"Ten Too"
“It isn’t what you have in your pocket that makes you thankful,
but what you have in your heart.”
“Ten Too”
“Ten Too” is how our hero Connor used to say “thank you” and so this is our way of helping and giving thanks for how fortunate we are.
There is always a need for help at the hospital and our communities. Our “Ten Too to You” program aims to help wherever we can.
This initiative is generally ad hoc and used when we are requested to help or identify a specific need within the hospital or general community. As we grow, we will introduce regular drives and appeals. This is a great way to foster a sense of community and encourage all of us to get involved (including our children) and give back to those so desperately in need.
Our view on helping others is simple, any help is appreciated, no matter how big or small….what may be small to you is monumental to others!!!!
Our “Ten Too to You” projects
Annual ICU End of Year Function
- Through our involvement with the hospital we discovered that due to budget constraints it was very difficult to host an end of year function for the ICU staff
- We thought that such special people who work so tirelessly and selflessly deserve a little celebration and cheer after a long year
- We have thus committed to hosting an annual end of year function for the staff
ICU Winter Jackets
- Winter in Cape Town can get very chilly and many of the staff wake up early (or leave late at night) and walk fair distances before they get to work. It is also cold in the hospital
- We identified this need and assisted in procuring winter jackets for the staff of the ICU
“Real Heroes” Play
- We were requested by a school to host a play for their children with a meaningful message
- We decided to base it on how those who we take for granted are actually the real heroes in our lives (our parents, nurses, policemen and women, doctors, fire-fighters etc)
- We thus dressed our founder up as Spider-Man and set to work….after completing many heroic deeds Spider-Man collapses and is nursed to health by a nurse. Without her he would not have been able to fight crime proving that the silent heroes in the background are the most important.
- We received a request from a member of the public that they knew of a nurse who was desperate to get her drivers licence and needed help with her lessons
- We assisted with this and she now has her drivers licence and is able to drive her car to work
Mothers and Nurses Day
- In 2019 Mothers and Nurses day fell on the same day
- As a way to say “Ten Too” to the staff of the ICU we put beautiful gift packs together with the help of some amazing corporates to make their day just a little bit brighter
Helping the Little People
- We often get requests from the public to help some of the less fortunate children at the hospital
- Whenever we get these requests, we consider each one carefully and then send out a “call to action” amongst our community
- So far we have managed to make a little boys stay so much easier with teddy bears, toys and food parcels for his family and providing others with stationary, colouring books and clothes
Fundraising
One of the pillars of our initiative is to raise money for the Children’s Hospital Trust.
“The Children’s Hospital Trust is an independent non-profit organization established in 1994 to raise funds to support specific projects and programmes to help advance child healthcare through the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital – the first stand-alone tertiary hospital, exclusively for children, in sub-Saharan Africa. The Trust raises funds for the upgrade and expansion of the Hospital’s buildings, the purchase of state-of-the-art medical equipment, new medical treatment programmes and funds the training of medical professionals across Africa – ensuring that the Hospital not only retains its world-class stature, but is able to continue providing life-changing and life-saving care for children.”
We raise funds through various avenues. Donations are made through events such as the “Portuguese Evening” held annually by Round Table… and participation by “Team Just Breathe” in events such as the Wild Coast Challenge.
We are constantly seeking new avenues and ideas to raise funds for the Children’s Hospital Trust and appreciate any and all support.