A massive success – the annual Charity Begins With Me Christmas party saw 1500 children being treated to a day dedicated totally to them.
Johannesburg, South Africa (05 December 2022) – For the last several months, Stephen Ferreira, his friends and countless volunteers have worked tirelessly to collect and wrap gifts, rally food and clothing donations, pull together resources and plan the biggest event of “Charity Begins With Me” calendar – the annual Christmas party.
Stephen Ferreira started ‘Charity Begins With Me‘ shortly after he was first diagnosed with cancer in 2016. He realised he could do so much more with the life he had left and quickly set up the charity as a way to give back. He ran the charity throughout his chemotherapy treatments, remission and, sadly, his relapse. Whatever battles he faces in his own life, it is those of others that give him the strength to push through.
He explained that preparing for the charity’s annual party takes around three months and many helping hands. They expected 1500 children from the surrounding townships and informal settlements to join on the day.
In preparation, the team collected toys, books, wrapping paper, gift bags, sweets, fruit, food and funding to make the day as special as possible.
They made thousands of sandwiches, bought 1500 pieces of fruit and on the day, got to surprise 1500 children with gifts to take home.
In the end, 1500 children will have a happier Christmas this year, reading books chosen just for them and playing with toys. The day was a massive success and while Stephen and the team didn’t share any images of the children, he did take 1500 photos of each child holding their bag of Christmas cheer. Going through the album brought tears to our eyes! Take a look at the images below. These are just two of many collages shared, showing the impact of what 1500 looks like.
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