BELLINGHAM COLLECTION AT BASTILLE FESTIVAL
Upon hearing that we needed holding kennel gates so that rescue animals could be held safely over night at our new clinic, Chris and his team, Kim Wenning and Leon Coetzee, most generously offered to hold a street and road collection for our charity on the morning of Saturday 11th. They achieved the amazing amount of R2,358.10 and Bellingham are again most generously putting in a further R1,100 to bring the amount to R3,420 which will cover the entire cost of the gates. Our most sincere thanks as always to Bellingham who provide ongoing support to our self-funding charity.
- SPCA SPOKESPERSON
The Imbali Visual Literacy Project [VLP], under the auspices of Women for Peace, took root in Kylemore in 2OO1 and today is supported by an ‘OUTREACH’ program brought into the community for underprivileged children on a once-a-month art workshop program by Mrs. Alexis Hanslo of the Children’s Art Centre in District 6 Cape Town.
The children are encouraged to attend art classes on a totally voluntary basis. The Podlashuk Bellinchamp National Heritage Foundation Trust is the primary sponsor that helped Imbali Western Cape to raise the R600,000 for the construction of the building and the Podlashuk Charity Foundation donates funding for the ongoing sustainability of the program and the purchasing of the art materials required etc.
Imbali Western Cape built and equipped the Centre and this facility will eventually accommodate 50 pre-school children in safe after-school care once funding for a salary for an Edu-care teacher has been found. As part of a Visual Literacy Project, 100 primary school children, and 100 high school children attend an art workshop on one Saturday per month, on a fully sponsored basis.
CHRISTMAS AT KYLEMORE!!
Saturday 21st November was truly an auspicious occasion -- Father Christmas visited Kylemore!
Thanks to Lynn this was truly a terrific treat for our children on the Visual Literacy Project! Frankly, when Lynn suggested that we should add Christmas gifts and a visit from Father Christmas to our annual Christmas party --- I thought that we would NEVER achieve what we had set out to do!
Therese cut 110 ‘baggies’, and together with our crafters sewed up a storm and produced them in 3 days --- Lynn and I sent email to everyone we knew --- and the result was spectacular as the gifts and/or funding for the party started to roll in!
In all the time that I have had the privilege of working on Imbali’s projects in Kylemore I have never had a response like this! Family and friends were sooooooooooo generous, some sent ten or 15 gifts, some sent donations and -- all in all -- an absolutely awesome event was achieved!
Children arrived early and after munching delicious ‘choc-chip’ Magic Muffins plus ‘Smartie-covered-Cup-Cakes’ they were treated to cups of cold ‘Cream –Soda’ !! After this they went into ‘orbit’ and made the most stunning ‘Christmas Angels’ in the ‘Outreach’ art workshop so generously facilitated by Alexis and Leonie of ‘The Children’s Art Centre’ ! We were delighted to have Tiaan Jacobs, our Imbali sponsored learner at the PG Olivier Art Centre in Stellenbosch, arrive to assist with the children!
No need to tell you that the children were totally delighted with their creativity as were our V.I.P visitors that were invited to see the children’s work in progress and to share the morning with them!
Our friend Helene de Villiers, bless her, stepped into the fray and not only helped host our guests, but also took over the sale of art off our exhibition! Seven painting were sold [a record for sure!] and the princely sum of R1,750-00 was raised for the purchase of art materials for our art centre! This truly reconfirms our need to get our children’s beautiful art pieces onto exhibition where not only can the public view these simply charming art works, but also be encouraged to support our VLP project!
Father Christmas arrived and the children’s excitement rose in volume, their enthusiasm electrifying the ambience while they waited their turn to be called up to receive a gift and a hug from the great man! How humbled, and privileged we were to be able to share this breathtaking experience with these little one --- two of whom told me afterwards that it was the VERY FIRST ‘present’ that they had ever received in their lives!
Our crafters --- Moses, Mary, Christine and Denis --- helped our faithful team of Nellie, Carol and Sophia with the preparation and cleaning-up afterwards of our venue as well as with the catering and delicious ‘worsie-braai’ for everyone --- and our ‘Jump-a-lot’ castle was much appreciated by those little ones that certainly loved this special treat !
Because of the astonishing support we received we have accumulated +- 30 additional gifts for children. Eva and I will wait until December by which time Eva will know which jobless members of the community have not managed to find seasonal work on farms or in factories and pack-sheds, and therefore, which families [and particularly which children] will sadly, not have much to celebrate this festive season. We will then drive through the community and, wherever possible, share these gifts with those children.
In addition, Imbali will not be staging our ‘Pensioner’s Tea’ this December. Instead we will be packing +- 60 “Buckets-of-Love” filled to the brim with groceries and some ‘Christmas Fare’ to warm the hearts of pensioners and disadvantaged families during this season of thanksgiving! Bev and Sean have already started the ball rolling and we have R2,000.00 in our budget towards this endeavour. Please, if anyone would like to ask family and friends to contribute to this ‘outreach’, we would gratefully appreciate same.
On behalf of Imbali I would like to thank you for all you have done in warming the hearts of the children, and for bringing joy, hope and love to them – a memorable occasion for each and every little one!
Bless you for caring!
Jeanne and the Kylemore Kids xx
