CAPE TOWN – The Daniel and Friends Fund brought magic, music, and real impact together at their annual gala, a night that celebrated purpose and resilience.
The Daniel and Friends Fund recently hosted the event at picturesque Eensgezind venue outside Durbanville, uniting a devoted network of supporters alongside the families whose lives the organisation has touched.
Operating nationwide, this remarkable non-profit has built its reputation on bridging critical gaps in emotional support for families navigating the complex journey of raising children with special needs, a path that can often feel isolating and overwhelming for parents.
Though the organizers needed to raise funds, they evolved the event beyond its monetary aims to become a powerful tribute to courage and strength.
Magician Peter G began the evening’s entertainment, whose comedic magic show set a lighthearted tone. The highlight arrived when beloved South African entertainer Emo Adams commanded the stage, delivering a performance that had the entire audience tapping their feet. Guiding the evening’s proceedings was celebrity doctor Darren Green, who served as master of ceremonies.
Why this matters?
For families with functional needs children, events like Friday’s gala is a reminder that their struggles are seen. Founding member and director Lianie le Roux addressed the audience saying that no parents ever expect that their child would be born with a rare disease or other special need while pregnant.
“You think this would never happen to you, and are not at all prepared for if it does,” she said. Le Roux stressed that every cent of the money raised go toward the children, be it special equipment or family outings. Annual activities hosted by Daniel and Friends Fund throughout the year, include a visit to Bugz playpark, a nappy walk and Christmas party with the highlight being the Different is Cool fashion show where the children get the opportunity to take to the catwalk.
Co-founder and director Kate Laurie added that the most important thing to remember about Daniel and Friends is that the founding of the organisation was a very personal journey for her and Le Roux, as they both lost their children Daniel and Marielé to rare illnesses in one week, having met each other in the hospital ward.
The founders started the fund in January 2014 in remembrance of Daniel and Marielé. “Something good had to come from all the sadness,” Laurie reflected.
“As we got talking we pondered on what we missed as parents to special needs children. It was a supportive close knit community of parents going through the same thing. Someone you can phone late at night when you are emotionally distraught.”
A meaningful encounter during a medical emergency began Michelle Phillips’ journey to becoming co-director of the organisation, when she first met Le Roux while Daniel was her patient during an ICU ambulance transport to the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital.
“To work with every single person in this organisation fills my cup every single day,” Phillips reflected.
This organisation has given us a voice, a space for our children to shine.
In a deeply moving address, parents Tamara Yates-Butler and Molly Dube-Kachukiwa shared their transformative journey with the fund, speaking from the unique perspective of mothers navigating the challenges of raising children with special needs.
Yates-Butler, mother to one child with cerebral palsy and another with autism, alongside Dube-Kachukiwa, who has a child with Down syndrome and another with autism, offered heartfelt testimony about the organisation’s impact on their families.
“I don’t know where I would have been without them and what we would have done,” Yates-Butler reflected. Dube-Kachukiwa echoed this sentiment, adding: “This organisation has given us a voice, a space for our children to shine.”
