March 2017

The girls’ bathroom as well as the respite bathroom, that were in dire need of renovation, were gutted and adapted to better suit the needs of the severely disabled.

On the 26th, the committee held their meeting which takes place every other 2 months.

We received good news from one of our care workers, Seli (or Sally as she is known here) as she is expecting twins in September.

New septic tanks had to be installed due to the increased number of residents, as well as the age of the previous structure.

Ingid Siddle and her team arrived at Shalom armed with camera equipment and proceeded to take many photographs which are being used for the preparation of our new brochures, letterheads etc. A new Shalom logo was also designed.

To decrease our carbon footprint, it has been decided that Shalom’s newsletter will not be in paper form in future but will be shown on our website (although hard copies will be available on request).

SHALOM’S MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

A big thank you to our management committee who work tirelessly to develop and raise funds for Shalom.

JUMBLE

After a very quiet latter part of 2016 as far as receiving jumble was concerned, we have since had a nice steady flow, but as always, we need more. So thank you to all who have donated jumble but please spread the word around to everyone. Our sales for the six months ended 31 March 2017 amounted to R27 420. It is fascinating to see how 99% of what we receive – from furniture, linen, curtains, blankets, kitchen equipment to shoes, all types of clothing for both young and old, big and small items, sells so fast. Kitchen appliances, TV sets, computers, laptops, microwave ovens and most appliances are also very popular, but we ask that before these are donated that they are in working order. If you have any of these items tucked away in cupboards or at the back of your garage, or friends or family are having a clear out or moving, please remember us at Shalom! We look after our shoppers so we have put up a change room cubicle for the ladies to try on garments to make sure that they fit before purchasing! Additionally, we give our customers a bag for their purchases so we are always in need of those bags of used plastic shopping bags that we all tend to accumulate. The staff affectionately call the jumble room “Woolworths” so we have put up a mosaic sign saying “Wulworths Shoppe”.

ASSISTANCE

• We are still requiring green enamel paint to complete the palisade fence.
• Our garden is looking very nice at present but the maintenance is ongoing and as usual we require water-wise and frost resistant plants, if possible.
• We are planning to beautify our entrance and require a tall plant pot for that project.
• We still require assistance with a bigger vehicle. We are often overloaded and sometimes we have to do two return trips to Magaliesburg to collect staff who have had to be left behind due to being overloaded. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
• We also require a new tumble dryer as the present one is very old and could pack up at any stage.

More recently: 


• Graeme is so happy and proud to have received a new wheelchair from his parents.
• Methodist Ladies Fellowship gave our residents a church service and Easter party. We so appreciate the support from this wonderful group of women!
• On Good Friday, our jumble assistants, Steve and Jeanette Prinsloo and family brought Easter ‘Goodie Bags’ for the residents as well as biscuits, juice etc. Grateful thanks!
•  In April we were the beneficiaries of the ‘Slow Art” function at Melon Rouge arranged by Hannelie
• from Country Pharmacy and the Magaliesburg Business Forum. Thank you to Hannelie.
• An Easter egg hunt was arranged by Bonnie for the residents with bunny footprints as the clues!
• In June, we experienced regular trouble with both our landline and cellphone. Apologies for the inconvenience caused.
• ABSA Capital has selected Shalom as their CSI Project for 2017 and paid us a visit on Monday the
• 17th of July to see what we need, bringing blankets and jumble. Their initiative will culminate with a golf day in September where we will have an opportunity to do some marketing.
• For Mandela Day, the Boons police station and CPF unit visited Shalom for their 67minutes contribution. They brought the residents food and blankets, sang, said a prayer or two, washed dishes and worked in the garden. What a wonderful moment of giving, goodwill and a sense of community [photos will follow]
• Staff trainers from The Children’s Disability have been visiting every two weeks and are giving of their time, expertise and assistance free of charge. Their input has been very beneficial to the residents in using photo boards, colours and specific activities to channel the residents’ focus into constructive play. Thank you Jill for organising this.
• Our lovely new brochures have been distributed to the Methodist church, Wendy has some and ABSA Capital has some to assist us with our wish list. A HUGE thank you to Ingrid and the “2 Old Dogs” marketing company for donating their valuable time to create these magnificent pamphlets!
• Sue Caithness, had her foot operation redone. The residents and staff made her a lovely card. We wish her a speedy recovery!
• Supa Quick most generously donated two new front tyres for the Condor and recently two new back tyres, as well as making a wonderful donation of R2000 every month.

To all the wonderful people who contribute to Shalom, giving of their time, talents, and donations – thank you so very much!