Pharmacies give back to the community
Fun and laughter were the order of the day as charities receive windfalls.
It was all about fun, camaraderie and charity at The Local Choice Pharmacy Lily last Friday.
The pharmacy, owned by Wimpie and Marissa van Rooyen, was abuzz as members of the Themba Squad (The Local Choice Pharmacy head office) put on their work boots and got ready to assist in the pharmacy for the day.
The Themba Squad recently went on auction for the franchisees to bid on management to work in their pharmacies.
The van Rooyen’s pharmacies, namely Lily (in Kenneth Avenue, Homestead) and Oak Avenue (in Main Road, Witfield) won the bid for Christopher Williams (CEO), Jaco du Plessis (MD), Darren Brooks (national sales manager) and Rachelle Campbell (group marketing manager) to work at Lily Pharmacy.
“We have 25 people working at our head office and we were all sent to pharmacies to work after the bidding,” said Rachelle.
“Head office staff participated in all the daily tasks performed by pharmacy employees, from mopping floors to signing up customers to the loyalty programme.”
Wimpie and Marissa were also presented with a cheque for R100 000 to donate to a charity organisation/s of their choice.
The couple chose to support four charities, namely SAVF Kowa Pienaar Home, Ithembelihle Lsen School, Remme-Los Independent Living Centre and Chubby Chums for the Children’s Homes.
Each organisation received a donation of R25 000.
The pharmacy’s Spring Day celebration was incorporated into the event and customers were invited to join in and celebrate the occasion.
Wimpie and Marissa have owned Lily Pharmacy for 22 years and Oak Avenue Pharmacy for 21 years.
“We strive to have a satisfied, happy client who receives good service and good prices,” said Wimpie.
“We want our customers to come back time and time again as we would not be where we are today if it was not for our loyal customers.
“I believe service is extremely important and today many businesses forget about service.
“We want to know our customers by name and give them excellent personalised service.”
The charities were thrilled to have been chosen by Wimpie and Marissa to receive the much-needed funds.
