Donate your medals to bring joy to a child
“I’m a doctor working in government hospitals in Cape Town. I’ll be collecting all old medals which will be used as ‘bravery’ rewards for children after they have had their operations.”
Colin Maule, a resident of Glenvista, was a runner quite a few years back and managed to collect over 475 medals and about 150 badges while he was running races, both locally and nationally.
All his medals he kept in bags in a storage place, collecting dust, and he hadn’t a clue what to do with them.
Recently while he was browsing Facebook he happened upon a post by a doctor, Leonel Paulo de Caires. The post read:
“You train, you run, you get a medal … and then it’s forgotten in the bottom drawer of your cupboard, collecting dust. What if those medals could be put to better use?
“I’m a doctor working in government hospitals in Cape Town. I’ll be collecting all old medals which will be used as ‘bravery’ rewards for children after they have had their operations.
“I’ll pass them on to an organisation that already assists with the distribution to the operated little ones. I’m looking at starting to introduce the idea into the emergency rooms now too. It’s a chaotic environment that’s quite overwhelming for children at times.
“Why not give them a medal of bravery after they get their casts put on or have a procedure done in the emergency centre? Let’s turn a scary experience into something a little more light-hearted and rewarding for the little ones who are affected.
Colin contacted Leonel and was given the contact details of a friend of his in Boksburg.
He phoned Louw Breytenbach, owner of the Little Arts Theatre in Boksburg, and arranged through him to drop his medals off in Boksburg and from there they will be sent to Leonel in Cape Town or handed out in hospitals in Johannesburg and surrounding areas.
“For years I’ve wondered what to do with all my medals and when I saw this post it was a dream come true for me,” said Colin.
- Make them smile
If you have medals you no longer have a use for and would like to donate to this fantastic cause, you can email Louw on louwbreytenbach@gmail.comvisit or phone him on 074 101 8165.
One of the drop-off points is LALT Theatre House, 20 Bartlett Road, Beyers Park, Boksburg.
