DATE: Thursday 5 December 2013
RELEASED BY: Phumelela Gaming and Leisure Limited
The annual Phumelela Christmas Tree, to be held at the night race meeting at Turffontein this Tuesday 10 December, will bring the excitement and joy of the festive season into the lives of some 250 underprivileged children from seven homes.
The children will enjoy a full afternoon’s entertainment including face painting, pony rides, a dancing competition and jumping castles in the Christmas Tree enclosure next to the parade ring.
After that they will be treated to a Christmas dinner in the Aquanaut Room and Father Christmas will give each of them a Christmas present, some toiletries and a small bag of goodies for the journey home.
The Christmas Tree doesn’t end there. As normal, the participating homes have been asked to compile wish lists of much-needed appliances and other items like bedding. With the help of sponsors and other donations, Phumelela expects it to be possible to provide the homes with most, if not all, of the items they have wished for.
In addition, R30,000 from the proceeds will be set aside for a college bursary, to be awarded by Phumelela in conjunction with St Laurence’s Children’s Haven, for one of the children to further their studies in 2014.
The participating homes are Abraham Kriel Childcare, Sparrow Ministries, St Mary’s Children’s Home, the Look Forward Creativity Centre, the Love Of Christ Children’s Home, the Teddy Bear Clinic and the St Laurence’s Children’s Haven, which plays a key role in assisting and organising the event.
Donations are obviously welcomed and can be made to:
Accountholder: St. Laurence’s Children’s Haven
Bank: ABSA Bank
Branch: Horison
Account number: 405 401 3188
Branch code: 632005
Reference: Xmas Tree Donation
MORE INFO: Contact Claudia 011 681 1859
PHUMELELA: Phumelela is a JSE-listed company (56.86% B-BBEE owned), which is licensed to operate horseracing and tote betting in seven of South Africa’s nine provinces. Phumelela also manages horseracing and tote betting in the Western Cape on behalf of Kenilworth Racing.
Homes participating in Phumelela’s Xmas Tree 2013
SPARROW MINISTRIES
Sparrow Ministries Rainbow Village is located in Maraisburg Gauteng and is a Children’s Home and Hospice caring for the homeless and destitute HIV/AIDS-infected and affected children and adults, who have been shunned by those around them as well as people within the communities.
Through an outreach programme, 36 outreaches countrywide provide care for some 5,500 patients, of who about 50% are children. The first priority is to feed, and accommodate, the 240 children and 45 adult patients three meals per day, before supplying any surplus to the needy in the form of food parcels for which no charge is levied.
ABRAHAM KRIEL CHILDCARE
Abraham Kriel Childcare (AKC) provides childcare in greater Johannesburg and the East Rand. AKC provides both residential care and community services and focuses on providing shelter, care and rehabilitation for children to the age of 18, who have been subjected to trauma, abuse, molestation, poverty and neglect. AKA runs six community care programmes that provide food, shelter, pastoral care, remedial care, social services, skills development services and early childhood development.
ST MARY’S CHILDREN’S HOME
Since the establishment of the original orphanage in 1902, St Mary's in Rosettenville has embraced the more modern cottage system of family units and adapted to meet the challenges of the present, including the impact of HIV/Aids on children and families, and the large-scale immigration to the city of Johannesburg. This has resulted in unemployment and widespread poverty in the community which, in turn, lead to abuse and abandonment. Although they offer residential care, their aim is always to work towards the reconstruction and reunification of families wherever possible.
THE TEDDY BEAR CLINIC
The Teddy Bear Clinic is a non-profit organisation dedicated to ensuring abused children are protected and rehabilitated. They provide therapy, counselling, assistance, love, comfort, safety and on-going support to abused children. The Teddy Bear Clinic not only works with children, but with parents and communities, empowering them with knowledge and skills that can help put an end to child abuse. They also proactively approach schools to provide education to learners and training of teachers in order to prevent abuse in their day-to-day lives.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST CHILDREN’S HOME
The Love Of Christ Children’s Home (TLC) was established by the Jarvis family to meet the serious need for quality childcare for abandoned children in South Africa. Their home is situated in Eikenhof, just south of the city.
Since they rescued their first two toddlers in April 1993, they have continued to play a part in changing the destiny of more than 780 babies who have been abandoned or orphaned, as our nation continues to be plagued by HIV-AIDS, unemployment and high crime levels. The primary ethos at TLC is that "every child has the right to a loving and responsible family".
LOOK FORWARD CREATIVITY CENTRE
Look Forward Creativity Centre provides quality care, education, counseling and support to abandoned, orphaned and neglected children brought to them or found on the street or in the squatter camps during assessments. Their mission is to help influence the future development of children in their community and the country at large. Their model is to seek first to understand why these children are abandoned or orphaned, for understanding them is the key in finding value in them and value is the basis for respect, decisions and action. They provide counseling to help the children discover their goals and values by writing their own stories, novels and poems.
ST LAURENCE’S CHILDREN’S HAVEN
The St Laurence’s Children’s Haven was founded in January 2001 under the auspices of the Roodepoort Child and Family Welfare Society. The Haven was the dream of a group of life-long friends and they have managed to keep the home open for 12 years. They offer abused, neglected and abandoned children love and care in a secure and warm environment. The children are given meals, counselling, education and clothing. For many, this is a first in their young lives. The pain and trauma of their past soon eases as they adapt to their new lives.
ALL THE SPONSORS:
Race Sponsors: Other Sponsors:
Mike de Kock Racing Boswell Wilkie Circus
Alec Laird Racing Business Actioneering
Betting World Coca-Cola Canners
Desch Clothing Cape Thoroughbred Sales
Drakenstein Stud Carryon Projects
Investec Comaro Chronicle
Martin Collins Doug Ford Signs
Racing Association EMS Medical Services
The Citizen Fiesta Toilet Hire
Game
Isizwe Hospitality
Mark Currie
MPR Hiring
OWA Ceilings
Phumelela Gaming & Leisure Ltd
Recall Security
Rowl’s Electrical
Spar Supermarkets
Southern Courier
Team Talk Media
Topic Author
) 