Malvern Home’s 53rd birthday bash nears

THERE’S a buzz of excitement as the Malvern Child and Youth Care Centre pulls out all the stops to celebrate its 53rd anniversary in caring for orphaned and vulnerable children between the ages of two and 18 years. An invitation is extended to the community to join the festivities of the birthday bash fundraiser on Saturday, 5 November, at the home.

The gates will open at 10am and every R10 adult entrance ticket will automatically go into a draw to win a seven-night vacation for four people.

“This fantastic prize has been kindly sponsored by the First Group to add excitement to our 53rd birthday bash. The winning ticket holder will have the choice of a luxury holiday from a list of 20 popular holiday destinations across the country. Among the many other lucky draw prizes are two combo tickets to PheZulu Safari Park for a family of four to enjoy the Zulu Village, Zulu Dance Show and Reptile Park, and a sail around Durban harbour for four people on one of Sail Africa’s 26 foot sailing yachts,” said PR and fundraising manager, Lee Jarrett.

Along with food and beverage stalls, there’s a non-stop entertainment line-up that includes a special visit by Sharkie who will be making his way from the Shark Tank to join the party. Also on the programme is Durban’s favourite K9 Smart Dog Show, dazzling Bollywood and Street Dance performances, live music courtesy of the Durban Boys’ High School band and local favourite, Gerhard Supra,will be performing some of the hits from his newly launched CD.

Not to be missed is the Malvern Child and Youth Care Centre’s very own choir who will be performing a special rendition of Happy Birthday. Mrs India 2014, Tracy Maharaj, will round off the entertainment by drawing the winning ticket of the seven- night luxury vacation as well as the handover of the other fantastic prizes to be won on the day.

The Kid’s Fun Zone will provide loads of excitement with uShaka Marine World’s popular Dangerous Creatures Show and their adrenalin pumping reptiles, plus there’s a variety of activity booths, games and fun inflatables. To top things off, His Kingdom Riders will be stopping by in full force to ‘rev up the party’ and make sure it is a ‘roaring’ success!

“To mark the occasion, we will be introducing a first-ever 53 Birthday Club with the aim of signing up 53 debit orders of just R100 a month for a period of one year. With the support of the community, this will enable us to raise R63 600 to pay for the upgrade of our solar power self-sustainability project. In these tough economic times we need to focus on ways to reduce our electricity costs and ensure that we are supporting a ‘greener’ future for our children,” explained Jarrett.

Tickets will be sold at the gate and cost R10 for adults (with automatic entry into the vacation lucky draw) and R5 for children under 18 years. The programme starts at 10am and runs until 2pm, so get there early to avoid missing out on any of the entertainment. To join the 53 Birthday Club, contact Lee on 082 920 2142 or e-mail lee@mchome.co.za.

The Malvern Child and Youth Care Centre cares for 120 vulnerable and orphaned children between the ages of two and 18 years. Through its developmental programmes, the home is committed to helping each child reach their full potential by providing a safe haven, three meals a day and access to education, therapeutic and spiritual support. Visit www.malvernchildyouthcarecentre.com and the Facebook page @MalvernChildAndYouthCareCentre.