“BEING a handyman is more than just fixing things: it’s about making a difference in people’s lives.” So said that deep thinker, Anonymous.

Wanting to make a significant difference in the lives of some of the community’s smallest and most vulnerable members is what stirred members of Durban’s Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to embark on a repair and upgrade mission at The Domino Foundation’s Babies’ Home.

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Sherene McDonald of the Latter-day Saints’ Durban communications team explained the church’s worldwide, yearly ‘Light the World’ campaign.

“Loving and serving others the way Jesus Christ did is the campaign’s goal. We have a wonderful relationship with Domino, and because of the great work done by the foundation, it was an easy decision to select Domino as the recipient for this project. Love and service are keynotes of theirs, just like ours,” she said.

The aim was to do maintenance to improve facilities at the home and also lighten the load of House Mother Precious Thabethe and her team of caregivers who are so dedicated to the babies in their care.

“Measure twice, cut once,” is the watchword of handyman and father to McDonald, Raymond Holder, who assessed and costed each part of the project in advance so that it would be no patch job.

Come the big day, Raymond had everything in place for the team of 40 to set about replacing the home’s storage shed’s roof and installing shelving in the donations area and the laundry. The DIYers also put together a wooden box fitted with wheels for sorting the gifts which come to supplement the home’s day-to-day household supplies.

After these jobs were ticked off the to-do list, there was still time available, and so efforts turned to other maintenance – gardening, repainting benches and toy boxes, and other general cleaning and refreshing. With what energy they could still summon, the team rounded off their time at the home by interacting with and feeding the babies.

“There was love, laughter and joy in serving,” said McDonald.

Anyone interested in finding out how they can be part of keeping Domino’s Babies’ Home in the first-class condition its small residents deserve can call 031 110 0730, or email McDonald at sherene.mcdonald@kantar.com about the ‘Light the World’ campaign.

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