Club Travel staff were given the chance to bid on the handmade blankets and the money raised enabled Club Cares, to buy 67 winter blankets
Club Travel staff rallied behind Mandela Day and the “67 Blankets for Madiba” campaign by using nearly 50km of wool to craft blankets, which were auctioned and the money used to buy 67 winter warming blankets for abused women and their children at the Sisters Incorporated shelter in Kenilworth, Cape Town.
The handmade blankets were created by staff members, their family and friends with knitting needles; crochet hooks and wool, provided by Club Cares, their CSI division, to knit 30cm x 30cm squares. Nearly 5km of wool was used to create each blanket, which took about five days to stitch together into handmade patchwork blankets.
Club Travel staff were given the chance to bid on the handmade blankets and the money raised enabled Club Cares, to buy 67 winter blankets. Staffers then handed out the blankets at Sisters Incorporated, which was founded in 1959 and offers a safe haven to single mothers-to-be who are considering placing their baby up for adoption, and to women who are victims of rape or domestic violence.
“I certainly thought we were being overzealous when purchasing 60 balls of wool, 20 sets of knitting needles and 15 crochet hooks but found that we had to ‘top-up’ within days due to our team’s enthusiasm. Before we knew it, we had knitted and crochet squares coming in from Club Travel team members, their families, friends and our partners too, which resulted in a few team members working around the clock to make these squares into blankets,” said Luana Visagie – Club Cares Committee.
“This was a true team effort with even those who had not knitted since school, getting back into the craft and now wanting to continue knitting. Club Cares was launched in 2002 and I believe it’s continued success is largely due to the passion our staff share when it comes to giving back to communities in need. Staff personally donate a set amount of money to Club Cares on a monthly basis and Club Travel then matches the contribution made by staff – this, along with the physical involvement by staff, has resulted in many wishes being fulfilled.”
Sisters Incorporated provides full board and lodging, three meals a day, clothing, toiletries and bedding. They empower the women in their care through skills training and support by operating a full-time crèche for their children. They also help the women to find employment and access legal assistance as well as medical care.
“A heartfelt thank you to Club Travel for blessing us on this Mandela Day. You have helped us to assist the many woman and children and victims of domestic violence, who live at our shelter. From our staff, thank you for holding our arms up!” said Linda Fugard, Manager at Sisters Incorporated.
