Northmead-based NPO Apricot Tree turns a decade old this year and celebrated in style at the Benoni Northerns Baseball Club in Northmead with a Spring Fest on September 28.
The NPO kicked off the morning strong and healthy with a meet and greet followed by a performance from the Vodacom Bulls Babes, to kick off the SA verse Namibia rugby game.
“Reborne, Nick Rush and George Farraway will entertain us for the rest of the day,” said the principal of the school, Abby-Jade Reason.
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The festival was a family fun day out with food and craft stalls, beer tent, craft beer and gin (gin and macaron pairing), live music, children’s entertainment, cars and bikes and ninth Benoni Scouts.
Apricot Tree Centre is to be the ultimate special needs education and family support facility.
Reason said their young adults are getting older and are in desperate need of a respite centre or at least a functioning vocational programme, where they can be part of the community.
The school’s classrooms are kept to a maximum of seven learners per teacher, which in turn ensures that each child receives the best quality education available.
The centre’s short-term objective is to expand the education side to be of service to more children and their families.
The centre’s medium- to long-term objective is to create the Apricot Tree Live-In Centre, which will incorporate residence, on-site therapies, 24-hour care, sheltered employment and everything a person with special needs will require throughout their lives.
“Purchasing of property and the development of the Apricot Tree Live-In Centre is the ultimate goal.
“This will allow our special children a first-class live-in facility where they can live a comfortable, secure and productive life after leaving our centre at the age of 25 years.
“This takes a significant amount of funding, resources and time to complete, so most of our fund-raising efforts are based on achieving this goal. If you have fund-raising ideas, contacts or networks that we can get in touch with, please give us a call.”
These are some of their upcoming events:
• October 11: Pubniters, theatrical stage, family comedy at Summerfields Primary School
• October 30: Rowlin Glow Run, Benoni Northerns Athletics Club
• November 30: Concert: annual concert at the Maranatha Church Hall
