Make it a cracker of a Christmas for the elderly

Five years ago three sisters, Lornette Joseph, Coral Bowler and Mandy Whitehead, decided to make Christmas a little brighter for the elderly with a special Christmas gift.

In the first year the sisters, along with their families, bought 35 gifts for the residents of Elandsvallei Home for the Aged in Primrose.

From there, the project grew and soon the trio decided to include the Gerald Fitzpatrick Home for Ladies, and the number of gifts increased from 35 to 105.

Realising they couldn’t tackle this task alone, the sisters decided to open the project up to friends and family to assist.

“Every year so far, the Christmas Cracker project has grown, with more people coming on board and spreading more joy to the elderly,” said Lornette.

“In 2018, despite wanting to reach 400 elderly people, we donated gifts to just over 300 residents of old-age facilities.”

The project is not just about the gifts though, it is also about spending a few precious moments with the residents to share an ice cream or a laugh.

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“Some of the people we speak to are just so grateful to spend time with us,” said Mandy.

“It is sad to see how many people have just been put in an old-age home by their family and forgotten.”

As the project grew, the sisters, along with their friend Wendy McNally, made the decision to register a non-profit organisation (NPO) called TenderHeart Foundation, which has the Christmas Cracker as its registered project.

“Some people don’t give us gifts, but prefer to deposit money into our bank account.

“We did not feel that it was right not to be a registered NPO.

“We would like to grow the TenderHeart Foundation into other avenues, which we will look at in the new year,” explained Lornette.

“All funds get put back into the Christmas Cracker project,” said Mandy.

Collections for this year’s Christmas Cracker project have begun, and TenderHeart Foundation is already thrilled with the support it has received.

“Not only do we have a number of drop-off points this year, but we also have a number of amazing community members who are helping with the collection and coordination of the gifts,” said Lornette.

Shelley Hutton and Wendy are based in the Kensington area, Danielle Matthews covers the Primrose area, Lyn Opie is tackling the Lambton area, while Lornette, Mandy and Coral, along with their spouses, are covering the remaining areas.

“We really couldn’t do the work we do without the help of these amazing people,” said Coral.

“Our families and friends have become huge supporters of our cause.”

Coral further explained that while it is preferred that people donate full bags, the organisation is grateful for any donations towards completing a bag.

“Anything that someone wishes to give will be fantastic because then it means we don’t have to buy that specific item. Every little bit helps,” Coral said.

This year the team hopes to reach as many elderly residents as possible and they are appealing to the community to make this dream a reality.

Community members are asked to donate bags filled with:

• A face cloth.

• Soap.

• Aqueous cream/Vaseline.

• Toothpaste.

• Toothbrush.

• Powder.

• Deodorant.

• Tasty treats (biscuits or soft sweets).

• An item of clothes (socks, gloves or scarves).

• A little gift, for example, playing cards, puzzle books (like Suduko or crossword puzzles), adult colouring books, a medicine organiser/pill box, a memory journal and pen, a broach, a torch, a fridge magnet photo frame, a key finder, a glasses holder, a cellphone bag or a sweetie jar.

The items should be placed into a normal plastic bag and clearly marked male or female.

“The team of helpers will place the collected items into printed fabric bags,” said Lornette.

“We really don’t want people to go to the extra expense or hassle of finding gift bags or boxes, so we have arranged for fabric Christmas bags to be printed.”

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TenderHeart Foundation has several drop-off points where community members can drop off their Christmas Cracker bags. They include:

• Germiston City News, Joburg East Express and Bedfordview and Edenvale News offices, located at 25 Main Road in Fishers’ Hill.

• Country Flowers, located at 150 Queen Street in Kensington.

• Tame Times Alberton, located at 91 Michelle Avenue and Sangiro Close in Randhart.

• Majestic Nursery, located at 90 Webber Road in Lambton.

• DeadBird Tattoo, located at Cedar Corner, corner of First Avenue and Webber Road in Lambton.

• FNB Conference and Learning Centre, located at 114 Grayston Drive in Sandown.

• Sugars Bakery, located at 118 Terrace Road in Edenvale.

• Mirivi, located at 32 Vuurslag Road in Spartan Extension 16.

• Tattoo World, located at East Rand Traders Square, 4 Frank Road in Bardene.

“A bin will be placed at all the locations,” said Lornette.

“These drop-off points generally work normal working hours from Monday to Friday.

“However, Majestic Nursery, Country Flowers and DeadBird Tattoo will also be available on Saturday mornings.

“Members from the TenderHeart Foundation will also be present at the Majestic Nursery final night market for the year on November 29, where we will collect either items or complete bags.”

To make cash donations, community members can use the following banking details:

Account Name: Tenderheart Foundation

Branch name and code: Wadeville, 251542

Account Number: 62829445239

Please use your name and Christmas Cracker (CC) as a reference.

The collection will close on December 10.

“Handing over a small gift to the men and women in the homes has brought us so much joy and we couldn’t do it without the help of the public,” said Lornette.

For more information on Tenderheart Foundation or the project, call Lornette on 083 847 4510 or send an email to Ccracker15@gmail.com.

Alternatively, visit the Christmas Cracker Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/ccracker/) for more details.

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Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor) germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za or Leigh Hodgson (News Editor) leighh@caxton.co.za.

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