Staff at The Coffee Club have cancelled the traditional Christmas corporate gift offered by the company, deciding instead to donate $20,000 to help sick children.

Staff will donate the money to the B105 Christmas Appeal helping the Royal Children’s Hospital fund vital medical research, equipment and support services.

This year The Coffee Club confirms its legacy of supporting charities which help sick children across the country. The company’s own charity which supports sick children, called Changing Children’s Lives, has this year donated $10,000 to the national Children’s Hospital Fund.

Director of The Coffee Club, John Lazarou, said he will further support children’s charities this year by hosting Brisbane’s Variety Special Children’s Christmas Parties with Channel 9 star Richard Wilkins.

“I have been hosting these parties for 14 years and love supporting charities which help children and their families,” Lazarou said. “As a father you know how important your children are and how much support some parents must need when their child is sick or has a disability,” he said. “Many in business call what we do corporate social responsibility. But that’s a silly buzz word,” Lazarou said. “We’ve been doing this since our business began 21 years ago, and we just call it helping the community,” he said.

The Coffee Club has been involved with the Variety Special Children’s Christmas Parties since its commencement 16 years ago, giving away more than 10,000 free coffees each year to parents, guardians and carers at the events in Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Adelaide.

The Coffee Club raises funds for its Changing Children’s Lives charity by donating 30 cents from the sale of every 200g tin of Signature Blend coffee.