Project 365 Photo a day: 365/354 – All dressed up for the funwalk

FW_5259pj354bw FW_5259pj354

South African Guide Dog Association Visited Sanlam Headoffice

 

GDA_3917

On Friday 8 March 2013 the South African Guide Dog Association had a Boerewors Roll sale at Sanlam Head office in Bellville to raise funds. Some Guide dogs and their owners as well as two puppies and their trainers came to visit.

GDA_3921 GDA_3923 GDA_3925

It was a wet and cold Friday, but the rain did not put a damper on the fundraising.GDA_3926 GDA_3927 GDA_3929 GDA_3936 GDA_3938 GDA_3939 GDA_3946 GDA_3950 GDA_3951

By lunchtime the guide dogs were showered with attention and people wanting to know more about the dogs and how the training work.GDA_3957 GDA_3958 GDA_3959 GDA_3961 GDA_3963 GDA_3965 GDA_3966 GDA_3967 GDA_3968

All these lovely people supported the South African Guide Dog Association by buying a Boerewors Roll or two…

GDA_4005
Vivian Cook of the South African Guide Dog Association of the Western Cape

GDA_3969 GDA_3970

Preparing the Sausages for the Boerewors RollsGDA_3972 GDA_3974 GDA_3975 GDA_3976 GDA_3977 GDA_3982 GDA_3986 GDA_3992 GDA_3993 GDA_3995 GDA_3996 GDA_3997 GDA_3999 GDA_4001

GDA_4006 GDA_4007 GDA_4013 GDA_4015 GDA_4016 GDA_4017

The South African Guide Dog Association trains on average 65 guide dogs per year for the blind and visually impaired. The process is human intensive and the guide dogs are trained over and 18 month period. The first phase is spent with their “Puppy Raisers”, dedicated families and individuals who “adopt” a young guide dog puppy for 12 months. Thereafter the young guide dog in training returns to the SAGA centre and is allocated to a qualified guide dog mobility instructor who will formally train the dog for a further 6 months until it is allocated to a blind recipient. You can sponsor a puppy for R3500 or a full guide dog for R10 000.
GDA_4018 GDA_4019 GDA_4020 GDA_4021 GDA_4023 GDA_4025 GDA_4027 GDA_4028 GDA_4029 GDA_4030

GDA_3912For any further information on the South African Guide Dog Association please go visit their website.

 

Winter Champagne Breakfast: Little Fighters Cancer Trust

I have finished editing the Winter Champagne Breakfast at Bloemendal.  Mrs South Africa Finalist Sunette Nieuwoudt organized this breakfast in aid of Little Fighters Cancer Trust and the guests had to bring along some baby products for the  “Babies behind Bars” project.

At first I wanted to cover the whole breakfast in one posts but I decided against it. We had some very inspirational speakers and I wanted to write a story/article or what ever you would call it on each of them. I am not a born writer but I think with their websites and stories I can write a few sentences.

First on my list is the Little Fighters Cancer Trust .

Everyone is always talking about Breast Cancer awareness and how we must support CANSA. The next charity everybody always talks about is those for HIV/AIDS children.  Never have I heard of a group that help in the fight against Childhood Cancer.

I am 38 years old and I am a mom with two healthy boys and I heard about Little Fighters Cancer Trust for the first time on 4 August 2012.  Since then I wondered what I would do if one of my children was diagnosed with cancer?   To be honest I don’t know….

I am so glad Mandie Erasmus one of the trust Administrators was one of the speakers at the breakfast. She handed out little gold ribbons and pamphlets and told us more about what Little Fighters Cancer Trust do. She also made us aware that there are different types of Childhood Cancer’s and that we should all go and have a look on the website of  Little Fighters Cancer Trust  for more information.

Mandie Erasmus

While she was talking to us they send around big green Piggy banks for donations. I just loved these Green Pigs. Maybe I must get myself one and do my bit for the Little Fighters Cancer Trust.

This morning I wanted to send Mandie some of the photo’s I took of her while she was giving her “speech” , but I only had the pamphlet she handed us. Now I am ashamed to say I only read the pamphlet and never went to have a look at the website…. until this morning.

It had me in tears. They do warn you that not all of the photo’s are nice to look at.  I read the stories, looked at the photo’s and what did I pick up? 99% of the little fighters are smiling and some are even laughing… Oh My goodness ….  My heart goes out to each and every family.  I also realized that out there in the world there are thousands of children and their families  in the same boat and how many of them here in South Africa knows about Little Fighters Cancer Trust?  Well if I only heard of them now I don’t think it could be allot.

Did you know that there are 8 different types of Childhood Cancers? Well I did not know. Here are the links to the different types of Cancers and what the signs and symptoms is and also what to do.

Leukemia;  Neuroblastome;  Wilms Tumor;  Brain Cancers;  Rhabdomyosarcoma;  Lymphomas;  Retinoblastoma and  Bone Cancers.

Childhood Cancer is a much more bigger deal than what people think.  According  to studies it is responsible for more child deaths than Malaria, Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS!!!!  Shocking isn’t it?  There are a bright side to the above 70% of all Childhood Cancers are 100% curable if diagnosed in time. So go read up and be aware of the symptoms.

The Little Fighters Cancer Trust try to relieve some of the heartache and difficulties faced by the affected families. They assist the families at home and at the hospital and try to make their stay at the hospital more bearable and comfortable.  They treat the families as a unit and try to keep the families together in dignity.  Little Fighters have a Bag of Hope Project and it is one of a kind here in South Africa.  Each bag of hope costs around R450 each for the Child and the Mother that is a scary R900.

I copied the contents of the Bags of hope

The items in a Child’s Bag of Hope are as follows:

  • Soft new blanket
  • New set of Pajamas
  • Soft toy
  • Coloring book and crayons
  • Reading book, puzzle or educational game
  • 0- PH Soap and facecloth
  • Toothpaste and toothbrush
  • Aqueous cream
  • Crisps
  • Boxed fruit juices
  • Sweets

Items typically in a Mother’s Bag of Hope are:

  • Dry cereals
  • Longlife Milk
  • Boxes of Cup-a-Soup
  • Two Minute Noodles
  • Sandwich Spreads
  • Coffee
  • Tea
  • Sugar
  • Rusks
  • Biscuits
  • Soap and facecloth
  • Towel
  • Shampoo and Conditioner
  • Toothpaste and toothbrush
  • Sanitary products

For more information on Childhood Cancers and the different projects of  The Little Fighters Cancer Trust please go visit their website at www.littlefighters.org.za 

To show your support for Childhood Cancer wear a Gold Ribbon.

Project 365 Photo a day: 365/140

A while back I went to a High tea in Paarl in aid of CANSA . For those of you that don’t know what CANSA stands for  The Cancer Association of South Africa. I will post the rest of the photo’s of the High Tea during the week also some more information on CANSA.

I was invited by Sunette Nieuwoudt  and like always my “boyfriend” accompanied me. I took photo’s of the tables but never edited it. I just focused on Sunette’s Table because she was my host and I am her sponsor for Mrs South Africa.

Well on Saturday I was not feeling to hot and decided to go through my older photo’s I still need to edit and delete all the photo’s I don’t want to use. I wanted to deleted this one because I did not take a photo of the whole glass.  Then I decided not delete it. What rules say you must take a photo of the whole object. So I edit it, sized it and saved it. I did however not publish it. I think I heard my bed calling….

Strawberry and Yogurt in Cocktail glass
Strawberry and Yogurt in Cocktail glass. Black & White