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nelson mandela bay's family lifestyle
author:
xandre van der berg
wings & wishes
photography:
zuko, lifegate photography
issue:
9, easter 2009
When your child is the centre of a threatening condition or disease – life is experienced differently. Although all your emotions are in turmoil, appearances of calm are maintained, constantly working at creating a safe and stable place for your child and family. It is in times like these that we reach out to our fellow community members for support, understanding and plain practical advice. Wings & Wishes is a non-profit organization that facilitates the transport of critically ill children to the Red Cross Hospital in Cape Town, or alternative medical facilities, suitable to their specific needs. They are committed to providing compassionate support, immediately, with minimal bureaucracy, whilst maintaining the highest level of integrity and dignity for the children and their families. Established in May 2006, Wings & Wishes came into being as a result of an internal challenge to employees of Coca Cola Sabco. They were challenged to create a relevant and effective Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme – something that was their idea, initiated and executed by them as an effort that would touch peoples’ lives. Although Wings & Wishes is registered under the Coca-Cola Sabco Community Foundation, it has become a fully operational independent programme run by a group of passionate volunteers and funded entirely through donations. As word of the programme spread, requests for help exceeded all expectations. Although the vast majority of the children being helped are cancer patients, patients include those with congenital heart defects, burn victims and patients with various other heart and kidney problems. By the beginning of 2009, they have managed to assist over 200 children and their families. The concept that employees of Coco-Cola Sabco came up with is simple and simplicity works. By donating Frequent Flyer miles that cost you nothing & might even just lie there accumulating in some virtual world (often accumulated by business travel), you facilitate the transport of these children and an accompanying adult to a suitable medical facility. Currently only donations of 20 000 or 30 000 Voyager Miles can be used. Alternatively, potential donors are also able to participate in the Pledge a Flight initiative. Those individuals or companies that are willing to pay for certain flights are entered onto a database. When Wings & Wishes finds a child requiring a flight within the donor's capabilities, they will contact the donor and make the necessary arrangements. The costly aspects of this programme include the various airport taxes and surcharges that are added to the flight cost which cannot be exchanged by Frequent Flyer miles. Taking care of the basics is part of this outreach. Many of the children assisted by Wings & Wishes are from very needy families and require emergency medical help. As a result, the child and their guardian normally arrive with very few personal possessions. Wings & Wishes values donations of soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes (mostly collected by frequent travellers on aeroplanes and in hotels!), and even a change of underwear, pyjamas and a soft toy to provide some comfort during this distressing time. Wings and Wishes has partnered with Hertz, providing transport from the airport to the hospital, Istream International as media partner, and Rennies Travel to make all of their flight and transport arrangements. Adding to their list of friends are East London Round Table, the Rotary Club of Port Elizabeth, Lions Cape Receife, KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken), Spec Savers and Johnson & Johnson, as well as various schools. “It may seem as if we have many partners,” says Tracy Potgieter, “but you've no idea how great the need is we've uncovered. Individuals who frequently fly and accumulate those voyager miles, as well as businessmen and people who love to travel can make an immense difference with very little effort. By partnering with us you can really make a difference in a child's life, at a moment in that little life, when every little bit makes a difference.”
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