Newsletter - October 2024
RESTHAVEN’S OCTOBER 2024 NEWS
Dear Readers,
I cannot believe a month has passed already, and that Christmas is just 2 months away!! And because Christmas is around the corner, I’m am going to be very bold and include our Christmas Wish List in this month’s newsletter 😊
But let me first recap the birthdays for November:
For the children, we have Gift on 18th November and he’ll be 18. Staff child David is 15 on the 14th, and Kingston will be 16 on the 7th.
At Camelia House we have Debbie turning 66 o the 10th November, and Allan will be 71 on the 18th.
I did say I’d include December and January birthdays in this Newsletter, but I think it’d be better in my last Newsletter for the year next month 😊
Okay, now that’s done and dusted!
News about our children is that they thoroughly enjoyed a hike and picnic at the Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve with their housemother, Ethel.
We also have regular visits from volunteers who continue to do fun and educational activities with the children on Friday afternoons.
Our soccer boys had their closing and award ceremony 😊 but they are adamant to keep on practising throughout the December holidays.
Kingston, who has been making those wonderful items which I had shared with you last time, went to a workshop at The Hamlet which he found very fruitful and interesting! He just loves making things with his hands, and he’s very good at it! I’m sharing 2 more items he made below:
We are short of funds for our children to go on mentor camps, year end camps, vacations camps and leadership camps. All in all it would be about R4,000.
One of our children, I think I mentioned in my last Newsletter, that had now joined a mainstream school from Francis Vorwerg needs a lift club from Townsview to Dinamika school in Alberton. Unfortunately, the cost of fuel and the wear and tear on our vehicles seem to cut into our overheads. His host is donating R500 monthly to cover the lift club costs.
With exams looming, our children are very busy preparing and have their noses in their books most of the time.
Now, here’s where my boldness comes in lol! Below, I’m going to be sharing the Wish Lists for David House where the children live, and for Camelia House for the elderly.
Gracie would absolutely LOVE going to singing lessons and she has an amazing voice, her sister Valentine would like to enjoy dancing lessons.
Keegan is graduating from Grade R and we need approximately R600 for this big event in his life.
The fridges at David House are really old, and they would so like new ones. They also need new tiling in the kitchen. Same with the couches in the lounge, there are 3 and they are definitely the worse for wear, as well as the dining room chairs of which there are 8.
They also require 5 laundry baskets, clothes horses for rainy days and wooden pegs. Alternatively, a cover over their washing lines for the rainy days. The children also need raincoats and safety jackets for when they go on hikes.
They would love to have a treadmill in their gym and also require bicycle tubes and repairs or 5 gently used bicycles of different sizes so that their housemother can go cycling with them.
They need a flash drive for their digital frame, a big picture frame to do a collage of all their photos and most of all new school shoes.
We also have a “Challenge for the Month” (instead of Child of the Month) where the prizes does not exceed R150 per winner.
We would love for the girls to join Girl Guides, but are unsure of the cost and the uniforms.
The Wish List for our elderly is much shorter 😊 they would really love toiletry hampers with deodorant, face cloths, new toothbrushes and – of course – a big slab of Cadbury’s chocolate.
Due to the aging water infrastructure in our area, a JoJo tank would definitely be a prized possession and with the huge amount of dishes done three times daily, a dishwasher would also be hugely appreciated.
Those of our elderly who are still quite spry would love an exercise bicycle, as well as a treadmill. But we would need a Wendy House as an exercise room for them.
Both homes require CCTV, as we had break-ins and some gym equipment and garden furniture stolen from both homes.
Our news for the elderly is next 😊 the church they attend normally host a day filled with Christmas Cheer comprising a lovely lunch and little gift packs for each of them. If you could possibly assist with this incentive, it would be humbly appreciated.
We will be having our Annual Spring Dance for the elderly on the 9th November, and the children on planning on providing a concert for them to enjoy.
On the whole, we are just blessed that our elderly are happy and healthy.
There is also some amazing news being developed by our board members, regarding Rosehill Nursery School and Resthaven Ministries, so watch this space!!
Wow Guys, this is more than a mouthful for me, so I have no idea how you are feeling about this month’s Newsletter??
Just one last thing please? The swimming pool!! Our children – and even the elderly and staff – would absolutely love to have a dip in the coming days of summer. But we really need the pool to be fixed. Any suggestions, please?
Let’s end off with a nice picture and some positive vibes, okay?
To end off, the weather in SA has certainly been unpredictable lately, but isn’t that just a reminder to go with the flow, and find the beauty in every moment? Whether it’s sunshine or rain, let’s make the most of it and spread some positivity, looking for blessings instead of looking at our problems does make life better by far.
Wishing you all a month filled with joy, laughter and a little adventure 😊
Heartfelt greetings from Resthaven’s Fundraisers