Mrs Doran and residents of Drayton Villas Retirement Village have raised over $70,000 for local charities in Toowoomba.

It started with a thank you for the Queensland Ambulance service when Mrs Doran organised a fundraiser and collected nearly $1000 in 2001.

"We put on a St Patrick's Day fundraiser for them with raffles and tea and coffee and raised $800, and it just went from there," she said.

She and other residents now run two fundraisers a year. "We have bring-and-buy stalls, with people donating items like cross stitches and jars of jam, and we also have raffles as well. They (the residents) spend all their money on items for the fundraisers only to buy it all back," added Mrs Doran.

Since 2001, they’ve raised over $70,000 for charities like the Toowoomba Hospice, CareFlight and St John's Ambulance.

The incredible generosity of residents at the Drayton Villas Retirement Village has been a constant source of pride and inspiration.