Some may call it the month of July but many South Africans now know it as Mandela Month and it was special in numerous ways – all thanks to the generous individuals, community groups and corporates who got involved with us as an organisation. Mandela Day has grown beyond the 67 minutes of giving back on 18 July, to a month of getting involved in communities that need assistance. Madiba’s legacy in the hearts of South Africans is exceptional in a way that words cannot describe.
Every moment was touching, but what could better sum up the real value of our service than having volunteers who were once adopted from Princess Alice come back to make a difference in 2014? We had more than one, they know who they are, and it is moving to meet them as mature individuals who started their lives in our nursery.
The donations in-kind were extremely generous, quite literally filling up our cupboards. We were also very fortunate to receive some of the bigger items on our “wish list” that have been beyond our budget for a while. And we are extremely grateful for the extensive maintenance done around the house and in the garden.
The babies and toddlers loved all the treats and breaks in routine. They’ve had parties, cuddles and lots of fun. Naturally, we have needed to limit the number of people visiting at any one time, and appreciate that the corporate and community groups have been willing to spread their visits over a few weeks.
The nursery and domestic staff who were on duty on 18 July were treated by Lifeline to breakfast at the Wimpy. This act of “caring for the carer” was a wonderful acknowledgement of the contributions that they make on a daily basis.
Thank you to the following groups who were involved in our Mandela Month:-
Corporate:
Blackstar Group; Bowman Gillfilan; CNBC; Edcon; FirstRand; Forbes Africa; Four Seasons The Westcliff; Green Grass Design; HCI Coal; Injozi Digital Design; JD Group; Hello Joburg Magazine; JP Morgan; Konca; Mutual and Federal; Nedbank; Oxford Landscaping; Philip Silver and Associates; Pipeline Performance Technologies; PCBS; RGL Africa; SA Rope Access; Scratch Solutions; Standard Bank Property Finance; Tracker Connect & Transaction Capital.
Community:
Lifeline; Lions Club Glenoaks/The Wilds; Moms and Tots Greenside; Music for the Children Foundation; Ryk Neethling Swimming Stars Kyalami; University of Johannesburg; University of the Witwatersrand & Wonderland Nursery School.
THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS!