Sponsor a sprightly senior
Last year Grandparents' Walk entrants and their sponsors raised R19 000 for charity.
THIS year’s Grandparents’ Walk will be a special one as it marks the 30th consecutive year that this popular event for super seniors has been held.
The brainchild of Jean Acker, who started it 30 years ago with the assistance of Hibiscus Coast Tourism staff, the inaugural grandparents’ walk proved to be a popular Sardine Festival happening. It quickly became a regular fixture of the July holiday programme and is one of the longest-running events on the South Coast calendar. Although it started small it now attracts about 450 walkers.
After she had been running it for a number of years, the walk became just too big for Jean to handle on her own so she asked the Uvongo Rotary Anns and Rotarians to take it over. It is now staged and managed with great enthusiasm by members of the Hibiscus Coast Rotary Club and the Hibiscus Coast Rotary Anns. They organise the walk, obtain the necessary sponsorship, unravel any red tape that needs unravelling and then cook up a delicious breakfast for everyone taking part.
This year’s Grandparents’ Walk, from St Michael’s to Uvongo and back along the scenic Saints Walk, takes place on Wednesday, July 9, at 8.30am. After the walk the Rotary Anns will prepare scrumptious breakfast wraps and will serve them up to the walkers with the traditional orange juice and bubbly. Prizes will be handed out to various lucky entrants.
To enable the Rotarians and Rotary Anns to hold this popular event for seniors, they ask local companies to assist with sponsorship. To sponsor one entrant costs only R50 and that entrant will proudly wear a bib adorned with his or her sponsor’s name.
“In these tough economic times it is even more worthwhile and rewarding to provide a thoroughly enjoyable and memorable social event like the Grandparents’ Walk for our sprightly seniors,” said Hibiscus Rotary president Rina Opperman. She pointed out that the walk was a fun-filled social event for grandparents,who looked forward to it every year. It was also a valuable fund-raiser. Last year the walking grannies and grandads and their sponsors raised more than R19,000 for local Rotary charities.
While entry and the fabulous post-walk breakfast are free for seniors, all entrants are asked to donate a toiletry item, for instance a cake of soap, a tube of toothpaste or a facecloth. These will be distributed to local charities.
For more information about sponsoring or entering the walk, contact Doug and Cathy at 039 3150926 or 082 8564971 or fax number 086 6218022 or dkent@venturenet.co.za, or Jackie at 039 3121998.
