As the year draws to a close the Lions Club of Mitchells Plain reflects on some of the stand-out moments and projects from the first six months of service for this fiscal year 2024-’25 starting in July.
The projects
- July saw the launch of a pilot project in honour of Mandela Day with the CPOA Yvonne Parfitt Place in Westridge. The club partnered with a barber and a few hair stylists and treated the seniors to fresh cuts and stylish blow outs.
- In August the club celebrated Women’s Month with a breakfast and high tea with 40 women from the Mont Clair Seniors group. The event was hat-themed.
- September was for supporting Casual Day to raise funds for persons with disabilities. As literacy is one of the club’s big passions, the club also donated pre-loved reading books to Portland High School. The club also participated in the National Cupcakes for Cancer at the Liberty Promenade Mall and did some tree planting for Arbor Day.
- In October the club focused on Breast Cancer Awareness and collected gently worn, pre-loved and new bras which were handed over to an Oncology Unit at a local hospital. “Wear Your Shades Day” is a fundraising campaign and movement that encourages all South Africans to show solidarity to the visually impaired and the Club did not hesitate to jump behind this cause. Another maiden project for the Club was Mental Health Awareness and Wellness Day. The 80 residents who attended the well-planned and perfectly curated day were engaged by health care professionals in the respective fields.
- November saw the club moving forward with ongoing feeding projects and one of their mainstay projects is their delivery of knitted baby caps for premature babies – this is to observe World Prematurity Day. A total of 250 knitted caps were handed over to the Neonatal Unit at Mitchells Plain District Hospital. The club also did projects that entailed donating pre-loved clothes and bedding to different communities in and around Mitchells Plain.
- December sees the ongoing collaboration with the Shoprite Soup Truck that often makes feeding projects possible in the Mitchells Plain area. “As we wind down the year, among other things we have done two big projects which saw us donating more pre-loved clothes, shoes and sanitary towels to another organisation that has partnered with us often in the recent past,” says spokesperson, Jean Jacobs.
“While we encourage our club members to take time to reflect on their individual families over the festive season, we are aware that our service does not ever stop. As an NPO we are dependent on donations and it is with this in mind that we want to thank every donor and/or sponsor who has come on board to help.”
If you would like to join the Lions Club and be a part of making a difference in the community, email mitchellsplainlionsclub@gmail.com
