Reach for a Dream campaign launches Slipper Day

Reach for a Dream launched the annual Slipper Day fundraiser campaign which is set to take place on May 31.

The campaign encourages people to buy R20 stickers in support of children with life-threatening illnesses.

Reach for a Dream also used the launch to highlight all the plans they have for this year’s Slipper Day.

Since its inception in 2011, Slipper Day has become a movement across South Africa where workers and school children come together to bring the dreams of children living with critical diseases such as cancer, renal failure, and heart conditions to life just by buying a R20 sticker and wearing it with slippers on the day.

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Julia Sotirianakos, CEO of Reach for A Dream said, “Our children face unimaginable struggles each day in hospital but their courage and resilience are awe-inspiring.

“This year we are calling on everyone to buy a sticker and step into their slippers on Slipper Day.

“By trading your shoes for slippers, you’re stepping into these youngsters’ world, showing them that they are not alone in this fight.”

The theme for this year which is “Step into My Slippers,” means stepping into the slippers of these brave children and focusing on empathy and fun. This simple act shows solidarity and support for these children, who often spend their days in slippers due to their health conditions.

Dr Thandeka Ngcana, a Paediatric Medical Oncologist and one of the speakers at the launch said, “You see I’m a clinician, so I treat the cancer, I treat the body and Reach for A Dream comes in that space where they treat the soul. They treat the dream and they treat beyond just a physical body.”

Comedian and host of the event, Jason Goliath expressed his excitement about being part of such a campaign.

“So, if you’re not inspired by events like this it means you haven’t had a loss like this, you haven’t had a child get ill or you haven’t experienced what happens to a family when a child gets ill,” said Goliath.

“It is the most devastating and unnatural thing to happen to any parent and that’s not even considering what the child is going through.

“So for me, because I have been in those environments and I have gone to the hospitals and I’ve engaged with those children and I have seen the difference Reach for A Dream can make, spreading happiness and joy with the way the world is right now should be our number one priority.”

All funds raised from Slipper Day go to the Reach for A Dream Foundation, a non-profit organisation that makes dreams come true for children with life-threatening illnesses.

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Since its inception in 1988, the Foundation has turned more than 27,670 dreams into reality. These dreams range from meeting personal heroes to experiencing new things for the first time.

They provide the children with a temporary escape from their illness and a much-needed distraction from often painful medical treatments. Most importantly, they fulfil dreams and inspire hope, giving these children a reason to believe that tomorrow is worth fighting for.