Raise funds to support the Teddy Bear Foundation
PARKTOWN – Donor liaison officer at TBF Dalene Bishop explained that the pandemic has placed the foundation in a difficult position.
The Teddy Bear Foundation invites members of the public to swim the virtual Midmar Mile or donate to help the foundation reach their fundraising target of R70 000.
Community member Deon van Niekerk has been swimming the Midmar Mile in aid of the foundation since 2015.
Chatting to the Gazette, Van Niekerk said, “Child abuse is the social scourge of our time. It is there but mostly invisible to the community. Our efforts are first to come to the aid of helpless children against abusers [often very well known to them] and secondly to end the abuse. Will it eliminate it? No, but it will make a difference somewhere, somehow.”
Van Niekerk added that with the threat of an invisible enemy, Covid-19, the easy solution would have been to give up.
Since the physical Midmar Mile has been cancelled, the foundation is busy putting a plan in place to meet with a small team during the upcoming weekend (13 and 14 March) and swim together at a local dam or swimming pool. The details of this will be discussed during the week ahead. Follow updates from the Gazette online and on social media.
The foundation team has created a back-a-buddy campaign to raise the necessary funds in aid of the organisation. R4 500 has been raised thus far.
Visit www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/ttbf-midmar-2021 to donate.
