Better SA is launching a Hop on Hop off service in Cape Town that will offer volunteering experiences to residents and visitors that are both easy and exceptional.
Almost a year after its launch in Johannesburg, during which 620 volunteers to boarded the bus, giving nearly 1 550 hours of their time, MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet and Better SA have announced that they are bringing the ‘Uber of volunteering’ to the Mother City. The initiative aims to boost volunteerism across Cape Town communities with an innovative hop-on hop-off mini-bus service and meaningful volunteer experiences.
Non-profit organisation, Better SA specialises in organising and fully facilitating volunteerism in disadvantaged communities through weekly excursions that set off from designated bus hubs. Over the past four years, they have been mobilising volunteers in Johannesburg, and exposing them to life-changing and enriching experiences of giving back.
MySchool already sponsors a Johannesburg mini-bus and will now help Better SA scale up its services by also sponsoring its inaugural Cape Town mini-bus, which will operate from the Better SA hubs in Pinelands every Wednesday and Saturday.
The volunteer opportunities offered are specifically at organisations that are also MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet beneficiaries nominated by supporters. These include The Lucky Lucy Foundation, Soil for Life, ABC for Life, The Anna Foundation, SOS Children’s Village and many more.
The Better SA Hop on Hop off service in Cape Town will offer volunteer experiences to residents and visitors that are both easy and exceptional. For those wanting to give back but not knowing where to start, Better SA will take all the hassle out of volunteering in Cape Town.
All the volunteer has to do is book their spot on the bus and arrive at the bus hub. The service is free of charge and co-ordinated from start to finish so that volunteers can make the most impact in the time they have available.
Each experience starts with an exact briefing at the bus hub that provides detailed information on the organization and the community they will visit. All resources needed to complete the volunteer activity are provided.
Volunteer activities range from playing educational games with children to visiting the elderly; participating in community clean-ups to painting facilities; teaching computer skills to typing up CV’s. New beneficiary organisations and volunteer opportunities are added to the Better SA event calendar on a regular basis to encourage people to become serial volunteers.
“We’re delighted to build on the success of the MySchool sponsored bus in Johannesburg, by helping Better SA bring volunteer bus service to Cape Town,” says Helene Brand, MySchool Marketing and CSI Manager.
“This gives our Mother City supporters wonderful opportunities to give hands-on support to the causes that matter most to them in Cape Town communities. Instead of just having their cards scanned at till-points, they can now enjoy spending their time and sharing their knowledge with children and individuals in very needy communities.”
How does the Cape Town Better SA bus sponsored by MySchool work?
Anyone wanting to volunteer can log on to www.bettersa.org, review the upcoming calendar of Cape Town events and then complete the booking form for the event that most appeals to them. The only other action they need to take is to arrive at the bus hub and hop on the bus.
The Hop on Hop off volunteer bus service runs every Wednesday (from 1pm to 4pm) and Saturday (from 9am to 12pm) from the Better SA hub at:
– Mupine Golf Club, Forest Drive Extension, Pinelands
– Old Mutual, Sports Field, Jan Smuts Drive, Pinelands
“We’ve had lots of requests from Capetonians to ‘bring the bus to Cape Town’ and are delighted to finally launch the Cape Town MySchool Better SA bus service,” comments Roberta Donovan, founder of Better SA,
“Many people would like to give their time and expertise to improving lives but volunteering in South Africa can seem challenging. By eliminating the barriers to volunteering, and making the experience easy and fulfilling, we aim to boost volunteerism in the country because it is an incredible way to make a difference.”
Better SA is also a beneficiary of the MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet programme and your support of their organisation can help them to expand their Hop on Hop off service to other parts of the country. Go to http://www.myschool.co.za/ to apply for your free MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet card, and select Better SA as your beneficiary.
Every time you swipe your card at Woolworths, Engen, Loot.co.za or any other partner store, the participating retailers will donate a percentage of your purchase value, on your behalf, to the beneficiaries you have chosen to support – all at absolutely no cost to you!
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