Lifestyle/Community
Imagine if ‘Annie’ had had our community…
On Sunday night October 30, my family and 1 800 other members of our community – including more than 600 children – attended the Chev’s “Annie” event to raise funds for the new Arcadia being built on the corner of Long and George Avenues.
At the end of the evening a spectacular amount of R3,8 million had been pledged, which will go some way towards furnishing and finishing the buildings and playgrounds on campus.
As people drifted out of the theatre, wearing broad smiles and expressions of delight, the overwhelming sentiment was: “What a truly inspirational community we have.”
I couldn’t agree more!
At the Chev we are uniquely situated to appreciate the generosity and genuine concern for those less fortunate that we encounter daily in our appeals for help.
Jewish people are kind and caring by nature and when it comes to children, that’s our soft spot. We cannot bear to think of children being deprived, whether of material comfort, emotional support or, most importantly, of love.
The story of Annie – the orphaned 11-year-old abandoned and in search of her real parents during the American Great Depression of the 1930s – is not a Jewish story. And of course, thank G-d, the association with our Arcadia is not applicable.
Our children are cared for, encouraged, inspired and loved. While it is true that many have come from difficult family backgrounds or they would not have been placed in our care in the first place, once they are here, the healing begins.
That’s really the purpose of the beautiful new premises that are being built with funds donated by UK businessman, Monty Koppel, who was himself once an Arcadian child. The objective is to provide an environment in which the growing number of children who are at risk can be welcomed into Arcadia’s Day Care Centre and monitored and protected from abuse or neglect before matters deteriorate to critical levels.
We are also planning to make the new Arcadia into a vibrant, exciting community centre for social and educational occasions.
As the campaign to raise funds for furniture and finishes continues (www.buildarcadia.co.za), I want to thank our Arcadia team for the remarkable work they do and to complement our fundraising and marketing team on a brilliantly executed, well-organised and successful event.
But most of all I want to thank you, our incredible community, again and again, for your compassion, generosity and caring.
That’s why I believe that if Annie had had you in her life, she and her orphanage friends would not have had a story to tell.
May our partnership continue to thrive. For queries, complaints and compliments: Feedback@jhbchev.co.za