Where there's a need, there's a Lion

Gordon’s Bay Outreach, a registered NPO, has joined hands with Gordon’s Bay Residents Association, our local Community Police Forum, Neighbourhood Watch, Gordon’s Bay Lions Club and the United Church to help those in need during lockdown.

The Gordon’s Bay Outreach provides weekly food parcels to families pushed to the edge of day-to-day survival and cooked meal three times a week at the House of Hope in Temperance Town. The food parcels are packed and delivered with great care by the volunteers to those in need. The contents of the food parcels are sourced through donations and usually contains tinned fish, vegetables, mielie-meal, eggs, bread, pasta, toilet paper, soap, milk, sugar and tea, to address the basic dietary needs of a family for a week. The approximately 150 cooked meals per day are prepared at the House of Hope by a team of compassionate cooks residing in Temperance Town. Not only do they ensure that everyone queuing for food adheres to social distancing, wear masks and have sanitised hands, they also deliver cooked meals to the elderly and disabled living in Temperance Town. 

A journey of peace

History has shown that all too often peace is not guaranteed. While this is unfortunate, it also allows us the powerful opportunity to figure out how to achieve peace, individually and in our communities. And who better to map out the “Journey of Peace” than our youth?

For over three decades, Lions clubs around the globe have been sponsoring a very special art contest in schools and youth groups. With the 2019-2020 theme of “a journey of peace”, children were invited to creating peace posters as a way to express their visions of peace and inspire the world through art and creativity.

The Gordon’s Bay Lions Club submitted entries from Gordon’s Bay Primary towards the 2019-2020 Peace Poster Contest. Our young artists did extremely well and Teagan Wentzel achieved the 2nd Prize at District level; and Marcel van der Merwe obtained a Merit Award. Gordon’s Bay Primary was awarded a cash prize of R1000 in recognition of their support towards the contest.

Temperance Town Primary School Library & Toy Library Project

“Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope.” – Kofi Anan

The school library was established in 2008 at the Temperance Town Primary School with funding and support from the Gordon’s Bay Lions Club, Gordon’s Bay Public Library, Friends of the Gordon’s Bay Public Library, Friends of Afrikaans, the University of Stellenbosch: Education Department and Biblionef.

The library started out as a box of books kept in the back of a storeroom and has evolved to a library consisting out of a space between classrooms; and to its present location which is a library building with books, reading desks and a computerised book management system.

Books open the world to children and allow them to experience the ideas and thoughts of others. In South Africa, 78% of Grade 4 children cannot read for meaning, compared to 4% internationally. In low-income communities, large class sizes often undermine teachers' efforts to provide targeted learning and reading support.

The children growing up in Temperance Town come from incredibly poor and deprived backgrounds and do not have access to books or additional reading support at home.

This library project aims to provide children attending Temperance Town Primary School with more opportunities to read and enjoy storybooks of an appropriate level. During a recent literacy project of the University of Stellenbosch, the primary school was introduced to the guided reading methodology aimed at transforming limited Grade 1 learners into fluent readers every year. These newly acquired reading skills are further cultivated by the volunteers at the library.

The library functions in synergy with the school to introduce the wonder of the written word and to encourage and stimulate a love for reading with the children. Additionally, teachers have someone to support them with the important task of listening and reading with all children.

The Gordon’s Bay Lions Club sponsored and implemented a computerised library management system in 2016. In 2019, the Gordon’s Bay Lions Club upgraded this system with a new computer and a scanning device to the amount of R12000.

The Educational Toy Library started in 2016 as an extension to the current format of the library to address the developmental needs of the toddlers and pre-school children. The toy library involves mothers and children from the community in educational play activities in the library facility with guidance provided by the Librarian and volunteers and the community.

The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss

International Pillar of Service – Childhood Cancer Red Cross Children’s War Memorial Hospital

The Oncology-Haematology ward at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital is a place that holds stories of courage, stories of survival, stories of loss and stories of unexpected triumph over this disease. The 21-bed ward is home to doctors, nurses and specialists who have dedicated their lives to helping their young patients fight cancer. But most importantly, it’s home to the most remarkable children you will ever meet, children who fearlessly fight a battle most adults could not.

The Gordon’s Bay Lions Club recognises the invaluable service that the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital provide to the communities we serve; and has raised funds towards the scheduled renovations for the facility.

Making history on the African continent, Lions Clubs in the Western and Southern Cape District, including the Gordon’s Bay Lions Club, and private donors contributed R200 000 to the refurbishment and enlargement of two patient/family consulting rooms in the Child Cancer Unit of the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital. The Lions Clubs International Foundation matched this contribution, resulting in R400 000 raised towards this world acclaimed facility.

The theme for the opening was butterflies as described in an essay written by Dr Marc Hendricks, a paediatrician at the Child Cancer Unit:

“Butterflies are a symbol of change through struggle – that something becomes ugly or dies before it emerges transformed and magnificent. It is a perfect symbol for the oncology journey, which is one of triumph over struggle and adversity, that children emerge well after being changed by their disease and the chemotherapy”.

The contractors completed the finishing touches to the Child Cancer Unit and the unit was officially opened in August 2019 at an opening celebration during which the District Governor of the Lions Club presented the Lions Cheque to the Red Cross Children’s War Memorial Hospital in Rondebosch.

Helderberg Animal Welfare

The Helderberg Animal Welfare is also in a dire need for dog jerseys, toys and as always, food. They use 80kg of dog food a day. Then, they also have a pop-up shop at the kennels in Mansfield rd for which they need any second-hand clothing or bric-a-brac.