Hospitalised children surprised with toys
Young lives brightened up yet again by caring beauty pageant winners who prove that a little love goes a long way
MISS Junior Teen SA, Kristen Martin, started her festive season on a giving note when she joined other beauty pageant winners in visiting children at hospitals including Johannesburg General Hospital on November 30.
They were there to bring smiles to the little ones’ faces by handing out toys collected throughout the year from donations by good Samaritans and generous schools, to all the children’s wards, including the Oncology ward at Johannesburg General Hospital, where Kristen met brave children battling with cancer.
“We were welcomed by Matron Mpaza who accompanied us to all the wards. Assisting her was Miss Junior SA Bryoni Govender, Miss Teen Africa Ayanda Pholi and Mr Pre-Teen Africa Malibongwe Biza, said Miss Junior Teen’s number one supporter and mother, Mrs Veronique Martins.
Other institutions visited by the group to hand over donations were Raheema Moosa, Mother and Child Hospital, Smile Project, Rape Crises Centre, Boksburg Child Welfare and Carolyn Villa of Hope.
An official from the Rape Crisis Centre told the CHRONICLE that their joy was short-lived as just days before Kristen and the representatives did the Toy Run handover, the Crisis Centre was broken into and the donations for the victims were stolen. Although there has been no closure on the case, the official said she hoped that prompt action would be taken in order to bring the perpetrators to book and discourage other would-be criminals from breaking in and stealing donations made to victims.
They still have a lot of toys left and Kristen said that she will be handing them out to other children in need at various hospitals and worthy organisations in the next few months. She will also be getting involved with Nashua Mobile Children’s Charity Foundation.
“We are in the process of organising an Easter Egg drive and will need everyone’s help again. Together with Pageants SA we will be hosting an Easter Egg Hunt at Bunny Park in the East Rand and a few other things are still in the planning phase,” added Mrs Martins.
Bringing a little joy to children’s lives wasn’t the only milestone that Kristen Martin achieved in 2013. She was also hard at work, doing her best to ensure that she made it through Grade 10 with flying colours.
According to her mother, Kristen passed Grade 10 with good marks and will be going to Grade 11 in 2014. “She will be working extra hard this year; she wants to obtain good marks as she wants to study B.Com Law”.
