Small hands make a big difference
PARKVIEW – How a small act of kindness helped brighten Parkview police’s Mandela Day
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Small acts of kindness by local children helped put big smiles on others’ faces.
Vera Giese (7) from Parkview always leaves out a box of homegrown lemons on her pavement for the community to take.
Vera’s act of kindness led to more generosity when young Monica Collins used some of the lemons to bake delicious lemon cupcakes for the Parkview police as a token of appreciation for all their hard work.
Monica told Rosebank Killarney Gazette that she had been inspired by Vera’s kindness and generosity.
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On Mandela Day (July 18), Monica, Vera’s father Mark Giese and Vera visited Parkview Police Station to give 20 cupcakes to the officers. “It was the ripple effect. How one lemon brought a smile to people who are not thanked and acknowledged enough,” said Monica.
In another generous act, Luke Haslam (12) from Parktown North donated a cake to Parkview police to thank them for their efforts. Luke’s mother, Joy Haslam said Luke was a loving, caring and special child who had always had a knack for noticing the little things that made a big difference. “If it hadn’t been for Covid-19 he would’ve hugged them all. He has been doing this since he was very little,” she said.
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Vera hoped that other children would be inspired to help others and wished that more pavements could be lined with fruit trees for the benefit of the whole community.
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Caryl Kelly of the Parkview Residents Association said, “It was a wonderful breath of fresh air to have this lovely story shared with us on Mandela Day. This is a time that we focus on serving others but also is testament to the wonderful community that we are blessed to be a part of in Parkview.”
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