Bringing a smile to young and old for Care Week

Residents of a retirement village and children of a special needs school in Johannesburg were among the beneficiaries who benefitted from this year’s Rand Mutual Assurance Care Week.

Groups of RMA staff members banded together to spread their special blend of caring among no fewer than nine organisations in need of a helping hand and some tender loving care.

Two of the teams of staff from Rand Mutual Assurance (RMA) head office presented their donations to the Special Wings Foundation and The Old Age Village following a fundraising drive for the company’s annual Care Week.

“The Care Week leading up to Mandela Day is RMA staff members’ way of reaching out to vulnerable members of society and celebrating the legacy of our first democratically elected president and honouring the values he lived by,” says Nomfundo Mcilongo, general manager of sales and marketing at RMA.

“Everyone chipped in or lent a hand to make a difference in the lives of others. We all found it deeply rewarding to give back to the community in various ways, in-keeping with our company ethos of care,” she explains.

Marinda Vivier, business analyst of operations, led a team that hosted a cake sale to raise funds for the Special Wings Foundation, a charitable organisation for special needs education.

“We had a very successful cake sale, with RMA staff selling cakes, samosas, pizza, and all kinds of delicious goodies, and a wildly popular jelly bean raffle as part of our fundraiser towards the children’s schooling costs.

“Our team visited one of the schools associated with the Special Wings Foundation, the LUCCA School in Blairgowrie, and brought some tasty treats for the children. We spent some time getting to know the children and participating in their activities. It certainly made some of us feel young at heart to see how they enjoyed the day – especially the doughnuts,” Vivier observed.

Christine Sharfoodeen, payroll team leader, led an RMA team that raised money for The Old Age Village in Eldorado Park. Her team collected donations of non-perishable food items, groceries and toiletries for the senior citizens of the retirement village. “Many of the residents have to survive on very small pensions, and sometimes find it difficult to afford basic staples as the cost of living rises,” she explains.

“When we visited them to hand over the parcels we had prepared for them, senior actuarial analyst Marusha Nariansamy and secretaries Ursula Hasenkopf, Carika Pretorius and Patrys Henn rolled up their sleeves to help prepare a delicious and wholesome lunch for the residents.

“Spending time with these wonderful people and hearing stories from their lives was a great investment of our time. Some of the staff brought their children to meet the residents, and the retirees seemed to really enjoy the company of the little ones.”

Mcilongo says that RMA prides itself on the community-mindedness of its staff because that is aligned with the company brand. “Initiatives such as Care Week provides an ideal opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to compassion and goodwill, not only in the work we do but also in ways that make a difference in our communities,” she concluded.

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