It is not every day that young ones give their time and skills to a worthy cause. However, a group of boys from Heart of the Lion charity outreach club at Parktown Boys’ High School decided to lead by example when they put on their superhero capes.
An enthusiastic member of the club Dean Fin, who is in Grade 11, and his fellow club members embarked on a project with the Rainbows and Smiles foundation which assists children fighting cancer. Club members Elethu Ntlabati, Justin van Wyk, Ben Landany, Zunaid Thomas and Aadil Mayet joined him and Bonita Suckling, founder of the foundation, in great spirits on 16 May when they visited Netcare Unitas Hospital in Centurion and held a party dressed up as superheroes to bring smiles to children at the Oncology unit.
“Our theme was superheroes and the boys were dressed up in famous superhero suits. Rainbows and Smiles had arranged a gift from Lego to be handed out by the Parktown superheroes,” said Nadia Lewis, regional project manager from Rainbows and Smiles.
The foundation also ensured all the children had capes and a superhero cake on the day.
Rainbow and Smiles is a community based charitable foundation dedicated to providing emotional, social and financial support to children diagnosed with cancer or a life-threatening illness and their families and caregivers.
Founded by Suckling the organisation was established in 2009 and was inspired by the life of her son, a little boy who loved giving gifts, who bravely battled a brain tumour for more than three years. The foundation was inspired by the boy’s love language of giving gifts, and the organisation has grown over the years.
“We are not funded by government and so we rely on the generosity of our supporters and the passion of our volunteers to enable us to do the work we do. We’re always happy to welcome additional sponsors, especially for our events,” Suckling stated.
Dean added, “A hero does good for good, not glory. It was a party to remember and we met heroes in the kids in hospital – it was such a privilege.”
The Heart of the Lion club, run by Eurika Fourie and Mymoena Watson, is a non-profit organisation which comprises six boys who volunteer their time to give back to their community.
Working as a group, the boys all participate in initiatives that support the local community through involvement in various school outreach programmes and social awareness activities. These activities are organised and managed by Community Hours SA, where they keep a record of hours put in by the children as community service.
Fourie said, “They set up goals for themselves and try to complete at least two projects during the term. These projects include visiting an old-age home, fundraising or visiting patients affected by chronic diseases.”
Details: Heart of the Lion 011 642 4531; Rainbows and Smiles info@rainbowsandsmiles.org.za
Do children at your school partake in community service programmes? Share your story by emailing naidines@caxton.co.za
Also check out:
