Enjoying all things green

Off with the jackets – hello Spring!

Our children were super excited to throw off their jackets and embrace the hot weather that hit Johannesburg just as Spring started. Even before any rain drops fell, nature wasn’t going to wait and our vegetable gardens started sprouting, the trees filled with blossoms and the children loved seeing the green everywhere.  

Our Family Food Garden growers in Barcelona Daveyton, Mayfield, Daveyton and Alra Park in Nigel also celebrated Spring with our friends from the Aurora Rotary Club. Together they added seeds and hosepipes to the gardens. We are excited to see the fruits of their labour which will provide healthy food for families. Healthy food means children can grow well, learn and play.

Arbor Day was celebrated with Aunty Vuyo from Eskom and representative from Rand Water, the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and Ekurhuleni Metro. Thank you for joining us to plant trees but also to talk about collecting bottle tops for wheelchairs in our circular economy and water-wise tips for planting. Our children learnt some valuable facts about the environment and enjoyed the special day celebrating together.

Sweating it out for Kids Haven

A big shout-out of thanks goes to the Virgin Active Bryan Park Ride Tribe for pedaling for a purpose on 27 September. Their Spinathon morning raised R15 000 and they collected a stack of toiletry items all of which will go to the wonderful children in our care. Thank you for giving from your heart (and muscle power too) for us.

Our soccer stars show their skills

Our Kids Haven soccer teams entered a tournament on the weekend of 28 September at Mary Moodly CYCC and had a great time. Sport and movement is an important part of a child’s development and we encourage all our children to join teams and activities. The boys played so well and we are very proud of them.

If you would like to get involved in sponsoring teams, providing kit and gear, or you want to share your expertise please get in touch by contacting Khethiwe on volunteers@kidshaven.co.za. 

Story of hope and appreciation

We recently received this beautiful letter and felt it was worth sharing:
 
Good day Mr M,
I hope you and your family are well. My name is Don — you were my social worker at Kids Haven Children’s Home. It’s been a long time and I wanted to say hello and thank you.
I’m very grateful for everything you did for me and for being a blessing in my life. I often think of my time at Kids Haven and of the brothers and sisters I grew up with there. I hope you, the team, and all the children are doing well.

Last call! Can you help us with a prize for our Golf Day?

We love rewarding our loyal golf supporters with some fun prizes and with our Golf Day on 9 October we need help.  If you could assist with any items or vouchers we would be most grateful. Items such as shirts, wine, umbrellas, meal vouchers, 4-ball vouchers, holiday getaways, non-perishable food items for hampers, are all well-received. We will gladly come and collect or you can drop them off at our offices in Benoni or Bryanston. Please contact Connie on connie@kidshaven.co.za; +27 (011) 706 7959 or WhatsApp 071 860 0505. Many thanks for your support.

Christmas is on its way – 5 ways to help us

Many of our children will not be seeing family or relatives this Christmas. But there are so many ways in which you can help make this Christmas a fun and joyful one.

  1. Sponsor our Christmas day meal – We cater for 130 people for our Christmas day breakfast and lunch. This usually includes something special for breakfast and then

a 7-colour meal for lunch. You can cover a child’s Christmas celebration meal by donating as little as R80. Simply scan this QR code and make your donation. Thank you.

2. Food vouchers: Donate food vouchers for our children and families in our Precare and Aftercare programme who live in communities that we support.

3. Sponsor our Boxing Day picnic – We enjoy taking the children for a picnic on Boxing Day. While we will include any leftovers, we always like to supplement this with picnic items if funds allow. Donate party packs: We are grateful to receive party packs of a few sweets, small chips, small biscuits and cold drink in a bag for 130 children.

4. Sponsor our New Years Day braai – Braaiing on News Years Day is a fun tradition that all those at Kids Haven enjoy. We would appreciate any food donations like boerewors, chicken, beef, charcoal or monetary sponsorships to go towards making it a special day

5. Care packs for staff (There are 92 staff at Kids Haven) – Our staff work tirelessly throughout the year protecting and caring for our children and young adults. We love to thank them with a small care pack at the end of the year. We appreciate donated items to go into packs that can include:

  • Hand creams
  • Chocolates
  • Toiletries
  • Small gifts like mugs, bookmarks etc.

Your support will be greatly appreciated.

Our Donation Centre is at Shop 24 Cramerview Shopping Centre, 277 Main Road, Bryanston. We are happy to collect any goods and transport them to the Centre in Benoni.

Please contact Connie if you can help in any way – connie@kidshaven.co.za.