LONGTIME friend and supporter of hospice, Frank Weldon, recently joined the newly established Retail Division at Stepping Stone Hospice & Care Services in New Market Park to help manage the hospice’s charity shop depot.
Says Stepping Stone Hospice’s retail manager, Brenda Peach: “We needed someone to assist with stock control, as well as manage the collection of all the donated goods we receive from the community. Frank has a particular passion for hospice and we’re happy to have him on board.”
For Frank, who worked as a legal clerk before coming to Stepping Stone, this appointment marks something of a full-circle moment for him, as he hosted the hospice’s very first fundraiser when the organisation opened its doors in 2013.
“I held a ‘Tribute to Frank Sinatra’ evening at the Alberton Retirement Village in Florentia, where I performed some of his greatest hits,” says Frank, who’s always had a great love for music.
Frank performed on the night, together with his youngest brother, Mark. He fondly remembers his middle brother, Vic, appearing on stage to surprise him, after making the trip up from Cape Town to be at the event. The three brothers, who often performed together as ‘The Weldon Brothers’ band, ended up performing together again for old time’s sake. No-one could have guessed that Vic would end up passing away at Stepping Stone Hospice’s In-Patient Unit in New Market Park in February 2015 from brain cancer.
“When we receive donated goods or sell something out of our charity shop, I think to myself, ‘this is going to help support a patient, to help ease their pain,’” explains Frank.
“For me, Stepping Stone Hospice plays such a vital function in our community. There’s a boundless and limitless feeling of love here – of family, of friends and of givers. I’m very happy to be here.”
If you have second-hand goods you’d like to donate to Stepping Stone Hospice, feel free to drop them off at the hospice’s charity shop, Ububele, in New Market Park (15 Heidelberg Rd, Cnr Ascot Rd) or for larger items that require collection, contact Stepping Stone’s retail manager, Brenda Peach, on 010 516 0033 or brenda@steppingstonehospice.co.za.
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