It was a joyous final school assembly for Jeppe High School for Girls on November 30 when proud Jeppe girl Carolyn Steyn visited the school to hand over a special gift.
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Philanthropist Steyn has been working with the school for the past five years in her 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela project.
“It has been a journey to see the girls grow with us in the project. When I came five years ago to ask them to join me in knitting in the name of Nelson Mandela, they took the project and made it a community thing. They have been my number one supporters. The girls have embraced 67 Blankets and helped us achieve the impossible over five years,” said Steyn.
“They have made thousands of blankets for those in need, thousands of scarves as well. Furthermore, they go out personally into the communities to engage with those less fortunate and hand over our labour of love,” expressed Steyn.
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The school will be celebrating its 100th birthday in 2019. To mark this achievement they are embarking on a major fund-raising initiative.
The fund-raising is to upgrade the school facilities.
To kick-start the fund-raising, Steyn donated R1.7-million which will go towards the building of the performing arts centre.
It was initially a R1-m donation, but after headmistress Dina Goncalves shared how much it would cost to build the centre, Steyn had a change of heart and donated more.
“The school is close to my heart. Jeppe Girls shaped me and played an important role in my school year. I’m a proud Jeppe girl and I’m glad to see the school still hold high standards and continue to be a benchmark of excellence in education. I am pleased to be able to contribute towards the growth of the school,” said Steyn.
She encouraged the girls to utilise the centre once it’s built.
Goncalves said they are humbled by the donations from Steyn.
“We love having our alumni visit the school. We love it even more when they get involved in the school. We did not expect this but we are delighted to receive this very generous donation from Steyn for our centenary year. The centre will be named after Steyn. Her roots are in the performing arts, we know she will be pleased,” said Goncalves.
Steyn also received a special gift from the school.
Manager of the Ruth First Jeppe Memorial Trust Kevin Tait presented her with a photo collage of her from the Ruth First Jeppe Fiesta where Steyn was the guest conductor at the Linder Auditorium.
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