On Thursday evening, 21 November, all of Streetsmart’s fundraising efforts for 2013 came together in a heart-warming handover celebration where giant cardboard cheques were presented to some of the organisation’s beneficiaries.
The event was held at the Salesian Institute in Green Point, Cape Town, the base for some of the beneficiary organisations. As a result, the event was given a very genuine touch as some of the children and young adults who benefit from the restaurant donations were actually in attendance. We even heard a short and sweet testimonial from a young man who was completing a panel-beating course, funded by the Streetsmart donations.
The donations which Streetsmart receives are paid to the organisation on a monthly basis by participating restaurants. How it works is that restaurants sign up, and then get to display the Streetsmart cards on each table, so that patrons can learn what it’s all about. Five Rand is automatically added onto each table’s bill (with the option of either declining to donate or donating more than the standard R5 too). It is stressed that this small amount is deducted per table, NOT per person, so the sacrifice is pretty well non-existent at an individual level, and yet in the grand scheme, the effect is phenomenal.
Streetsmart raised over R900 000 this year which went towards the running costs of organisations like Ons Plek, the Kusasa Project and the Youth Empowerment Action organisation. Some of these costs include salaries, marketing and transport.
The event was both heart-warming and inspiring with a number of speakers filling the time, from La Mouette co-owner Mari Vigar talking about her restaurant’s contribution and singing the praises of the organisation; Gertrude Gwezi, a social worker from Ons Plek who described a case study of a child who benefitted from the Streetsmart donations and how; and finally a young man (mentioned above) who is currently involved in one of the beneficiary’s projects. In terms of entertainment value, comedienne Nik Rabinowitz was definitely a favourite and through humour managed to remind many of us why South Africa is such a fantastic place to be.
Streetsmart is a wonderful organisation, being both completely transparent with their funds and making it really convenient to donate to a good cause…
Some Streetsmart restaurants in the Western Cape:
La Mouette – Sea Point
Nonna Lina – Gardens
Societi Bistro – Gardens
Myoga @ The Vineyard Hotel – Newlands
Bodega @ Dornier Wines – Stellenbosch
Makaron @ Majeka House – Stellenbosch
And in Johannesburg
DW eleven-13 – Dunkeld West
Nonna Mia’s – Birnam
Licorish Bistro – Bryanston
For more listings and to get involved visit www.streetsmartsa.org.za
