Casual Day reaches significant milestone with R23.5 million A whopping R23.5 million was raised nationally last year by Casual Day, the fundraising project that has seen the South African public open its hearts to persons with disabilities for almost two decades. Casual Day celebrates its 20th anniversary year in 2014 and will be pulling out all the stops with its Bring out the Bling theme. Gauteng Provincial Association for Persons with Disabilities in Fordsburg - with branches in Sebokeng, Tembisa, Orange Farm, Tshwane raised R246 645.00, coming 2nd in the Gauteng for the first time ever! There chief fundraiser Shane Browne also received the award for the most enthusiastic and effective fundraiser in Gauteng. This amount was raised almost single handed by Shane through and with the assistance of Caxton Newspapers throughout Gauteng, who followed his journey from early February 2013 right through to Casual Day in September. A huge big thank you To the community newspapers for its support! Sponsored by The Edcon Group, Casual Day is the flagship project of the National Council for Persons with Physical Disabilities in South Africa (NCPPDSA), which this year celebrates 75 years of service to the community of persons with disabilities. Over the past 19 years, Casual Day has helped the NCPPDSA to fulfil its mandate of creating a barrier-free, fully accessible and inclusive society for all, raising almost R195 million. The national project is run from the Casual Day offices which it shares with the NCPPDSA Edenvale. Stickers, hats, caps and Casual Days shirts will be available from end April 2014. This is when Shane will be starting his conquest to raise over 1 million rands by himself for 2014 and hopefully Caxton community newspapers will be there along the way assisting again in this magnificent cause. The annual Casual Day event, billed as “Breakfast With The Stars”. Long-time Casual Day ambassador and award-winning star of stage and screen, Terence Bridgett, was the Master of Ceremonies. He said had been involved with Casual Day for 14 years and that “Casual Day is not just a commitment for a year or two; it is not a commitment for a season, but a lifetime commitment.” Attendees were delighted by his performance of a song to the soundtrack of ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ which rounded off the events. He wrote his own lyrics and called the song ‘Casual Day Is Forever’. Casual Day Project Team Chairman and Executive Committee member of the National Council for Persons with Physical Disabilities in South Africa Mac Mia gave some background history of the project, explaining that, “Casual Day was not built by one individual, it is a collective effort of which we can all be proud. Casual Day was built, one sticker at a time, by everyone who participated over the last 19 years.” “The competition in this space has become crowded with social agencies and fundraisers, each with a strong purpose and all chasing the same pots of gold. If we are to remain relevant and successful we need to strengthen the Casual Day brand and we need to target our audience as a trustworthy, transparent, accountable and focused campaign.” Also on the podium was Helgard Muller, Casual Day ambassador who had his foot amputated after an agricultural accident in the US. The road to recovery was a long and painful process for him. He saw all the things he loved doing – being active, enjoying the outdoors and travelling – disappearing from his life. But then he got a bike which changed everything for him. He is far more active and involved in sport than before his accident. And now he is inspiring others. He undertook a 6000 km cycle tour around the borders of South Africa to raise awareness for Casual Day. He became the first person with a disability to cycle around South Africa when he completed the Casual Day Ride for Hope. Principal financial sponsor Edcon, was represented by Mercia Maserumule, the Edcon Group CSI Manager, Transformation and Corporate Affairs. She said that “Edcon understands that full inclusion and integration is important and that able-bodied people need education on issues of disability - so that they have information and are sensitised. The Casual Day project is one of the ways that Edcon can support the mandate of the NCPPDSA, which is to serve the needs of persons with disabilities. We want our staff and customers to be included in this education.” The enthusiastic gathering consisted of members from the project beneficiaries and participants, including representatives of the NCPPDSA, SA National Council for the Blind, SA Federation for Mental Health and Deaf Federation of SA. The new crop of beneficiaries were also present, including representatives from Autism South Africa, Down Syndrome South Africa, The National Association for Persons with Cerebral Palsy, the South African National Deaf Association, the National Institute for the Deaf, Alzheimer’s South Africa, the South African Disability Alliance and QuadPara Association of South Africa. At the event the theme for 2014 was announced – Bring out the Bling. Project leader Celeste Vinassa said afterwards, “To celebrate Casual Day’s 20th birthday we are inspiring South Africans to dress UP, not down. We hope that organisations and corporations will start planning their campaign soon as it takes the entire year for the Casual Day ‘train’ to roll out. “The theme is Bring out the Bling and the colour for the year is Dazzle Blue, a dramatic colour relating to the world of the theatre. So our message to you is to rustle up a little razzle dazzle. Casual Day is all about fantasy and dressing up in things you can find around the house. Be creative with glitter, fabric, shiny paper, sequins or just wear your sticker and a posh casual attitude!” For more information on how to participate in Casual Day go to Facebook /GPAPD ENDS February For more information, photographs and publicity material call Shane Browne/ Marketing / Media Officer Cell: 082 6566616 E mail: [email protected]
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 08:54:25 +0000
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