NOVEMBER 2019

Happy Birthday Red Bagels!

WOW! I cannot believe that an entire year has passed since The Red Bagels Charitable Trust was launched officially. That was way back in November 2018. Since birthdays are times of reflection on what one has achieved, it is fitting to do that now. Our mission is to bring more love, light, and happiness into the world. It seems like on reflection we have definitely achieved our mission for the year of 2019. Birthdays are also a time to set goals for the year to come. So we hope to continue our success in 2020.

ALAN

So as we look back at the year with great pride at what we have achieved we would like to say a huge thank you to each and everyone of you who assisted us every step of the way. We could not have done it without you. It is unfortunately not possible to mention each person individually. However there is one person that I have to single out and mention by name, Alan, our donor without whom none of this would be possible, your generosity in every aspect is extraordinary!

LIGHT AND LIVINGSTON

Now there are a few more people to name. I am also so fortunate and grateful to have had the invaluable assistance of the amazing team at Light and Livingston which included Grace, Ian, and Jeanine. First, my righthand Trustee and colleague Grace Hughes (L&L) who has held my hand through many bumps in the road. She has guided, supported, and steered me through rough waters along the way with a great sense of humour. Her calm reassurance that “everything will be OK” was always welcomed and it was always “OK”. Thank you is never enough but it is all I have.

PRATRICIA SHABANGU

Then there is Patricia Shabangu who is the coordinator of The Ciniselani Stimulation Centre for the Disabled. The Centre is a school for the disabled situated in the rural area of Steenbok. Patricia has always been involved with the Ciniselani Centre and her amazing mother, Maria, who was the founder of it.

I came across Patricia when I first visited Ciniselani and realized her love and dedication to it. I also saw the huge potential in her abilities and desire to make a better life for everyone. I needed someone who could be the go between, between Red Bagels and the Centre if I was going to try to assist them. I identified Patricia as that person. A highly intelligent, fast worker, and independent thinker, she was looking for employment and so I grabbed her!

I have had the amazing opportunity to watch her grow and achieve all the goals I set her with enthusiasm and hard work. Among her achievements is growing a vegetable garden for sustainable fresh vegetables to supplement the food required for the Centre. She accomplished this with my supervision from a far distance. An entire new toilet facility from scratch consisting of 3 toilets, basins, solar powered warm water, basins, and toilet, which are wheelchair friendly are all in her credit. She did it all, from hiring the builder, controlling the finances, and supervising the project. Unbelievable even if it was not her first time being involved in a building project. It was hugely successful.

Patricia is a Superwoman! When I first met her she had a dream: there were a few families in the area who had family members who were disabled whom she visited in her own time. Each time she visited, she kept trying to encourage the parents to send them to the school, they wouldn’t. She was determined to achieve this dream because she wanted those kids to be socialized and have some stimulation.

Due to all the new upgrades and care the Centre has achieved through Particia’s hard work and dedication, her dream for four of these children has been realized! We were so excited that these four children’s parents have sent their children to the Centre. Patricia told us they are so happy there and some will not come inside the classroom at all as they just want to be outside for the meantime playing outdoors with the other children. What an exceptional achievement. We are so proud of her.

NAOMI AND C.O.N.E.C.K.T.

Thank you to Naomi Schauer for collaborating with us and supporting us and providing us with essential training whenever necessary. I met Naomi through the Selwyn Segal. She subsequently left the Selwyn Segal to pursue an even bigger goal. Now she is running her own business C.O.N.E.C.K.T. which stands for Charitable Opportunities Networking Employability Connecting Kindness. This organization has a grand vision of connecting charities in order that everyone has an even bigger impact and increases the success of the charities and their recipients. Naomi has many degrees among them, a B.A. Honours in Psychology, a Postgraduate Certificate in Education and B.A, Social Work, and many years of experience in working with disabled people.

HOWARD AND GLADesign

Next we would like to thank Howard for building our wonderful website so we could share all our amazing stories of success and GLADesign, Graphics Lettering Art and Design (making people GLAD), for updating and maintaining our site.

NKOSANA

Nkosana, our devoted builder, also deserves a special mention and thank you. A heartfelt thank you for building the toilets and remaining happy from start to finish. Your hard work and efforts are much appreciated by everyone, especially those who benefit directly from using the facility. We wish your wife, who is sick, a speedy recovery and hope to work with you soon again on future projects in order to build more facilities with happy memories of building, a very rare experience indeed.

NOW FOR THE BIRTHDAY MONTH UPDATE:

In the spirit of starting our first year on a high note we decided to go all out this month and try for a bumper start to our second year. Here it is our bumper birthday month.

Our month kicked off with the purchase of an ice scream machine for the Chevra Kadisha. It will be housed at the Selwyn Segal Hostel for the disabled. The purpose is for the ice scream machine to be used at the Selwyn Segal and some of the other Chevera Kadisha facilities, such as Sandringham Gardens home for the aged and Golden acres retirement village. It will provide desserts and extra treats on special occasions, holiday celebrations, birthdays and any days, just because they can, and just to bring a little extra fun and happiness into ordinary days too.

