raise $6,000, an amount expected to be increased by about 33% through the Masonic Foundation of Ontario. Summary: Local lodges combined one-time fundraising and ongoing scholarship efforts to support health-care equipment, long-term care redevelopment and post-secondary bursaries. The Glengarry donations helped advance the Maxville Manor fundraising target, and MAED plans further bursary fundraising with a $6,000 target that may be increased by the provincial foundation.