Free Coffee at Wimpy on #SlipperDay2016
To launch Slipper Day, its biggest annual fundraising day, Reach For A Dream, together with partners Wimpy and Pick n Pay, hosted a launch event yesterday at Wimpy Mall of Africa yesterday.
A fun-filled morning with breakfast, an enchanted castle and dragon cake, and clowns kept Reach For A Dream children entertained, while members of the media and celebrities such as DJ Sbu, Mark Pilgrim, Natalie du Toit and Ashley Hayden showed their support by attending and participating in the event.
On a serious note, Dr Cecil Levy spoke about the importance of granting hope to young patients with life-threatening illnesses, and guests were addressed and inspired by chairman of the foundation, Mervyn Serebro, and South African gold-medallist swimmer, Natalie du Toit.
The highlight of the the morning was listening to young Reach For A Dream survivor, known affectionately as Yoyo, share her story and perform three songs to express her journey. Through Slipper Day, which takes place on August 5th, the foundation aims to sell 650,000 stickers and raise almost double the funds from last year, which will substantially increase the number of dreams and projects that can be fulfilled in the near future.
Stickers can be purchased directly from Reach For A Dream branches nationally, and from Wimpy and Pick n Pay stores nationwide. So have some fun with your feet and help Reach For A Dream make more dreams come true! And remember to visit Wimpy on August 5th (wearing your sticker and slippers) for a free cup of coffee. #SlipperDay2016
We spoke to the real people making this initiative a reality for children who live with a life threatening disease. Reach For A Dream’s chairman, Mervyn Serebro, had this to say; “The children are isolated, frightened and threatened. From the moment we connect with that child. We begin to instill hope. The children are allowed to dream’.
Dr Cecil Levy speaks about his involvement with the foundation and how granting dreams gives hope to young patients. We asked him how long he’d been working with kids. “I’ve been working with kids and kidneys for 15 years. What’s touching about the kid’s reality is that they feel weak, we give them a terrible diet, they can’t have dreams or play soccer, can’t play outside. There’s lots of people with lots of needs in this country. What makes reach for a dream special is that it’s not a practical need that’s catered for. It’s giving the kids whatever they want.” – Dr Levy.
“Over the years, what we picked up is that most of the kids didn’t even know what a dream is. What do you mean what my dream is.”
What I took out of this event is that, we might have dreams that keep evading us, but we still feel like we could keep chasing after them. Some of these kids’ dreams aren’t a guarantee. Go out there buy your R10 sticker and help sick kid reach for a dream.