WHO WE ARE: CHILDREN’S CHARITY ORGANIZATION

Operation Smile is a charity organization healing children's smiles, making the world a better place.

As a children’s charity, we measure ourselves by the joy we see on all of the faces we help. At Operation Smile, we're more than a charity organization, more than an NGO. We're a mobilized force of medical professionals and caring hearts who provide safe, effective reconstructive surgery for children born with facial deformities such as cleft lip and cleft palate.

Every three minutes a child is born with a cleft — often unable to eat, speak, socialize or smile. In some places these children are shunned and rejected. And in too many cases, their parents can't afford to give them the surgeries they need to live a normal life.
That's where we come in as an international charity providing much needed surgical services. Since 1982, Operation Smile — through the help of dedicated medical volunteers — has provided more than 2 million patient evaluations and over 200,000 free surgeries for children and young adults born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities.

As one of the most prominent children’s charities in the world and with a presence in over 60 countries, we are able to heal children’s smiles and bring hope for a better future.
Thanks to the generosity and spirit of volunteerism shown by our supporters, we heal thousands of children per year. With your help, how many lives can we change tomorrow?

If you love animals and would like to make a difference to lives of the many animals the SPCA rescues and cares for, then consider becoming part of our special group of volunteers, also known as our animal angels.

There are various ways in which you can get involved:

• Kennels - socialising and exercising dogs, cleaning cages and bathing dogs
• Cattery - cleaning litter trays, changing blankets and grooming cats and kittens
• The Horse Care Unit - mucking stables and paddocks. Experience working with horses is a prerequisite to volunteer in this unit
• Assist with fundraising events such as the Wiggle Waggle Walkathon, Woefie Wandel, book sales, money counting and photography
• Maintenance - gardening or general cleaning of our grounds
• Animal Hospital - assisting our vets and animal welfare assistants care for sick animals, although a qualification in veterinary nursing or veterinary science is a definite pre-requisite.

If you would like to make a contribution and make a difference then we invite you to attend a volunteer orientation session, which takes place on the first Saturday of each month (unless stated otherwise). The orientation will give you a better understanding of what it means to volunteer at the SPCA and will allow you to make an informed decision before you sign up.

Contact Volunteer Coordinator, Juan August by emailing events@spca-ct.co.za or calling 021 700 4180 to book your spot at the next volunteer orientation.

Community Service Opportunities
Learners wanting to complete their Community Service assignments at the SPCA, please click here for details.

What our volunteers say ...
"What a joy and privilege to be able to work with these homeless canine specials. Being able to make a small difference in their lives brings me so much fulfilment. We have exercise, fun and discipline, but above all else we share the love that we unstintingly give to one another. LICKS ARE GREAT!" – Mary
"These beautiful equines feed my soul and I have to admit that I get so much more from them, than I could possibly offer them in return." – Tessa
"I volunteer at the HCU to retrain the equines so that they can be adopted and get a second chance at life. " – Newton
"I love seeing the happy greetings from the dogs each morning." – Malcolm

MORE ABOUT THE SANTA SHOEBOX PROJECT

The Santa Shoebox Project is a non-profit organization that collects Christmas gifts for the socially disadvantaged children throughout South Africa, by way of a social and community network of families, friends, schools and churches.

Established in 2006, it is an initiative of the Kidz2Kidz Trust, a registered Public Benefit Organization (PBO number 930031301 - Public Benefits Organization Kidz2Kidz Trust), that offers assistance to children in need.

The Santa Shoebox Project is instrumental in involving people from all walks of life, especially children together with their parents, in giving to children from a distinctly vulnerable social background who may never have received a Christmas gift before.

In essence it is therefore also about children learning the joy of giving, by personally choosing and filling the gift boxes, and then decorating and labeling each with the recipient’s name.

Uniquely, the donor knows the first name, age, gender, and care institution of the child the gift was bought for. The Santa Shoebox Project not only manages the network and distributes the gifts, but also provides content guidelines for each individual gift box, to ensure that every child receives an age appropriate gift. Typically this will comprise some practical necessities, such as toothpaste and toothbrush, face cloth and soap, as well as some sweets, educational supplies, a toy and an item of clothing.

Many people have a desire to contribute to their community or do their ‘little bit for charity’, but often don’t know where to start. The Santa Shoebox Project takes pride in channeling all that positive energy and goodwill into something that is credible, achievable, makes a real difference in a specific child’s life and leaves the donor feeling really good about him or herself.

Spearheaded by Kidz2Kidz founder, Dee Boehner, and coordinated by Irenè Pieters since 2007, the project has grown in leaps and bounds. It started in Cape Town (in 2006) with 180 Santa Shoeboxes, and grew to 2000 in 2007, 8000 in 2008 and 16 000 in 2009. In 2010 the project again more than doubled in size to close on 32 000+ Santa Shoeboxes, which were distributed to more than 350 children’s homes, crèches, educare centres and places of safety around the country, and extending as far as Botswana and Namibia.

HOW IT WORKS
To participate in this heart warming project and teach your own children and those around you the joy of giving, simply register online, where an easy step-by-step procedure will guide you through the process.

Donors need to:
Register on line as a donor at www.santashoebox.co.za when registration opens every year (usually 1 September)
Select a the name of a recipient of your choice (or more than one), as well as your most convenient drop-off point
Decorate and fill an individualised gift box according to the specified guidelines
Label the box with the recipient’s name
Deliver the Santa Shoebox to the selected, predetermined drop-off points on specified dates (usually mid- to end October), from where the Santa Shoeboxes are dispatched via courier (Laser Logistics) to the various homes and centres

Email the Santa Shoebox Project at info@santashoebox.co.za
www.santashoebox.co.za

MEDIA ENQUIRIES: FIVESTAR PR
Janie van der Spuy
Tel +27 21 462 1677
Email: info@fivestarpr.co.za
Blog: www.fivestarpr.wordpress.com
Website: www.fivestarpr.co.za