The Common Good Au

12/06/2026

💜 Thank you, Bracken Ridge Lions Club 💜

Yesterday, we were delighted to welcome Community Ambassador, Big Jon Twartz, to The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation, where he presented a generous $1,000 donation to support The Common Good on behalf of the Bracken Ridge Lions Club.

For decades, Lions Clubs have been at the heart of local communities, volunteering their time, raising funds and making a difference where it matters most. This generous contribution will help fund life-changing medical research, patient care initiatives and specialised equipment at The Prince Charles Hospital.

As President of the Bracken Ridge Lions Club, Big Jon continues a proud tradition of community service and giving back. We are incredibly grateful for the ongoing commitment of both Jon and the Club.

A huge thank you to all Lions Club members whose dedication, fundraising and volunteer efforts make contributions like this possible.

When communities come together for the common good, great things can happen. 🌟

Bracken Ridge Central Lions Club
Bracken Ridge Lion's Train Day

Metro North Health

12/06/2026

It is International Button Battery Awareness Week ⚠️

This morning, Madonna Otto, Paediatric Associate Nurse Unit Manager at Caboolture Paediatric Emergency Department, was on the TODAY show!

She spoke about the risks associated with these batteries and what parents can do if they believe their child has ingested one of these batteries.

This segment is part of an awareness and fundraising campaign in which Duracell and Hospitals United for Sick Kids have teamed up.

From now until the end of June, you can help sick children in Queensland, with 20 cents from the sale of all Duracell batteries at Coles, Bunnings, Amazon and IGA stores to be donated to Hospitals United for Sick Kids, capped at $125K.

The Common Good is grateful to be the Alliance partner in Queensland for Hospitals United for Sick Kids, which enables us to support incredible initiatives, such as the Child Life Therapist at Caboolture Hospital.🙌

Duracell
Hospitals United for Sick Kids
TODAY

Coles
Bunnings Warehouse Australia
Amazon.com.au
IGA Supermarkets

Metro North Health

11/06/2026

💜Story No. 14 | 40 Stories for 40 Years
ICU of the Future: A bold project to reimagine the ICU environment to optimise patient outcomes

A significant percentage of people who survive following a period of treatment in an Intensive Care Unit describe experiences like hallucinations, nightmares, cognitive decline, PTSD and long struggles to return to work or daily life.

Witnessing these consequences first-hand led Professor John Fraser AO, along with other clinicians and researchers, to investigate why surviving the ICU does not always mean thriving and how the ICU environment itself contributes to patients’ recovery.

After several years of research, collaborative development, and support by many, including hundreds of the Foundation’s generous donors, two reimagined ICU bedspaces, called the ICU of the Future (ICUOTF), were opened at The Prince Charles Hospital.

Sara Bodlak is one of more than 300 patients who have been treated in these bedspaces since their unveiling in 2022.

When Sara was 17 years old, she spent several days in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at The Prince Charles Hospital – including an ICU of the Future bedspace.

“It is quite a comfortable space. Also, I was too sick to watch TV, and I was incapable of walking, so just the digital window and the roof were lovely, watching the trees sway back and forth, rather than just staring up at the ceiling,” explained Sara.

Read more about these innovative bedspaces here.
👉tcg.org.au/ICU40Story

📐Architecture by Architectus Conrad Gargett
📸Photography by Chris Wardle

Critical Care Research Group
Metro North Health

11/06/2026

🚴🏥 Chain Reaction Challenge riders visit The Prince Charles Hospital

Some of the riders recently visited the hospital to learn about the Child Life Therapy program and to see firsthand the impact of their epic ride.

Back in March, 26 cyclists donned their lycra to cycle more than 1,000 kms in a week to help sick kids and their families who visit The Prince Charles Hospital. Their fundraising efforts, which included covering more than 160 kms on some days through tough terrain and unforgiving weather, support the expansion of the hospital's Child Life Therapy Program.

This program helps children feel safe and in control during medical assessments, treatments and procedures.

The expansion of this program, made possible by the Chain Reaction Challenge Foundation, means thousands more children and families at The Prince Charles Hospital will directly benefit from this service.

“Child life interventions are customised or individualised based on how each child is presenting, what their previous experience is, what their current understanding about what’s going to happen is, how they’re feeling, clarifying if there’s any misconception and providing information or education based on their developmental age and their learning style. The purpose is to get them involved,” said Meenu, the hospital’s first Child Life Therapist.

“Extending the child life therapy service to the ward means we can continue with that same care.”

👉Find out more in this blog:
https://www.thecommongood.org.au/news/chain-reaction-challenge-2026-supporting-child-life-therapy-in-brisbane/

Metro North Health

Brisbane Chain Reaction Challenge 2026: In May, some of the riders visited The Prince Charles Hospital to hear from the Child Life Therapists first-hand.

