Wow what a night! I am naturally referring to the TAG Foundation party hosted at the Southern Sun Grayston on Rivonia Road. It was brilliant to see so many people that have supported us since inception three years ago, as well as some new faces, that are of course always more than welcome. Suffice to say, the TAG Foundation party has become a great excuse for good friends to come together to have an absolute blast, whilst doing a lot of good for some extremely needy people.
We have had a great deal of really positive feedback from people congratulating us and telling us what a great time they had. Whilst we appreciate the feedback and kind words, it is thanks to our donors that we are able to do this. So congratulations go out to all of you for making it the special event that it has become. Naturally events of this nature do not just happen and in this regard I need to thank my team, our very generous sponsors as well as everyone who donated money and attended the event.
We managed to raise just over three hundred thousand rand (R300 000). This money will be used to continue to sponsor our four learners, covering school fees as well as boarding fees. The rest of the money will be utilised, as discussed on the evening to help those parents cover un-paid leave as well as travel costs for chosen children undergoing heart surgery at the Sunninghill Walter Sisulu Paediatric heart care unit. We expect to be able to help as many as 12 families and would ideally like to sponsor one family a month for the next 12 months. We will continuously update our Facebook page and website in order for all of our donors and sponsors to follow the progress in this regard. We are extremely proud of what the TAG Foundation manages to achieve and the difference the foundation makes to individual lives on a daily basis. We could not do this without your on-going support and we sincerely thank you for the contribution that each and every one of you has made to make this a reality. We also think that no-one can party like our TAG Foundation participants and it really has become a fun evening with great people, amazing prizes and a spirit that has to be seen to be believed.
Of course our legendary auctioneer Joff van Reenen plays a large part in squeezing out as much money as possible from our very kind donors. Joff you are a legend, a true friend of the TAG Foundation and we thank you for your support. A big thanks also goes out to Hugh Page, who was our MC for the evening. In these difficult financial times, three hundred thousand rand is something to be proud of. The money is going to a great cause and we look forward to hosting you all next year at an even bigger and better TAG Foundation party.
As our second annual event approaches it gives one time to reflect & think have we met the objectives set out for the Tag Foundation?
When considering the question we have to review our objectives, the most important of which is "life changing". During the course of the year we (Tag Foundation) have copped much flak over who we have sponsored & why. On reflection I am proud to say that the TAG Foundation have changed four people's lives, forever! This gives us a fledgling foundation much pride & hope that we can do even better into the future. How have we changed people's lives? Before we answer the question it is important to acknowledge that we could not have done it without all of our friends support, we really do thank you & appreciate the generosity shown by so many.
Many people think that with privilege comes an unending supply of cash & resource, our first recipient was donated money before the Foundation was even founded. A leap of faith many would say. Our first recipient was a little girl who quite frankly was desperate for surgery. Her aunt has been a friend of Traci's since their teenage years, the TAG Foundation felt we had no choice but to help, a decision by which the foundation still stands today. The surgery was a success & we are proud of the small part that the TAG Foundation played in it. This little girl has a real chance of having a better quality of life. The ongoing costs for therapy & surgery will be a burden for many years to come, but at least she has a chance. We do not apologise for making this decision / donation and in fact are proud of the role that we played in helping & more so proud of the fact that this little girl & her parents heartache allowed our small initiative the TAG Foundation to get legs. People & their support really inspired the foundation to do even better. Our next three recipients were all education recipients.
It is our fervent belief that if South Africa is to remain competitive in the global economy then our education needs to be strong. To this end the Tag Foundation have sponsored three learners at King Edwards VII School in Johannesburg. Our commitment is for their entire High School Education unless they are found cheating or stealing. "Our" boys are a joy to behold, respectful, grateful, ambitious, humble & motivated. You can see the hunger in their eyes, literally. All of the boys have come from a disadvantaged background, their parents are however proud people and contribute to society through Teaching, nursing & working in correctional services.
The TAG Foundation is in its infancy, we remain true to our roots that we would like the money invested to go straight to the individual as opposed to paying for salaries. We acknowledge that there are many great organizations out there that provide much relief to many people. Our Foundation believes in investing in individuals. In return we ask for no favour other than to see success & opportunity grabbed with both hands. We at the TAG Foundation believe that we have achieved this in year 1, we have a long way to go & ask for your input into ensuring that the TAG Foundation has a role to play into the future. We are merely the carriers of hopes & dreams through your kind & generous donations, this is only achieved with all of your support. We thank you for your ongoing support and we sleep soundly at night knowing that there are four individuals out there that without all of your support would not currently have the opportunities presented to them.
All of you here this evening are heroes & if you don't believe me, just ask our four recipients. Thank you.
TAG Foundation Supports Needy Learners
Three learners currently attend King Edward VII School in Johannesburg with the support of the Tag Foundation. In all three cases, these boys are from disadvantaged backgrounds and now have the benefit of exposure to an all round education experience in a competitive but nurturing environment. They all reside in the School`s boarding establishment allowing them ample opportunity to realise their potential.
1st Recipient - family lives in the Eastern Cape, mother unemployed and father a teacher who lives away from the family home for reasons of his employment location. His mother cares for 2 orphaned children. When returning home in school holidays, he resides with his uncle as the family home has limited capacity. An extremely talented sportsman.
2nd Recipient - family lives in Krugersdorp, his father a Policeman, his mother a Nurse. Has 5 siblings some of whom reside in Limpopo Province. Boarding was considered paramount by his parents as they believe the overall exposure to sport and academic discipline at KES would help him realise potential. Is proving an extremely capable rugby player in the U14a team.
3rd Recipient - comes from a single parent family, his mother working for Correctional Services as a warder. Distance from school dictated a necessity for boarding. Good all-rounder in sport, academics and music.
