The Painting Process - Santa Shoebox Project

We FINALLY started painting the Santa Shoeboxes and they look amazing!!

Chantal did not help much. She only painted on box lid. She is lazy like that.

The Call

The unexpected phone call. A grown man asking for help. He is hungry and so is his family. His last coins were used to buy airtime to make the call. The pain in his voice is clear. I cannot imagine how much courage it took to make the call. I know he is not taking chances. He is a hard worker and an honest man. Life just dealt him a bad hand. He does not ask for money because he knows he will not be able to pay it back. At least not anytime soon. He is willing to work and earn it. If only I allow him the opportunity to do so. I will do my best to help him because I know him. I have seen his struggles with my own eyes. It would have been so easy to turn a blind eye. And we often do. But I can’t. Not today.

Ask yourself how many times do you turn a blind eye when someone asks for help. How many times do you let the phone go to voice mail because you are not in the mood, or too busy, or too selfish? And ask yourself how you can live guilt free knowing that someone’s last bit of airtime was quite possibly wasted on you.

Orphanage Dance Competition

Dear Gangsters

Below the details for the orphanage dance competition!

If you don’t want to give money happy to take any offers of help on the day or any other help and donations (hotdogs, rolls etc.)

I am Pleased announce that once again this year I will be hosting the annual Xstatic Dance Inter-studio competition and of course it wouldn’t be the same without making sure our the Kids of the Malaika orphanage where I teach also got to participate!!

This year will be slightly different in that I will have to have a separate dance competition for my actual studios and then the Orphanage will actually have their very own competition. The reason for this is that I have been blesses with THREE studios now: Kyalami, Fourways and Floracliffe which have all grownJ,  but sadly so have the numbers at the orphanage. Doing it all together would make the day very long and seen I have mostly kids I don’t want them getting tired.

The proposed date is Saturday the 18^th October and it will be held at My fourways studio which has a big Hall I can rent as well.  

The sponsorship will include the following: R180

Transport for all the orphans: There is +- 55/60 of them at the moment

Entry into the competition: Which includes, trophies and medals , paying judges and paying for renting the hall

Food and drinks on the day: Hot dog , juice and sweets

If you or your company are interested in sponsoring please let me know and I will send you an official invoice with all the details J

I am also happy to write any Thank you letters for any corporates that need them

Some pictures of the last class I did at the orphanage so special, they really are my most enthusiastic students: 

Please forward to any potential sponsors - I look forward to your positive response.

Lin xx

Yours in Dance and Entertainment

Lindy Liebmann

Dance Director and Teacher

079 497 2680

FloraCliffe. Douglasdale.Kyalami

www.xstaticdance.co.za

“More Than Feeling” 

Make a Toy for Shelter Animals

Hi Everyone!!!

So, we have decided to support Kitty and Puppy Haven by making toys for all our animal friends in shelters.

Below is more information and a list of items we will need.

At the moment we are only collecting the material. 

More information on how to actually make these toys will follow soon!!

If you can donate any of the items on the list below, please contact me.

Santa Shoebox Donations

The Santa Shoebox Project (August / September)

So, we are finally ready to take on our next project.

If you think it’s too early to start shopping for Christmas, think again!!!

From now until the end of September we will be focussing on packing Santa Shoeboxes!!!

What is this about project about?

Help the Santa Shoebox Project distribute festive season gifts to thousands of underprivileged children in South Africa and Namibia by pledging your Santa Shoebox.

How can you help?

-           If you do not want to pack your own box then you can help in two ways – either donate some of the individual items and we will coordinate the packing of the boxes, or donate some cash and we will buy whatever we need for incomplete boxes. We get that some people are too busy to run around and pack a whole box, or they simply cannot afford to. Don’t feel bad. You can still help with a smaller contribution or donation. We need:

•           Toothpaste

•           Tooth brush

•           Bar of soap

•           Wash cloth

•           An outfit of clothing

•           Educational supplies

•           Sweets (No cakes, perishable food or anything containing nuts.)

•           A toy (No glass, fragile items or battery-operated toys. Also no toy gun, knives or any dangerous items and sharp objects.)

Packing your own box

-           Packing your own box will cost between R250 and R300 depending on what you buy and where you buy it from.

-           If you’re really up for the challenge and you want to pack your own box, then please read the instructions below.

