Newsletter | December 2005
The Big Days of December
Contents
  1. World Aids Day, International Day of Disabled Persons & International Volunteer Day
  2. Causes of the Month
  3. Report Back - HeartBeat
  4. Latest GGSA statistics
  5. Don't Forget to Make Christmas Matter this year
  6. Buckets of Love
  7. Make Christmas Matter Shopping Specials
  8. GreaterGood Community Noticeboard
  9. What happens when you register on www.GreaterGoodSA.co.za?
  10. Telling a friend helps to make a difference

Greetings!

The Big Days in December

Yesterday, December 1st was World AIDS Day, a yearly, global event promoting awareness and action in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The UNAIDS & World Health Organisations' "AIDS Epidemic Update 2005" estimates that the number of people living with HIV/AIDS has risen to 40.3 million, and 2.3 million of those are children. This year, 4.9 million people were newly infected by HIV and 3.1 million people died of AIDS. Every day in Africa, HIV/AIDS kills 6,300 people and 1,400 newborn babies are infected during childbirth. These numbers are nameless and faceless but behind the statistics are real people - mothers and fathers, teachers and nurses, teenage boys and girls with dreams. On this day, GreaterGood South Africa particularly salutes those volunteer home-based carers who go out every day in communities across South Africa bringing comfort and help to the sick and dying.

   
December 3rd is the International Day of Disabled Persons and the theme for 2005 is the "Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Action in Development". The observance of this day aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and, importantly, to mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. It is an opportunity to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life. See our Causes of the Month if you would like to support some of the fantastic organisations working towards these aims.
 

December 5th is the International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development offering an opportunity for volunteer organizations and individual volunteers to make visible their contributions to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. Looking back over this year, we are delighted by the rise of volunteerism we have experienced. Not only was there an amazing response to October's Do It Day, but we have noted a surge of volunteering opportunities and offerings. We salute all of you who have invested your "sweat equity" in making South Africa a better place. In honour of all of those of you who are giving so much of your time, skills and energy, we are busy refining our matching process so that you can find the cause you are seeking more easily.
Causes of the Month - A focus on the well-being of disabled persons

One of the key measures of a strong nation is its capacity to look after its most vulnerable citizens, ensuring that their dignity, rights and well-being are fostered. If you would like to commemorate the International Day of Disabled Persons, you might consider supporting any one of these accountable Causes helping the nation to care well for disabled South Africans:
  1. Elim Home
  2. Orion Organisation
  3. Avril Elizabeth Home
  4. Free State Association for People with Disabilities and the Deaf
  5. South African National Council for the Blind
  6. Amputee Club of South Africa
  7. ChiLD
  8. Carel Du Toit Centre for the Deaf
Report back from HeartBeat Centre for community development

To: Woolworths, Bigfoot Express, Sunday Times & GreaterGood South Africa

Thank you once again to all of you for making this wonderful donation of clothing to thousands of orphans in Heartbeat's programmes possible!! These are only some of the happy children in Heartbeat's programmes across South Africa, currently wearing beautiful WOOLIES CLOTHING!
Thank you to Woolworths for your continued support!

Thank you again for Bigfoot Express for transporting this great donation to Heartbeat free of charge, and also for your willingness to assist where possible, in transporting more "Gifts-in-Kind" to reach our orphans and vulnerable families in programmes countrywide in future!

Thank you also for Sunday Times and Greater Good for their involvement in getting this Good News story out and happening! Hope you all have a wonderful day

Kindest Regards
Marcha Neethling
HeartBeat Centre for Community Development
Latest GreaterGood SA statistics - We're over the R2 million mark!

648, 050 Page Hits
306, 832 Unique New Visitors
R2,047,866.47 in Donor Funds
More than 40,000 surplus /second hand items redistributed
More than 4,000 person hours volunteered
Don't forget to Wish Upon A Star & Make Christmas Matter this year!

Join South Africa's unique Christmas campaign and Make Christmas Matter in poverty-stricken South African communities. Don't spend more this silly season! Make Christmas Matter encourages people to give some of what they would have spent anyway.

1. You can make a free wish upon a star and send a free e-card to a friend...

2. You can make a donation of R50 to a poverty eradication project of your choice, sign your name upon a virtual star on the Tree of the Day, send an e-card to a friend, and receive a real star and card, delivered to one address...

3. Your family or group of friends can make a donation of R500 to a poverty eradication project and you will get your own virtual Make Christmas Matter Family Tree with 10 stars on the tree and 100 stars in the sky! Sign your names upon the virtual stars, send an e-card to a friend, receive a real star and card, delivered to one address - plus a real tree will be planted in a vulnerable community on behalf of your family...

4. Your business can make a donation of R5000 to a poverty eradication project and you will get your own virtual Make Christmas Matter Corporate Tree with 100 stars on the tree and 1000 stars in the sky! Your clients and employees can sign their names upon the virtual stars. Your company will receive 10 real stars and cards delivered to one address - plus 10 real trees will be planted in a vulnerable community on behalf of your business...