10/06/2026

Rhys Hoole is The Prince Charles Hospital's 500th heart transplant recipient and survived the wait to transplant thanks to Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO).

ECMO is a lifeline for patients whose heart or lungs have failed, taking on the job of pumping blood and oxygen around the body. There are still risks associated with ECMO, and it can lead to serious complications.

Researchers at The Prince Charles Hospital are working to reduce the risks associated with ECMO. But they need your support now to take their research forward.

Support the research that could save the lives of more people like Rhys with a donation before 30 June.

💜Make your tax-deductible donation today
tcg.org.au/ECMO

Metro North Health

09/06/2026

People often ask how they can use their skills to make a real difference in their community.

If you're someone who enjoys connecting with people, bringing ideas to life, and building genuine relationships, this could be the role for you.

The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation is looking for a new Community Fundraising and Events Coordinator to join our team!

Based primarily at Caboolture Hospital, you'll work alongside schools, community groups, local businesses, volunteers and supporters to help turn fundraising ideas into meaningful impact. Whether it's supporting a community fundraiser, coordinating an event, or helping a local organisation get involved, you'll play an important role in helping people give back.

The funds raised help support life-changing research, vital equipment and patient-care initiatives at The Prince Charles Hospital and Caboolture Hospital.

You'll be joining a passionate, supportive team that believes in the power of community and the difference good people can make when they come together for the common good.

If this sounds like the kind of work you'd like to be part of, we'd love to hear from you.

Please submit your resume and a 1-page cover letter outlining your experience and what you will bring to the role: 👉 tcg.org.au/applynow



Metro North Health

09/06/2026

💜 40 Stories for 40 Years | Story No. 13 💜
Sheila & Bernard Joel: A lasting legacy of generosity

At The Prince Charles Hospital, the name Sheila Joel brings a deep sense of gratitude.

Since 2015, her generosity through the Sheila & Bernard Joel Life-Saving Medical Equipment Foundation has helped fund more than 75 pieces of life-saving medical equipment through The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation.

“She would turn up at the research labs and brighten up the room because of her genuine interest,” said former CEO Michael Hornby.

From donor heart technology to respiratory monitoring equipment, her legacy continues to support life-saving care every day.

💜 Inspired by Sheila’s generosity: tcg.org.au/donate
🔗Read more of Sheila's story here: tcg.org.au/SheilaJoel

Metro North Health

05/06/2026

Introducing Jene's MTG as the latest to join 40 Clubs | 40 Years, doing good in their local community🃏

A huge thank you to Jene for coming on board with a simple but powerful idea in support of The Common Good.

Together with their MTG community, they’ve been donating $1 from every booster pack sold — and in just a matter of days, hundreds of packs have helped raise over $1000 in meaningful funds to support patients and families in our local hospitals.💜

What’s even more incredible is that Jene has now teamed up with John from Irresistible Force to take their community fundraising to the next level.

The Common Good have proudly been named as the beneficiary charity for one of Australia’s largest MTG events, Commandergeddon 10, happening tomorrow! ⚔️

It’s awesome to see such an enthusiastic trading card gaming community come together to create real impact beyond the table, and we’re incredibly grateful to be part of it.

We’re looking forward to meeting everyone at the event tomorrow.🎴
🎲Event link: https://www.facebook.com/share/17aGWXcX5c/

Are you part of a club or community group? Let’s turn what you love into something that gives back.

Find out more about 40 Clubs | 40 Years.
👉 tcg.org.au/40schools40clubs

Jene's MTG Irresistible Force

04/06/2026

💜40 Stories for 40 Years - Story No. 13💜
Sheila & Bernard Joel: Life-saving Medical Equipment Foundation

This Queensland Philanthropy Week, we’re sharing the story of an incredible woman whose generosity has made a huge impact for patients in Queensland and will continue to do so for generations to come.

At The Prince Charles Hospital, the name Sheila Joel brings a deep sense of gratitude. To those who met her, Sheila was a shining light. And to many who haven’t met her, she may well be a lifesaver.

Sheila Joel made her first gift to The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation in 2015, in memory of her husband Bernard.

This was the beginning of her extreme generosity through the Sheila & Bernard Joel Life-saving Medical Equipment Foundation, which has now led to the purchase of more than 75 pieces of life-saving equipment for the researchers and hospitals we support.

“She would turn up at the research labs, and she would brighten up the room because of her genuine interest,” said Michael Hornby, former CEO of The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation, who knew Sheila well during his time leading the Foundation.

“While Sheila left such a wonderful and generous legacy… she also got to see her generosity in action for some six years before she passed. So, she would have been confident knowing the greater good that would occur because of the legacy she would eventually leave.”

🎥Click here to read the full story and watch the video on Sheila Joel’s life-saving legacy.🙌
🔗tcg.org.au/SheilaJoel

Metro North Health