Knit-wits up for award
SANDTON - The 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela Day campaign has been nominated for the ANN7 Campaign of the Year Award.
Knitting is now seen as a popular pastime thanks to Carolyn Steyn and her passionate group of ‘knit-wits’, who gathered at the Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton last month to participate in a knit-a-thon.
Steyn founded 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela Day in December last year. Since then, the initiative has garnered thousands of supporters from around the world and over 4000 blankets have been collected for charity organisations in South Africa.
“We are so humbled and honoured to be considered for this award,” said Steyn. “We’re still in infancy and don’t even have a bank account to be nominated alongside corporate giants like KFC and Coca-Cola, [and] it is indeed a privilege.”
Steyn said 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela Day started out as a simple challenge and has become a global movement. “We were able to keep so many people warm this winter because of passion for the cause, passion for making a difference and passion for Madiba’s legacy,” she explained.
Steyn’s next goal is to collect double the amount of blankets for distribution, during next winter.
She said the award nomination meant a lot to her and to the ‘knit-wits’ because it acknowledges their efforts and shined a light on their hard work. “If this is what we were able to achieve in just seven months, the possibilities for next year are truly endless,” added Steyn.
Vote for 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela Day to win the ANN7 Campaign of the Year Award.
Details: Twitter: @67blankets; SMS CAMP 1 to 43043; email (subject line) CAMP 1 to satyvoting@ann7.com