We gave a much-needed donation to Dignity Dreams who provide girls and women with pad packs for menstrual health giving them dignity. Many young girls and women cannot attend school or work during their period days each month because they don’t have or cannot afford pads. They lose many days of schooling and fall behind and drop out, or lose work days and earnings at their jobs and even worse in some cases their jobs. So this donation was happily received.

We gave a donation to Kids Haven for their fundraiser, #GivingTuesday, for their “matching funds” project which encourages donation through doubling up what they received for that #GivingTuesday campaign. At Kids Haven they care for vulnerable kids and street children.

Last, but definitely not least, with the assistance of Naomi Schauer we trained Patricia. We are very privileged to have Naomi’s expertise and decided to ask her to assist us in helping Patricia put together an exciting and stimulating educational program that she can take back and introduce to the Ciniselani Stimulation Centre. The teachers and children can now benefit from an entirely new and fun educational program that will add to and greatly enhance their rather tired and stale curriculum that has been rehashed for many years. We spent many days working together to obtain the maximum amount of training in the short time Patricia was here.

Patricia was so excited and grateful to be asked to do the program with Naomi and as always, she gave more than 100% of herself to the 3 days she was with us in Johannesburg. It was a hectic nonstop, high energy, exceptionally stimulating, and extremely valuable 3 days. Well done, Patricia! We are so proud of you and the children are so grateful to you for their new curriculum.

TRAINING PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS: Activity Pencil Cases:

It was special that Noami included some special activities for the learners at the Ciniselani Centre. Activities will be used daily in the classrooms. Designed by an O.T., each pencil case contains 5 activities for each child at the Ciniselani Centre. All the instructions on how to use them are included inside the pencil case. Naomi has also made demo videos which she loaded onto a disk-on-key (flash drive) to refer to if, and when, necessary.

Teaching Weekly Themes:

Training also included special “Teaching Weekly Themes”. These themes include food, senses, and body parts. Equipment, games, music, and stories provided for each theme. Exciting material for the children, which enhances their learning experience.

Activities for the classroom and TV:

Further activities for the classroom were designed by an O.T. In order to achieve the ultimate benefits and fully enhance the programme that Patricia attended, Red Bagels added the final touch by donating a music box and TV to the Centre. It has all the songs, dances, and educational programs loaded on it. In addition an educational channel was added containing a curriculum for schools of all ages. Top teachers teach in order to enhance what is being taught. In addition, they now will also be able to watch nature programs, such as National Geographic, children’s stories in English as well as in their own languages, and other educational content. The English stories will help them to learn more and improve their English. The TV will also be used for general entertainment throughout the school holidays during which the children have nothing to do and come to school each day to receive a meal and some supervision. We are sure this will be a real happiness and educational booster.

Sheltered Employment Opportunity for the Ciniselani Centre:

We visited Kadimah and other adult sheltered employment facilities and got ideas for activities for sheltered employment for adults who are disabled. Enabling adults to make items to sell creates possibilities for additional funds for themselves and/or their schools, workshops etc. The purpose was to show her that adult disabled people can take on work for outside companies that will be resold. Examples we saw were fly swatters and candles.

Fundraising Ideas:

We spent an absolutely wonderful night out organized by Naomi, showing Patricia how to use an easy fun way to fundraise and create employment for disabled. She had found a small restaurant who offered her the opportunity to host her group of disabled entertainers to put on a game show called Money or the Box. They gave a special price supper of a hamburger, chips, a drink, and entertainment. The boxes and prizes were made by a few different charities, including a rehabilitation centre for prisoners, a home for underprivileged, and street children’s beadwork, art etc. The disabled adults who hosted the show were residents from the Selwyn Segal. Including some of the boxes that had not been opened that were auctioned off at the end of the evening, all the funds raised by the game were split and given as a “salary” to the entertainers who were so proud and excited to have been given the dignity of being able to earn their keep. All the charities that supplied the prizes got paid for their items. It was such a Funtastic, happy, high energy event with tons of singing, dancing, and laughter. This kind of entertainment can be easily and cheaply organized. They work well for parties of all descriptions.

Miriam Feinburg, from the Chevra Kadisha charity, which we are also proud to support, reached out to us when they heard me speak of the Ciniselani Centre saying that Patricia was coming. Mrs. Feinburg asked Patricia for a wish list of things they could possibly help her to fulfill. This was due to the surplus of donations of items that are not suitable for their use. They would be willing to rezone to the Centre. We were so excited and grateful for her to receive such a generous offer from the Chevra Kadisha. Patricia compiled the list. On the day she left, she was gifted with a large amount of items, such as plastic chairs, which the Centre was very short of, cupboards, tables, and plastic crockery and cutlery amongst others. The appreciation from Patricia and the Ciniselani centre was overwhelming and will certainly be a huge help in making their lives a lot easier. Thank you so much Miriam and the Chevra Kadisha, your thoughtfulness, caring, and sharing will be enjoyed for a long time.

AWESOME! We scored eleven+ out of ten on the happiness barometer for our birthday celebration month. Thank you to everyone Super fantastic effort. The effect will be felt for a long time and has kick started what promises to be another incredibly happy, energetic, and successful year which we look forward to with great anticipation.

We did it! We certainly achieved our goal of increasing our happiness and goodness footprint a whole lot during this past year and loved every minute of seeing all the smiles we created together.

Have a beautiful day.

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