Some little people from the Land of Oz Nursery School made a big difference recently when they raised funds for Stop Hunger Now South Africa by hosting a swimathon.
The school, which has two campuses in the greater Fourways area (one in Fourways and one in Chartwell), hosted their annual Swimathon event on 10 March. Children and their families were invited to swim laps, with each lap completed being sponsored to raise the amount needed to provide a single nutritious meal.
About 250 people took part, including most of the schoolchildren as well as their parents and siblings.
“We actually had two Swimathon events, one for each [Land of Oz] school,” explained Maureen Irving. “One took place at the Rubba Duckies Swim School in Chartwell, and the second was at Aqua Marine Aquatics Academy in Douglasdale, both of which are owned by Land of Oz parents who have very generously sponsored their schools for the Swimathon.”
The event was organised by the Mission Possible outreach team, which is made up of parents and teachers from the school and which aims to help schools in the Diepsloot community.
“The money raised [during the Swimathon] will be used to put together food parcels on behalf of Stop Hunger Now SA. We as a school will assemble the food parcels in July of this year as part of our 67 minutes of service for Nelson Mandela Day.”
During the 2018 Swimathon, the school managed to complete enough laps to finance 27 600 Stop Hunger Now parcels, with each meal costing about R2.90 and being full of nutritious food.
“It’s so important to help others where you can. If we can help others, we should,” said Maurice Edelson, the co-owner of Rubba Duckies Swim school who allowed the event to be held on the premises, and who is also the father of two girls who attend Land of Oz.
“The majority of kids here are more fortunate than most, and I believe it’s very important that they learn how to help others, and realise how rewarding it is to do so.”
Details: www.landofoz.co.za