Make Christmas Matter enables South Africans to revive the true joy of giving and receiving by making the contribution to a brighter and better future an integral part of celebrating Christmas. Discuss Make Christmas Matter with your family and friends and decide how you would like to transform Christmas excess into a meaningful contribution. For example, by all agreeing on a comfortable price limit per gift you can pool the balances and make a family donation.www.makechristmasmatter.co.za
You can Make Christmas Matter with Buckets of Love
Catholic Welfare and Development (CWD) is a registered non profit organisation supporting 22 anti-poverty programmes in the areas of community development; women, children and youth development; health and food security; and economic development. This year, they have partnered with us and their annual Buckets of Love donation campaign has become part of our Make Christmas Matter campaign.

When you make a Bucket if Love donation of just R100, half of that will support the work of CWD and the other R50 will support the Make Christmas Matter beneficiaries.

Click here to donate and you will receive a Bucket of Love e-card.
Make Christmas Matter Shopping specials
1. MCM Condiments Gift Pack
The Greater Goods Condiments Hamper includes and a tall stone salt & pepper set, a stone olive dish, beaded salad servers, and a beaded butter knife. Sales benefit the Sparrow Job Creation Project and Khumbulani Crafts.
2. MCM Deluxe Decorations Gift Pack
This Glass Beaded Christmas Decoration Hamper is a multi-pack of high quality tree decorations including a Beadability Tree, Star of Hope, Beaded Angel, Father Christmas, Christmas bell, Praying Angel, large and small beaded Christmas balls and an "Angel with Attitude". Sales benefit the Cape Mental Health Society, Kidz Positive, the Sparrow Job Creation Project, Nazareth House and Mothers' Creations.
3. MCM card, star and Kunye beaded tree
This Make Christmas Matter Hamper includes a Make Christmas Matter star and card set with a Kunye beaded Christmas Tree and a donation to the beneficiaries of the Make Christmas Matter campaign.
4. Cheese & Wine Delight
The Greater Goods cheese and wine delight includes a fine SA wine, beaded cheese knife, wine carrier, 2 wine glasses (with beaded stems) and a Make Christmas Matter star & card. Sales benefit the Sparrow Job Creation Project, Kuyasa and the Make Christmas Matter Poverty Eradication fund.
5. Christmas Celebration Centrepiece
The Greater Goods "Christmas Celebration Centrepiece" includes beaded table centrepiece, a bottle of champagne, a Make Christmas Matter card and star. Sales benefit Kunye & Make Christmas Matter.
You can also make good life choices at the good shop

Click Here To Buy Virtual Airtime - 5% of the cost of your airtime goes to charity!

Click Here Brighten your garden with FineBushPeople indigenous plants for summer -25% of the cost of your purchase goes to charity!

Click Here Subscribe to The Ripple Effect - 10% of the cost goes to a cause of your choice!
The GreaterGood Community Notice Board
  • Have you got 'previously loved' goods that don't match any of our current wishlists?
  • Have you got time to volunteer?
  • Have you got specific skills you would like to contribute to a good cause?
The GreaterGood Community Notice board is a new forum on the website where you can post time, skills or useful items that you would like to give. We will do our best to find a cause that has a need that matches what you would like to give. You will remain anonymous while GreaterGood brokers the exchange between you and a cause. When we have a suitable match, we will contact you privately to make sure that you are still able to give your time or skills or goods. If you have goods to give away, please make sure they are of usable quality.
Think about registering on www.GreaterGoodSA.co.za
We encourage donors and potential donors to register on www.GreaterGoodSA.co.za so that we can provide you with a more seamless service. We assure you that we treat all information with utmost confidentiality. Your information will never be exploited in any way. The registration process does not result in any automatic obligations on your part. When you register you are able to clearly define the service you would most like from us. You choose:
  • if you would like to remain an anonymous donor or share your name with your beneficiary;
  • if you would like us to inform you of special events and offerings
Click Here to Register
You can help to spread the word...

Telling your friends, family and colleagues about www.GreaterGoodSA.co.za and how it makes it so easy to support good causes, is one of the most powerful ways that you can contribute to a better South Africa for all.

Please make a point of mentioning us as often as you can to the people in your life. Let them know just how they can make good life choices that can benefit the greater good at no extra cost to them.

You can also join our email campaign. Refer A Friend and to thank you, www.GreaterGoodSA.co.za will give you 5% off your next purchase at The Good Shop.

All you need to do is register the names and email addresses of the friends you would like to tell about GreaterGood South Africa, edit the e-mail message below to your liking and click "Send". When you "Send", you will receive a 5% discount on your next Good Shop purchases as our thanks. We respect the privacy of the information you give us. We will never sell it to a third party.

Click here to Refer a Friend
   To unsubscribe, please click here.