Newsletter - June 2025
Hello Everybody 😊,
It’s that time of the month again lol!! This month I have a LOT of news, and some of it is VERY exciting!!
I think I have mentioned in last month’s Newsletter about refurbishing our old office building into another home for the elderly? Well, we have had a lot of help and already have 3 residents. We are still busy with the rest of the building and need dry walling to make individual rooms in the bigger offices. We do, of course, need built-in cupboards for each room too! We have been blessed with solar geysers for all our homes, God is great indeed!!! We also still need to create additional showers, a little spaza shop for the residents so that they don’t have to walk the streets should they need soap, a sweetie or such like. The biggest priority here is to upgrade the security at the home!! We are having a grand opening of this new home for the elderly on Mandela Day and will be sending out invitations 😊.
Let’s do the birthdays now – of course, our Jabu is turning 18 this month and would like to take a friend to Gold Reef’s Game Park.
Other than that, we only have 3 birthdays for the month of July: Sandy at Camelia House will be turning 77 on the 15th, Desiree – our beloved bookkeeper - will be 68 on the 22nd and a staff child, Lianna will be 9 on the 30th. We are SO blessed to have a special angel who donates birthday monies every month!
The children have been very busy! Our social worker, Ingrid, does a monthly challenge with them and this month’s challenge is to bake cupcakes. To this end we require the ingredients as follows: 5kg cake flour, 6 liters milk, 2Kg sugar, 2Kg icing sugar, 100g baking powder, 2 liters oil, 100 cupcake holders, food colouring, 18 eggs and sprinkles. We also need prizes for this challenge, if anyone is able to either donate or suggest anything?
A wonderfully kind donor who regularly visits and supports our children has come through with some warm clothing items for our children. This was so much appreciated as they grow rapidly and we are always in need of clothing for our kids, especially during winter.
Talking about warm clothing, another regular donor was inspired to bring beanies and scarves for ALL of our residents. The children were happy and the oldies elated!!
As mentioned last month, the children attended an Arts Festival and were ecstatic to walk away with 1st prize for dancing and 2nd prize for their art!!
Our soccer boy, Skylar, was chosen as Man-of-the-Match and came home with a cup!!
Prince and Bonolo went for Leadership Training for the Holiday Bible Club.
And the children all went on an Eco-Hike locally, which they also thoroughly enjoyed:
We are, however, in dire need of a vehicle to transport our children!!
Now for the long part lol!! We are launching a Help-A-Child project whereby YOU choose which child you would like to support, help him/her with a monthly amount between R300 to R500, or whatever you’d like to donate and receive monthly reports on that child’s progress. Below I have listed each child and a short description for you to make your selection:
V - Girl aged 10 -Does art at school as an extra mural. In grade 6. Would love to do camping/join girl guides. Reaching puberty and will need feminine products soon and needs toiletries. Tall and thin-average build. Needs art products.
G - Girl aged 8 -9 in August. Very active and inquisitive. High intelligence and gets bored easily. Needs extra mental stimulation. Determined to become a scientist. Needs science experiments/science club and perhaps ballet lessons and kit. She is average build, weight and height.
T - Boy aged 8. Quite insecure, but alert and sharp. He has a tutor we need help to pay for. He is improving and struggles with literacy and math. Very energetic, talkative and attention-seeking. Very gentle and co-operative. Would like to encourage him to play sport. Also needs an Occupational Therapy assessment. Small, thin and average height.
S - Boy aged 11 -12 in August. Obsessed with soccer and plays for a local professional club. Needs soccer boots/shin pads, help with transport and extra’s like transport, refreshments etc. He struggles with literacy as he started school very late. He also has tutoring, which we need help to pay for. He may need Occupational Therapy. He is hard on clothes and underwear. He is small and thin, but fairly tall. He is very active and very sensitive. A day dreamer.
P - Boy aged 14 -15 in Sept. He is a prefect and a perfectionist, well groomed. Obsessed with soccer and plays at a local professional club. Needs soccer boots/shin pads, help with transport and extra’s like transport, refreshments etc. He would like to go to a good school. Would need finance for a private school if possible. He is diligent and conscientious and usually polite. Likes to have fun. Tall, thin and reaching puberty. Will need shaving kit/toiletries etc. Enjoys physical activity, may enjoy a bicycle.
K - Boy aged 16 He has learning and cognitive difficulties. He is, so to speak, illiterate and this frustrates him. He can’t express himself well verbally. Very tall and thin. Good at woodwork, likes fixing things. Loves gaming. Would love to have a bicycle and go cycling. Not keen on physical exertion. Needs to find a learnership or apprenticeship, some vocation to help him be independent. Hard on shoes. Interested in basketball.
G - Boy aged 18 In grade 11. Learning challenges but doing well. Diligent, disciplined and motivated. Plays rugby at school and enjoys it. Needs a laptop and extra’s for school trips etc. Wants to be an entrepreneur/businessman. Interested in theatre, drama-especially stage management.
J - Boy aged 18 In matric. Needs help with economics and math. Also mentioned perhaps going into business. Will need to study or find a job/learnership next year.
J2 - Boy aged 20. Completing a learnership in fashion -sewing, basic design and business/marketing. Also going to night school to complete his matric. Has a cognitive/learning challenge. Hopes to do fashion design and launch his own line soon. Needs support to get various dress materials, a sewing machine and with marketing and branding and event org. Looking to next year and finding a job or setting up some kind of business. Will need help to find accommodation and set himself up on his own-live independently. Insecure and hesitant, needs support and help to develop responsibility.
This money would basically be used for pocket money, extra mural activities or toiletries and our social worker Ingrid, will keep you up to date on the child’s progress and should you decide to participate in this project, please would you clearly mark your donations with your name, contact details and which child you choose to support??
We aim to share our blessings as much as possible, and beside the 10+ soup kitchens we serve as a conduit for, we have made a decision to support and start a partnership with another initiative which is just starting out. Weeds and Seeds Midvaal, which is a non-profit company that aims to eradicate hunger by uplifting and upskilling the community with their community food garden and skills development centre. They offer Agriculture, woodworking, soft skills and new venture skills. They are expanding their reach to include a Baby Sanctuary, and have been approached by the Department of Social Development to take in abandoned babies. They already have 1 little baby girl and are preparing to enlarge their facilities for this venture. Should you wish to assist in this project, please mark your donations clearly for Baby Sanctuary and the money would be transferred to them and I shall forward a Proof of Payment, as well as a Section 18A, to you so that you may be sure they have received your kind donation. They are still in the process of becoming compliant with the red tape concerning Section 18A tax certificates, which is why we are standing as a go-between.
Well, I did promise you a lo-o-o-ng read this month and I hope you didn’t find it too overwhelming 😊
Please feel free to contact us should you have any queries regarding this month’s news.
This just proves that your kind hearts and benevolence not only cares for our children and elderly, but has far-reaching effects 😊
Sending you lots of love and good wishes as always,
Resthaven Fundraisers