1. Casual Day - Dress funny, formal, funky or fancy … and remember to wear your Casual Day sticker.

Casual Day is South Africa`s foremost fundraising event for persons with disabilities. It is great for the public to support a project where they know that their contribution really reaches the people it is intended to assist.

2. western cape car competition

Donate R150-00 and stand a chance to win a Hyundai Atos 1.1

The draw of our car competition was held recently at a gala dinner celebrating our 70th anniversary on 26 September 2007 at Grand West Casino. The guest speaker for the evening, Mr Vincent Gore, drew the winning ticket. Mr Caroles Julies of St. Helena Bay is the lucky winner, who has already collected his brand new Hyundai Atos!

Watch this space for details of the launch of 2008 competition, which should be held early next year. Tickets for the competition cost R5-00 each, or R150 for a booklet which secures you 30 chances to win the grand prize! Kindly email us your name, address and the number of books you require and we will post them to you.

3. Game Stores & Vodacom give wheelchairs to schoolchildren!

Game Stores and Vodacom again provided sponsorship of wheelchairs to school-going children, in order to allow them to continue attending school. This year a total of 60 wheelchairs was given to various ELSEN schools in the Western Cape.

Seen at the presentation of the wheelchairs was (from left to right) Mr Charlie Stathakis (Game), Mr Abdul Karien (Vodacom), Mrs Ray Blecher and Ms Erica Laspé (Western Cape APD). Seated in front are Ashton Davids and Lorene Kerspray of Bel Porto School.

4. LOLLIPOP DAY will be on 6 June 2008!

5. race day

6. Wheels for Wheels Campaign 2007

The second Wheels for Wheels Campaign concluded on 8 December 2007 with the handing over of wheelchairs to the recipients.

The campaign is the brainchild and CSI project of Chrysler Jeep Dodge Century City (CJD), whereby one wheelchair is sponsored for every Jeep sold during September. The project was changed somewhat this year, as it is WCAPD’s policy to only distribute wheelchairs to clients who have been properly assessed and measured. We therefore contracted with Shonaquip and the Department of Health, as they are specialists in conducting these assessments.

There was also a change in the type of wheelchair which we distributed. Previously, a standard wheelchair was provided but after receiving many complaints concerning the lack of durability of the wheelchair as well as it being unsuited to rural areas, the Association decided to distribute the Worldmade Rough Terrain wheelchair. This wheelchair was designed specifically for use in rural areas, and made to go through sand, ditches and uneven terrain.

As a result of this project, CJD sponsored 50 wheelchairs to people in rural areas. These chairs were handed over to those able to collect them at a function held at the Western Cape Rehabilitation Centre on Saturday, 8 December 2007. Clients were correctly seated in their chair by a therapist, and then given the opportunity of putting the chair through its paces at the adjacent obstacle course.

Several CJD customers who were present at the ceremony were also eager to tackle the obstacle course in a spare Worldmade wheelchair, it being the “Jeep” of wheelchairs. Comments overheard from customers included “It’s tougher than it looks!” and “I’ve had my exercise for the year now!”

It became apparent during the seating of clients that there is a tremendous need for suitable wheelchairs, judging by the state of wheelchairs clients had been using up till then. Some even arrived in homemade chairs, held together with parcel tape!

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first collaboration between the corporate sector, an NGO and the State in the provision of correct seating to persons with disabilities.

Our sincere thanks go to all who worked so hard to make this project a success. We especially acknowledge CJD’s initiative and drive, and are proud to announce that they were the winners of the prestigous Mercedes (Daimler Chrysler) Dealer of the Year award for best Corporate Social Responsibility programme!

Sponsorships

The Association recognises that it cannot work in isolation, and that private welfare organisations can no longer operate on funding kindly donated to them by well-meaning members of the public. We have therefore embraced the concept of working together with corporate companies in the prevention of disablement, and the education of the public around disability issues.

We encourage corporate companies to partner with us by investing large amounts of time and effort into the social upliftment of the community. This in turn is a tremendous advantage to the company, especially on a legislative level where they are required to meet certain social responsibility targets.

Private welfare has become a business and should be marketed as such. The Association assists corporates by, amongst others -

• providing sensitisation workshops in order to educate their personnel on disability issues;
• Interpreting Government legislation;
• Conducting accessibility audits.

Sensitivity to issues pertaining to disability would contribute greatly towards tolerance of diversity amongst employees, resulting in changing attitudes towards persons with disabilities. Once attitudinal barriers have been broken down, persons with disabilities will be allowed to take their place in society with dignity.