Instructions on how to pack a box

1.         Find an empty shoebox

We all have shoeboxes around the house or know someone who will kindly give us one. Shoe stores usually have empty boxes to give away. Boxes larger than MEDIUM (20x34x11cm) size might not be accepted.

Paper boxes in which reams of printer paper are packed can be cut down to the ideal size.

2.         Decorate the shoebox

Be creative!

Instead of using conventional wrapping paper, decorate the box with drawings, paint, cut outs and stickers. If you choose to wrap the shoebox, please make sure that you wrap the lid separately so that it can be lifted off.

By doing this, you are creating a unique Keepsake Box which the recipient child will use to store their treasures throughout the year.

The beautiful decorations and printed name labels make the Shoeboxes easily identifiable and unique for future use.

Do NOT wrap the individual items in the box.

Label your box by printing and pasting the Santa Shoebox label which you have downloaded on the outside of the lid, in the top right hand corner.

Add sticky tape to ensure the label remains in place and secure the lid to the box with an elastic band.

3.         Fill the box with gifts

Please remember that all items must be NEW and AGE-APPROPRIATE.

PEP Stores is our one-stop-shop for all Santa Shoebox contents.

The Santa Shoebox Project endorses these products:

•           Re-usable sanitary pads for teenage girls: www.subzpads.co.za

•           Road safety reflectors for all children: www.seeandbeseen.org.za

All of the following items are required:

•           Toothpaste

•           Tooth brush

•           Bar of soap

•           Wash cloth

•           An outfit of clothing

•           Educational supplies

•           Sweets

•           A toy

IMPORTANT notes about Shoebox contents:

FOOD:

Do NOT include tinned food, cakes or other perishable food

Do NOT include anything containing nuts

Place chocolate in a ziplock bag to prevent it from possibly melting onto the other contents of the Santa Shoebox

MEDICINE:

Do NOT include medicines or vitamins of any kind

WAR RELATED ITEMS:

Do NOT include toy guns or knives

FRAGILE ITEMS:

Do NOT include glass containers or mirrors

LIQUIDS:

All liquids, like cosmetics or blow bubbles, must be put into a ziplock plastic bag, so that the contents cannot leak out and spoil the Santa Shoebox.

DANGEROUS ITEMS:

Do NOT include any dangerous items such as sharp objects

ELECTRONICS:

Please include batteries with battery-operated toys (please note – these children cannot afford to replace the batteries once they are flat) or choose a non-battery-operated alternative (preferred).

LASTLY:

Do NOT include anything of a political, religious or racial nature

Remember to assess whether the contents of your shoebox are appropriate to the age of the recipient child. For example, don’t give marbles to a 2-year old but give them to a child over the age of 6. Another example would be to give a razor to a teenager but not to a younger child.

4.         The Fine Print

All gifts should be new and comply with the conditions listed above.

Please make sure your gifts are age-appropriate and that you do not send any items which might be swallowed or mistaken for sweets. Should you inadvertently include any item that is not suitable, or might be regarded as dangerous for the intended child, we reserve the right to remove that item and use it for the benefit of the charity.

You Can Do It - Thank YOU!!!

A Huge thank you to each and every person who helped with the "You Can Do It" Project. 

We cannot begin to tell you how much we appreciate your generous donations!!

We couldn't have done this without you!! 

Ps - Good luck finding your name below. I have been staring at the picture for almost an hour and I still cannot find my name. (Thank you Fun Sucker!!)

Random Acts of Kindness #2

I have been all over town, handing out small chocolates to strangers. Just because I can.

Stuck some change to a vending machine.

Gave a copy of my favourite book to someone who loves to read.

Handed a chocolate to an old lady in the parking lot.

I handed a stranger a Lotto ticket with a small note to say good luck for tonight's draw.

Every time I go shopping I buy a small bag of food for the feral kittens in the parking lot. Trust me, there are feral cats in EVERY parking lot. You just have to find them.

This morning when I printed the cards the girl at the print shop was not feeling fell. She was so friendly and she smiling the whole time. Hope she feels better soon.

You CAN Do It - Delivery Day!!

After 31 days of madness the big day finally arrived and 2 704 cans of food were delivered to Paballo Ya Batho this morning.

Here are some of the pictures we took: