A handy donation for Andries Meyer Old Age Home seniors
Rudd encouraged all young people in Eldorado Park and the surrounding communities to follow this initiative and give back to our elders
Carmen Rudd recently turned 30 and, instead of having a party, she decided to celebrate her birthday with the less fortunate in our community. Rudd elected to honour the elderly at the Andries Meyer Old Age Home in Eldorado Park, Extension Three, instead of lavishing gifts on herself.
According to Rudd, the main reason for the unusual celebration is that she lives in Cape Town and does not get to see her grandmother often. The Rudd family had a scare last year amd they thought that they would lose their grandmother after she contracted pneumonia. “Being so far away from home is very hard for me,” she said.
She added that she has found that our seniors are neglected and don’t receive the necessary assistance as is the case with so many other initiatives do. She said, “So even more reason to give back and which better home to choose than the one in the community I grew up in?”
The altruistic thirty-year-old wanted to start a drive to collect blankets but the home let her know that the need for adult diapers was greater. This prompted her to also include toilet paper as not all the seniors at the home use diapers.
Communication about the initiative was sent to all her friends and family as well as posted on social media to collect the rather ambitious target of 150 packs of diapers. She said, “Although I never reached my target I am glad that I managed to collect half of that (74 packs of diapers and seven packs of toilet paper) to make our elders smile. It was not easy reaching this number, but I must say that there are some amazing people in this world who freely offered to be part of my journey to make our elders smile,” said Carmen.
The dining area at the home was beautifully decorated and the seniors enjoyed a home-cooked meal. Trays of food were left behind for supper as well.
“I am so grateful to everyone who donated and was part of this journey with me.
“I would also like to thank my mother from the bottom of my heart for helping me to make this possible.” said Rudd.
She added “My mother managed to get a discount on the diapers we purchased at Dischem Rand Ridge Mall. This allowed us to purchase additional packs. Thank you to Dischem Rand Ridge Mall for your contribution on my journey to make our elders smile.”
Rudd encouraged all young people in Eldorado Park and the surrounding communities to follow this initiative and give back to our elders. “It was them who raised us, now let us make it possible for them to live comfortably and enjoy their old age,” she said.
