Children shown importance of charity
SUNNINGHILL- Resident Cherise Pedder gives back to the community with two major charity drives a year.
For the first part of the year, she focuses on the Mandela Drive Day, and for the second part she contributes to Christmas causes.
Pedder, a mother of two, organises these drives to teach her children about the gift of giving. Her involvement in charities started when she discovered Baby Moses Children’s Santuary a year ago.
Pedder went onto a website that lists all the charities in South Africa. From there, she picked the one she most connected to and started raising funds and asking for donations.
The Baby Moses Children’s Sanitary assists abandoned babies and abused children with shelter, food and warmth. She has never visited the home, as the founders Lanie and Christo de Klerk collect all her donations, however she has met all the children at a Christmas party she arranged last year.
“It was wonderful to see them playing and enjoying their party. Someone even made Santa bags for the children, so each child had loads of fun gifts in their bag,” said Pedder.
Pedder wants her own children to see the opportunity charity provides for these children as she believes, “little ones deserve a fighting chance”.
Her children have met those living at the home. “My eldest daughter Hannah-Leigh is very compassionate towards them; she doesn’t treat them any different because they are in a home,” said Pedder.
“My little one is too small to realise, so she just sees them as friends.”
In her ideal world, all children would have a loving home.
“If all I do is assist with the collection of goods for them to ease the burden, then I know my part is done,” stated Pedder.
She has asked people to bring her tinned food, sugar, coffee, long-life milk, boxes of cereal and oats etc, toiletries and cleaning products. Second-hand clothes are also welcome.
“I would greatly appreciate any assistance from my community in this venture. My goal is to double what I did last year,” added Pedder.
Details: Cherise Pedder at CheriseP@mlift.co.za
Sunninghill resident Cherise Pedder does her part for the community with two charity drives per year. If you have a charitable initiative you are working on, let us know. Comment on the Fourways Review Facebook page.
