By Jessica Gordon | Sweethearts Team Member
Hello Sweethearts
Because of your generosity and ongoing support, The Sweethearts Foundation has just crossed a beautiful milestone: 600 bespoke wheelchairs—each fitted to the unique needs of a South African beneficiary. Every chair represents freedom, safety, inclusion, and a family’s sigh of relief.
What your donations achieved this period
Custom mobility: Assessments and fittings done through trusted clinicians so each person receives the right seating, posture, and support.
Real inclusion: Kids are getting back to school and play; adults are returning to clinics, church, and community events without pain or risk.
Waste to wheels: Your bread tags, bottle tops, coffee cup lids, and aluminium tabs continue to turn small daily habits into life-changing impact.
Why custom? A “one-size-fits-all” wheelchair can cause pressure sores, spinal issues, and unsafe positioning. A tailored chair prevents complications and supports comfort and independence.
Every collection helps:
~1,750 kg bottle tops or
~350 kg bread tags or
~350 kg takeaway cup closures or
~295 kg aluminium tabs
can fund a standard wheelchair—proof that circular economy habits change lives.
How we used funds this period
Wheelchairs & special seating: clinical assessments, measurements, fittings, delivery, follow-ups.
Logistics: transporting collected materials and completed wheelchairs to far-flung communities.
Community education & volunteer support: posters, sorting days, school challenges, and corporate volunteer activations.
What’s next
Holiday & back-to-school push: We’re prioritising children who need safe seating before the 2026 school year.
More rural reach: Partnering with clinics and community orgs to find and assess those who’ve waited longest.
Hearts & hubs: Expanding collection points so more families can participate where they live, learn, and work.
A heartfelt thank you
To everyone who donates, sorts, drives, counts, and spreads the word—you are the engine behind every smile and every safe, supported sit. From the bottom of our hearts: thank you for believing that something small can make a very big difference.
With love and wheels,
The Sweethearts Foundation
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