Killarney Country Club launches Mandela Day sports programme

Killarney Country Club’s Mandela Day sports programme was launched at the end of last year as part of the club’s corporate social investment initiative.

The launch was a success with 16 children from Lefika La Phodiso filling the club with excitement as they were introduced to tennis and golf.

Lefika La Phodiso is Africa’s first psychoanalytically informed community art counselling training centre, and it is their vision to provide safe spaces for children in which creativity will encourage the emotional development of attendees.

This year, Killarney Country Club’s programme will involve transporting underprivileged children from the centre to the club twice a month to be coached in various sports including golf, tennis, squash, bowls, basic ball skills and swimming. The children will be provided with uniforms, sports shoes, sunblock and caps, as well as refreshments and lunch.

The sports programme was launched as a result of the club’s desire to give back to the community, and it was able to launch the project due to fundraising efforts over the past two years. This involved the club’s golf director Kevin Rakow and golf pro, Warrick Druian who, together with soccer coach Gavin Hunt and ex-Bafana star Mark Williams, raised R110 000 by playing 67 holes of golf for Mandela Day.

The ultimate goal of the club is to not only provide access to sports and coaching but to provide children with education about health and nutrition, and assistance with schoolwork once classrooms have been established on the club’s grounds.

Details: Killarney Country Club www.killarneycountryclub.co.za