March 2018

News of Resident’s Activities

Shayne Lavarack proudly told the staff that her sister is getting married and she has been asked to be her “Housemaid”, which caused pride yet some amusement when we realised she meant “Maid of Honour”!

September was a festive month with Alexander King, Michaela Martin and Graeme Lawrence celebrated their birthdays.

Early December brought a period of great sadness when Devon Lawrence passed away after being a resident at Shalom for 17 years. May Devon rest in peace.

Another very hard time for the staff at Shalom was when after 10 years, Michaela Martin left Shalom. Michaela was always there at the car window to greet parents and visitors with a great big smile. We wish Michaela all the very best for her future.

Regular walks around the grounds of Shalom, as well as through the pathways on Wendy’s adjacent land are arranged for all residents, even those in wheelchairs.
Most days, the residents enjoy collecting carrots from
a designated container and feeding the donkeys and
our pony, Tokki. Michael Stacey, typically eats the carrot before he even gets to the donkeys!! Much to our surprise, occasionally Michael will share one of his carrots with a fellow resident, who also eats it before reaching the donkey paddock!

New furry and feathered family members have joined Shalom in the Animal Therapy section; “Happy Turnup” a little white goat and 3 new geese, as well as some new chickens in Wendy’s coup! Regularly when you walk into the small office at the entrance of Shalom, you will be

greeted by our manager, Bonney, perched on the edge of her chair due to the fact that Jabulani, a stray cat that has adopted Shalom as its home, has taken up the majority of the chair. When you try to sit, you find that the other chairs are occupied, by 2 other stray dogs, who have also decided they want to join the Shalom family too!

Christmas was a wonderful time for the residents who enjoyed a service in the chapel, a special Christmas lunch followed by the opening of presents.

The December Christmas holidays are always busy at Shalom with many respite residents joining the long term residents for a couple of weeks, many of which who families ensure they will be coming back for the following December fun-filled holidays!

Fund-Raising and Donations

There never can be enough appreciation expressed to Val and Kim Pratley for their ongoing and incredible assistance through financial assistance and the wonderful meaningful time they provide at Shalom.

In November Val led a Christmas Service in the chapel, and then hosted a festive Christmas Party for all the residents and staff on duty. In February Val and her Methodist Ladies Fellowship group spent the morning at Shalom when everyone enjoyed participating in their annual tea and cake morning. Also in February Kim, arranged for the

Krugersdorp News to come to Shalom to write
an article on our very special haven as well as promote their upcoming fundraising events.

March was a ridiculously busy month for Val and Kim Pratley when they, with a supporting team, hosted
2 fundraising events, with Shalom being a 50% beneficiary.

Both functions were amazing and combined attended by close to 800 people raising R …………. for Shalom.

In August Kim and Val donated R 15 000 and then in February, Val’s sister donated R10 000 to Shalom. Eddie Gibbon provided his assistance to repair our essential borehole and pump that has been giving us problems for 6 months now.

In October ABSA hosted a golf day with Shalom as a beneficiary and as a result we are thrilled to announce that we have received R 45 000 as a result.

In December we were thrilled to hear that the National Lotteries Board had pledged R 162 000 to Shalom, that was received in February.

January saw a large truck pull into Shalom, which was loaded with kitchen cupboards that were donated after ………. had her kitchen replaced. These unit have subsequently been installed in the staff accommodation to replace well-worn cupboards.

Two weekends a month, Wendy, Bonnie Crooks, Meg and Vernon Lavarack spend a Saturday morning in Krugersdorp selling used clothes and items to the local community. During the week, Wendy and Bonnie spend many hours sorting all the donated items, mending some, and then pricing them. This is a arduous task, but bring in vital funding for Shalom’s every increasing daily expenses and special projects.

Meg Lavarack for 23 years has been the champion
of the jumble sales and to the point that the other week when her daughter, Shayne went home for the weekend, Shayne asked where she was going to sleep as her Mother have covered her bed and her room with jumble!!

Sincere thanks go to Brittany de Abreau who in February donated a badly needed brand new lawnmower, as well as a lounge suite and some office chairs.

Wonderful Dedicated Staff of Shalom

Congratulations to Seli, one of our care assistants, who gave birth to beautiful twin boys in August., followed by Victoria who gave birth to a baby in September and then in February, Staff Nurse Ketha gave birth to a baby girl.

The staff have received their annual fire training and Anton after the training, kindly donated a fire extinguisher for the Condor.

Without our fantastic staff compliment, our residents would not be such happy and well cared for very special family members. Thank you so much one and all.

Shalom’s Surroundings

When the tornado swept through Magaliesburg on the 8th October, Shalom did not escape its path and resultant damage. The surrounding area was without electricity for four days, which apart from the obvious ramifications of no electricity, the most challenging was that we were unable to pump water. One of the carports for the staff house collapsed and is busy being re-constructed, along with apparent leaks being fixed throughout the centre.

The staff were truly fantastic and dealt with all the repercussions, ensure safety and hygiene for the residents and probably deserved to be finalists in the “Survivor” series! On that day, Madison did her best to enjoy her 12th Birthday, day activities were undertaken and as happens at Shalom, the residents were busy and happy!

The gardens of Shalom are flourishing well after the long and soaking rains in February and now as Autumn approaches, wood is being collected for the log fire to keep the residents warm during the winter evenings.

Thank you for reading our news and please follow us on Facebook! All the very best from Shalom Respite Care Centre.