The 3rd century bishop, St Valentine, had a reputation for showing love and concern for those in need. Truth and legend have become entwined over the centuries and now February is celebrated as the month of love in his honour. To mark mid-month Valentine’s Day, Crawford International La Lucia organised their ‘Have a Heart Give a Sole’ campaign to collect pre-loved shoes. The school responded well and 179 pairs were donated to The Domino Foundation. Crawford’s Pre-Primary’s Vanessa Morgan said: “ We are aware of the great work Domino does with its education programmes and we know that not all of the beneficiaries are fortunate enough to have a good pair of shoes to get to and from school each day. We felt we would like to change that.”
Thembeka S Gumede, Domino’s “Connector” who interfaces with the NPO’s partners and volunteers, added: “Crawford’s generosity has meant that we have been able to give shoes to 147 learners with feet sizes 0 to 10 and the adult shoes have gone to people we serve through our other programmes.”
It is interesting that February is the month in which not only Valentine’s Day is celebrated but Random Acts of Kindness Day as well. Thembeka commented that generosity is a condition of the heart and is not just confined to one month a year. “I really hope Crawford’s thoughtfulness towards the people we work with will inspire others to do something similar so that we can keep the spirit of giving going all year!”
For information on opportunities to donate to the underserved communities Domino’s programme work with, Thembeka can be contacted at connect @ domino.org.za or on 031 110 7030.
