Bring out the bling on Casual Day

Casual Day ambassadors Kashveera Chanderjith and Nicole Laxton, visited the Sunshine Association Early Learning Centre for children with disabilities, in Elsburg, on August 6.

Among other activities, they handed out toys to promote motor co-ordination.

Casual Day provides the country with the opportunity to show their solidarity with persons with disabilities, at the same time as enjoying team building and camaraderie with their fellow participants.

It also gives South Africans the opportunity to be creative and have fun, while contributing to the betterment of society; it is community spirit in action.

“The children of the Sunshine Association hold a very special place in my heart and I have bonded well with them,” said Laxton, who has Absence Epilepsy.

Chanderjith is the first profoundly deaf chartered accountant in South Africa.

She is the audit manager at Anglo American and paid tribute to the mothers of the children at the Sunshine Association.

“As a woman with a disability, who aspires for greatness, the ability to allow innovation to transform and build inclusiveness in our modern-day society is possible because of the multifaceted approach a woman has to all circumstances and the positivity she will continue to radiate,” Chanderjith added.

“She is bold, she is bright, she is awesome and she transforms.

“This is the essence of being a woman,” added Chanderjith.

Casual Day is on September 5 and it celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.

The theme for 2014 is “Bring out the Bling”, and the colour for the year is dazzle blue.

Put on your dancing shoes and dress up, not down, for this year’s Casual Day.

“The theme is, appropriately, celebratory,” said the project leader Celeste Vinassa.

“We have been dressing casually for the past two decades, but this year it’s a special occasion, so our message to you is to rustle up a little razzle dazzle and dress up in the official colour of the year, dazzle blue.

“Casual Day is all about fantasy and dressing up in things you can find around the house. Be creative with glitter, fabric, shiny paper or just wear your sticker and a posh casual attitude.”

Casual Day is South Africa’s most successful fundraising project for persons with disabilities, and the amount raised for last year climbed to R24.8-million.

Sponsored by the Edcon Group, Casual Day is the flagship project of the National Council for Persons with Physical Disabilities in South Africa (NCPPDSA), which this year celebrates 75 years of service to the community of persons with disabilities.

To get your stickers from Sunshine Association call them on 011 827 1738 or email elsburg@sunshine.org.za.

Stickers are also available from: Edgars, Jet, JetMart, Boardmans, CNA, Red Square and Legit;

Absa outlets, Game and Dion Wired stores, Shoprite and Checkers stores.

Alternatively you can donate online.

Keep abreast of Casual Day activities on the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CasualDaySA.

Twitter: @Casual Day_SA, BringouttheBling, Casual Day.

For more information contact the organisers of the project on 011 609 7006 or visit their website at www.casualday.co.za.