ICYMI: Lend support to SA Guide-Dogs Association

The South African Guide-Dogs Association for the Blind, located in Paulshof, invites community members to assist them during this difficult time.

Head of marketing at the association Nadia Sands said that when President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation for the first time concerning the pandemic, the association lost a guaranteed income of over R300 000 due to large events being cancelled.

However, she said the association has been blown away by the support they received from their invaluable donors. “They truly are the heroes that helped us through April and made up for the financial loss we had experienced,” said Sands.

The fundraising walkathon arranged from 11 to 18 May, was also an overwhelming success. “Again, we were amazed at the wonderful support that this campaign received and it exceeded our expectations in terms of how much we were able to raise.”

Sands said that despite these efforts, the association is still not out of the woods. They will need to rethink all their events and campaigns planned for this year.
Only staff who work directly with the dogs have returned to the offices, while the remainder work remotely from home. Orientation and mobility students are now studying virtually from the safety of their homes (across the country).

“Our orientation and mobility practitioners are still available to assist clients via telephone, email etc. and will only be allowed to resume their on-site training once restrictions have lifted.

“We try and limit the amount of physical interaction and have resorted to using virtual meeting programmes, increased the ways that you can donate, even if you don’t have access to technology, and of course designed new virtual experiences and events.”

For example, community members can use their unique Payfast barcode to make donations at till points while doing grocery shopping. The association is also hosting webinars, at no charge, designed to include influential and accredited professionals in various fields that are relevant to the current situation.

On Mandela Day, they will be offering various options where community members can still physically do something to assist the association, but without putting anyone in harm’s way. More details will be shared in this regard on the association’s social media platforms.

They are also arranging their first-ever virtual gala dinner on 3 October, with tickets on sale soon.

Community members can also nominate the association as a beneficiary on their MySchool card, where they can receive donations every time they shop.
“We have changed our operations to be ‘virtual’, but we are still accessible and have not stopped the life-changing work that we do.”

Sands concluded, “Now, more than ever, we need the support of our communities and we hope that we have implemented and changed enough in order for people to still be able to support us without having to leave their homes.”