This glamorous event took place in the Wanderers Ballroom in Johannesburg on the 5th of June 2009. The event was spectacular. Showgroup sponsored the decor, lighting and audio visual whilst Red Dahlia Productions produced the show. This year's party theme was fashion, music, love, light and charity. The TAG Foundation aspires to align themselves with South Africa's local talent in fashion and music arenas, giving these individuals a platform to showcase their skills.
The models couture dresses created by South Africa's top designers were on auction. Participating designers included JJ Schoeman, Thula Sindi, R J Kay, David Thale and Diamond Face Couture. With Graeme Joffe as MC and Joff van Reenen as auctioneer, TAG Travel raised half a Million Rand auctioning fabulous travel prizes such as international beach holidays to Mauritius, European Ski holidays, local bush breaks, flights and hotel accommodation.
The aim of the TAG Foundation is to raise over R1 million in its first year. The TAG Foundation's main objectives is to raise funds for the disadvantaged or less fortunate in South Africa and to give back to the community. We would rather select individuals and offer support than pay salaries and administration fees. These individuals might require assistance relating to health, rehabilitation and education in order to empower their families and uplift individuals with skills, knowledge, values and attitudes that will improve quality of life.
"We will focus on health, education, sport and community. Our first donation of R100 000 has gone to a little girl that required major surgery in the U.K. She has young parents who could not afford the procedure. She has had the operation and the doctors are hoping for a 75% recovery which is a far cry from where she was," says Jonathan Gerber, CEO of TAG Travel and founder of the TAG Foundation.
What great news. I was so delighted to read of Matthews's progress & honored that on behalf of our very generous patrons & donors that we could in some small way make a difference. The TAG Foundation is all about changing lives & after 5 years on a feeding Tube I can only imagine what family dinners are like now. Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to help change Mathews life. Good luck & I hope that the fantastic progress continues.
Matthew Boshell
Dear Jonathan,
It is always difficult to find the right words for this, but this is a very sincere thank you for your support - and everyone involved, in getting my little man across to Austria for this feeding clinic. Without your help, this would not have been possible and I am so truly grateful for the extremely generous donation and for thinking of Matthew. It is unbelievably thoughtful and kind - and TRULY appreciated.
We leave on the 12th June - for 3 weeks - dreading more leaving my other two children, but I do feel there is a light at the end of the tunnel with this feeding for Matthew. It has been such a burden and such a massive task for the last 5 years - just finally feel we are doing SOMETHING constructive to help him eat.
Once again - thank you from the bottom of my heart! This is one expensive baby and it is so wonderful having you all help...PLEASE pass my sincere thank you to all those involved. I am quite overwhelmed with gratitude.
All Matthew's details, and banking details are on his website: www.matthewourmiracle.weebly.com. I promise to keep it updated while we are in Austria.
To my dear friend Debbie - thank YOU for thinking of Matt, putting his name forward and for your never ending support. I love you to bits.
We came back from Newcastle shaken, relieved, grateful, amazed, nervous & a million other emotions, but week by week through 2009, Luca grew stronger and stronger and awed us with her progress. We started physio for her mobility, and although she resisted (emotive wording for screams for an hour), the stretching and exercise, and still does today, she met all the normal baby milestones but at her own pace. Crawling, sitting and a year down the line we have a baby girl who is taking steps behind a Mini-Zimmer and slowly gaining her independence.
Half way through the year we decided to start some OT to work on her fine & gross motor skills. The strokes have left Luca with a weak left side and an even weaker right hand side & so she is going to be a forced Leftie but, as she knows no different, she is meeting the challenge like a real star.
Her eyes have slowly improved along the way and as she began to crawl she didn't crawl into walls & doors so we know that she was seeing something albeit black & white or blurred. When the time came to test her it became clear that she has an alternating divergent squint, which really is the best one to have. What this really means is that each eye takes a turn to wobble off course which means that both eyes are being used and could over time strengthen and correct themselves, if this has not done so by the age of 7, we would need to do an operation to correct it. As a result she is seeing 2D at the moment and as she gets older she will be able to tells us what she sees an so we time will really tell.
We had an MRI scan in June to look at the stroke damage and our surgeon in Newcastle was pleased with the results and commented on how lucky she is with her age as children's brains are very elastic and recover very nicely. The stroke damage in both areas had reduced considerably. In October, we needed to have another set of tests to check her percentage of blood flow through her brain. The 1st test required a drip and sedation so that she is extremely still for the scanning, of course she hated every moment of it and unfortunately we had to come back another day for the 2nd test. We had this test 10 days ago and it also required a drip, sedation and some radioactive goo to determine the blood flow; all in all a horrible experience. We are waiting for the results on these tests and it will determine whether we need to return to Newcastle for a bypass on the other side, so we are holding thumbs.
Living with the knowledge we have now of what is going on in Luca's brain, has been really hard. Every cold, cough, twitch and splutter brings emotions and memories flooding in and has us fussing & wondering. Luca got a virus in August last year and as a result of 42 degree temperature and had a febrile convulsion. I thought she was having another stroke and fears came pouring in. Besides her own frustration with her inability to keep up with her 4 year old brother, Luca is a normal girl going through the terrible two's. She has worked through her own lack of mobility and come up with some creative option to carrying things around.
She rumbles with Matthew, demands at least three different pairs of shoes in an afternoon and loves toasted sandwiches one day and hates them the next. She has an amazing sense of humour, is tenacious, strong and a fighter and surprises us every day with her chatter & fun personality.
Written by - Nicky Mullinos
For more information about the TAG Foundation please feel free to contact Megan Sparrow on (011) 759-5110 or megan@superinc.co.za
The Tag Foundation
011 759 5115
