Toowoomba shone brightly at the recent Queensland Community Foundation Philanthropy Week celebrations with several awards being presented to Toowoomba locals.

Toowoomba-based Carbal Medical Services received a 2019 QCF General Fund Grant and Astrid Jorgensen, founder of PubChoir and regular Toowoomba visitor, took out the QCF Emerging Philanthropist of the Year Award whilst Dennis Wagner presented the Community Philanthropist of the Year Award to art dealer and philanthropist, Philip Bacon. Furthermore, the Wagner Family and Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport were a Major Sponsor in the 9th annual Philanthropist of the Year Awards.

Carbal Medical Services is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-led health care organisation founded in Toowoomba in 2002 by a group of locals dedicated to improving health outcomes.  Primary care services are delivered in Toowoomba, Warwick and outreach to the Southern and Darling Downs. Carbal Medical Services received a QCF grant of $28,000 to develop a storybook aimed at educating non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders about Indigenous language, culture and heritage.

The book will be developed by Carbal’s inhouse team of specialist writers and illustrators, who already have significant experience and success in developing health-focused storybooks for Indigenous communities including books about smoking, emotional wellbeing and antenatal care. “Toowoomba is clearly a hub of kindness and giving. We are delighted to celebrate philanthropy in Toowoomba and the wider Darling Downs region,” said QCF Chairperson, The Honourable Margaret McMurdo AC.

Astrid Jorgensen took out the QCF Emerging Philanthropist of the Year award, acknowledging her work as Founder of Pub Choir and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities.  Astrid has hosted two sell-out shows in recent months at Blank Space on Ruthven Street, and travels once a fortnight to take community choir, Choirbolical on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at De Molay House on Margaret Street. “It is a real privilege in this world to be heard. I don’t take that opportunity for granted, and I feel very honoured to have a platform through my work that allows me to connect worthy causes with generous people,” Astrid said.

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