Durban — It’s the holiday season and nothing adds more cheer than receiving a gift in fancy wrapping.
However, this can be a stressful task amid other Christmas preparations. But if you are shopping at Gateway Theatre of Shopping, you can have your gifts wrapped for a donation to the Reach for a Dream Foundation.
The foundation helps to make the dreams and wishes of children diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses come true and has been doing so for the past 35 years.
One of the foundation's many recipients is 10-year-old Zeke van Blerk. Leanne van Blerk, Zeke’s mother, has commended the initiative by the shopping centre and the charity organisation.
Her son, a chronic kidney patient, had three wishes, and one of them was made possible through the initiative.
“Going to Cape Town was his biggest wish. He had always wanted to go there and they made that dream come true. A company called West African Group also helped with a monetary donation,” she said.
The family undertook the trip to Cape Town in October. They had initially planned to take it at the beginning of the year, but were constantly forced to postpone due to Zeke’s health.
“These people (the foundation) really understand the hardships these children and their parents go through every year, with the treatment and the hospital visits. If more people could get involved, it would be absolutely amazing,” said Van Blerk.
She said that she had also taken on the initiative of making gift bags for other children who had been hospitalised with her son, as the hospital had become his second home.
The gift wrapping service is near the Ted Baker in Gateway (first floor, near Entrance 5).
Gateway marketing manager Michelle Shelley said they were pleased with the initiative.
“Shoppers have generously supported Reach for a Dream at Gateway for many years. We’re delighted to provide visitors with two opportunities to help children’s dreams come true at Gateway this year,” said Shelley.
The foundation’s KwaZulu-Natal regional manager, Kerry Donkin, said funds raised through donations at the Gift Wrapping Concierge and Disney Chari-tree go directly towards making children’s dreams a reality.
“Especially at this time of the year, it’s a powerful way to impact these children and their families,” said Donkin.
“There’s no fixed fee, but a R20 donation is the base rate. Last year we raised R180 000 at Gateway, which enabled us to do so much. We would love to improve on that,” she said.
At the Disney Charitree, which is decorated with character plush toys, love is given to the children in various ways. In partnership with Toys R Us, R5 is donated to the charity for every Disney plush toy bought from the store.
All the Disney plushies on the tree are donated to the charity once the tree comes down.
“When we visit children with life-threatening illnesses in hospital, these toys become a symbol of hope and a token of love from beyond the wards,” said Donkin.
Sunday Tribune