Help Gift Disabled South Africans a Wheelchair

The sweethearts Foundation Project Update 

The sweethearts Foundation aims to help underprivileged people receive the gift of movement in the form of a wheelchair. Our beneficiaries come from the most marginalised communities in South Africa and something as simple as a wheelchair is often out of their reach due to financial issues and long government backlogs. The sweethearts Foundation which gave away our first wheelchair on Valentine's Day 2013 is run completely by volunteers, who we endearingly call “sweethearts”. They are the ones who make the magic happen and help change the lives of our beneficiaries, as well as their families.

Joel’s Wheelchair Handover

On Saturday, 13 May, we handed over a wheelchair to Joel, a diabetic who lost his leg due to a wire piercing his left foot. Joel, from Pretoria, South Africa, and a panel beater by trade, has been supporting the foundation by collecting bottle tops and bread tags for the past 2 years and had no idea that he himself would one day require a wheelchair. Due to unforeseen medical complications, Joel’s left leg had to be amputated below the knee.

Since receiving his new wheelchair, Joel has been able to return to work and is very happy with his new set of wheels.

Elsie receives her wheels!

Elsie, who lives in a retirement park in Johannesburg, South Africa recently received her new set of wheels! She was so delighted to have received this wheelchair and will help her move about since she has been struggling to get from place to place.

We are so thankful to have had the opportunity to handover this wheelchair to Elsie who too has been an avid collector of #TopsAndTags for The sweethearts Foundation.

WE WON THE GLOBALGIVING VIDEO OF THE YEAR 2017!!!

We recently won GlobalGiving’s Video of The Year competition and were showcased by GlobalGiving on their international platform. As a result of this amazing opportunity, we received additional funding from donors to the value of $1600! This would not have been possible without the wonderful community of Global Givers. We are truly humbled to have won and look forward to more exciting ventures in the future!

AND...

One of our beneficiaries, Martha from Cape Town, South Africa, has patiently been waiting to receive her wheels. Martha is in dire need of an electronic wheelchair as she suffers from severe arthritis. If this wasn't tough enough, Martha’s leg was amputated due to medical malpractice a number of years ago. Martha has completely forgiven the staff at the hospital where this happened and only asked that they learn from their mistakes to ensure this does not happen to someone else. Isn't Martha AMAZING!!!!???

Since the cost of electronic wheelchairs are very high we rely on special fundraisers to help beneficiaries in need such as Martha.

We are pleased to announce that with the donations we've received from the GlobalGiving community we have now fully funded Martha’s electronic wheelchair and are busy organising a wheelchair handover for her! But wait… It’s a surprise! Shhhhh!!!! Keep this news TOP SECRET!! We can’t wait to see Martha’s reaction once she receives her gift!

We wish Joel, Elsie and our other beneficiaries safe travels in their new wheels. A huge thank you to all our volunteers and donors for supporting our little foundation!

Have a wonderful day sweethearts, you're changing lives!

Love,

The sweethearts

xxx

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK TO SEE MORE UPDATES

• To follow all the action, subscribe to our Facebook Page www.facebook.com/sweetheartsfoundation. This is our primary method of sending all our updates.
• Please consider donating again in future to help us continue changing lives like Joel, Elsie and Martha. We believe that the wheelchair is a basic human right and that anyone who needs one, should have one, simple!
• Help us give the gift of movement to those in need. We have a waiting list full of people who are desperately in need and we’d love to give them the very special gift of movement.

Links:

• The sweethearts Foundation Website
• The sweethearts Foundation Facebook Page

Dear donors,

The sweethearts Foundation aims to help underprivileged people receive the gift of movement in the form of a wheelchair. Our beneficiaries come from the most marginalised communities in South Africa and something as simple as a wheelchair is often out of their reach due to financial issues and long government backlogs. The sweethearts Foundation which gave away our first wheelchair on Valentine's Day 2013 is run completely by volunteers, who we endearingly call “sweethearts”. They are the ones who make the magic happen and help change the lives of our beneficiaries, as well as their families.

Helping a South African in Need of a Wheelchair 

Thanks to the generosity of everyone who contributed to our project, Helping a South African in Need of a Wheelchair, and our inaugural 12 Days of Christmas campaign we were able to help Caleb, Dawn and Basil receive specialised wheelchairs.  You, dear sweetheart, made this happen!

Caleb’s Wheelchair Handover

A few weeks ago, we had the privilege of giving 4-year-old Caleb his brand new set of wheels! Caleb is a gem and truly lights up the world. When the wheelchair was wheeled in front of him, he had a smile from ear to ear. This wheelchair handover ceremony was a very special one and there was hardly a dry set of eyes to be found in the room. Oh, we wish you could’ve been there to share in his excitement. He honestly couldn’t wait to test out his wheelchair which was custom-fit for his special needs and designed to last a couple of growth spurts – perfect for a growing boy! 

It was truly a blessing to have been able to help Caleb, his mom and his family.

“I would just like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving so generously. Caleb loves his wheels. May you be blessed in a mighty way. Hugs and kisses from Caleb.” ~ Meggan (Caleb’s mom)

Thank you to every sweetheart who made this dream come true. This is the result of hard work, dedication and most importantly, love.  

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK TO SEE MORE UPDATES AND CONSIDER HELPING MARTHA!

• To follow all the action, subscribe to our Facebook Page www.facebook.com/sweetheartsfoundation. This is our primary method of sending all our updates.
• Please consider donating again in future to help us continue changing lives like Caleb’s. Martha’s wheelchair is a quarter funded and we need another R18 000 ($1400) to help her receive an electric wheelchair. Her leg was amputated after medical malpractice and her fingers and shoulders are severely disabled due to living with arthritis for years. She knits and sews the most beautiful garments to keep her arms as supple as possible.

Links:

• The sweethearts Foundation Official Facebook Page