Loftus Versfeld Stadium was home to excitement and positivity on Casual Day during a match between the Vodacom Blue Bulls and the Xerox Golden Lions.
While the South African Paralympic team were gearing up to head to the 2016 Paralympics in Rio, rugby teams back home “upped their game” in support of persons with disabilities.
The Vodacom Blue Bulls dedicated their game against the Xerox Golden Lions to the national fundraising campaign, Casual Day, which took place on 2 September. Rugby fans joined in on the fun in support of the 22-year-old initiative that funds over 500 organisations and beneficiaries for persons with disabilities in South Africa.
“We support the empowerment of persons with disabilities and we are calling on our supporters, stakeholders and media to join in and support this wonderful initiative,” said the Vodacom Blue Bulls CEO, Barend van Graan.
“We are very proud to have been associated with the Vodacom Blue Bulls in celebrating Casual Day with the rest of South Africa through this wonderful game, what better way to have fun and empower people at the same time,” said Therina Wentzel, National Director of the National Council for Persons with Physical Disabilities in South Africa (NCPPDSA), founders of the Casual Day campaign.
All funds raised through the Casual Day campaign goes to empowering and supporting persons with disabilities and providing much-needed health, education resources and further advocate for the initiative’s beneficiaries. The campaign supports over 500 NGOs in the disability sector to help improve the lives of persons with disabilities in disadvantaged communities.
Wentzel continues, “ We would like to thank Jonathan “TuJay Harmonixs” Groenewald, a Casual Day ambassador and Dan Lombard, a person with disabilities as a result of a rugby injury, who initiated the support of the Vodacom Blue Bulls through their partnership with Shanil Mangaroo, the Marketing Manager for the Vodacom Blue Bulls. None of this would be possible without the support of both Dan and TuJay”
Two days before the match the Vodacom Blue Bulls team members took on an “Amazing Race” challenge, delivering stickers and tickets to help raise funds for the annual campaign celebrated throughout South African communities.
On the day of the match, Arno Botha, Captain of the Vodacom Blue Bulls on the evening, expressed his heartfelt sentiments on behalf of the team:
“It’s a massive privilege for us to be associated with such an amazing campaign, and I truly believe that the brilliant work done by the team at Casual Day is an inspiration to us at Loftus.”
“Casual Day is more than just a fun and dress up day, it is an initiative that gives people the opportunity to lend a hand, through empowering and supporting persons with disabilities,” said Tujay Harmonix,
“and this is the reason we, Dan and I initiated this partnership.”
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