Young girls smile, enjoying last year’s successful Reach for dream Slipper Day. (Image: Reach for a Dream)
For one day people can swap stilettos, brogues or sneakers for cosy slippers in the name of helping a gravely ill child.
Reach for a Dream Foundation’s Slipper Day calls on ordinary citizens to make a difference by just donating R10 for a sticker to allow people to go to work on 5 August 2016 wearing slippers.
This nationwide campaign has grown quickly since its inception in 2011. At first it was a provincial campaign when it amassed R175 000 in KwaZulu-Natal. In 2012 it went national and managed to raise R1.3-million. In 2015 it collected a staggering R3.5-million.
According to Reach for a Dream’s website Slipper Day is a “fun initiative that creates awareness for the foundation, whilst raising funds to make more dreams a reality for children fighting life-threatening illnesses”.
Bronwyn Feldwick-Davis, the foundation’s marketing manager said Slipper Day is successful because it gets all South Africans involved for as little as R10.
“The thought of a child battling for their life when they should be enjoying the most magical time of their lives, their childhood, is something that most citizens feel compassion and empathy towards.”
Julia Sotirianakos, CEO at the foundation said Slipper Day provides people an easy way to do something good and support children fighting life-threatening illnesses.
“Even during tough economic times you can make a difference with just R10 and doing something fun with your feet,” she said.
“By wearing your slippers on Slipper Day, you can help to bring dreams to life and if we can make dreams come true, we can instil hope in a child which will help them to continue fighting.”
This year the foundation hopes to sell 650 000 stickers, which will almost double its fundraising total from 2015.
Stickers can be bought at Reach for a Dream branches, as well as in Wimpy or Pick ‘n Pay stores nationwide.
Reach for a Dream has been helping children and teens battling life-threatening illnesses since 1988. Whether it’s a surprise birthday party, a laptop, shopping sprees or meeting their favourite personality, the foundation has been making dreams come true.
