We posted this on facebook today. It is a long haul, and absolutely well worth repeating here. We have lots to be thankful for!
Hello, folks,
Greetings from The Small Things Fund. We wish you all a prosperous, peaceful and productive new year… and new decade!
It’s been a while since we posted, but we ended 2019 on quite a high. Here are some highlights to let you know how your support spread through our networks:
One of the students in our circle graduated cum laude in December with a MSc in Forestry. His article appeared in several newspapers, he was interviewed by John Maytham on Cape Talk Radio, he’s been to Germany for a conference, and now Angel is now up and away to do great things in the world.
Congratulations to all the students who graduated in 2019, whose paths have crossed with The Small Things Fund. Every graduation story is one worth telling. But for those students who overcome impossible odds to make it – we salute you. We are proud of your achievements, and we celebrate all good things that come your way as a graduate.
For the first time since its inception, the Small Things Fund hit the R 80 000 mark in 2019. We were able to support just on 20 students with various amounts, up to a maximum of R 3 000. Thank you to each one of our loyal supporters for your continued contributions. We received from R 100 – R 8 000 at a time. We were blown away by the generous donations – all by word of mouth.
Another first was our monthly meal gatherings, EET SAAM. Our partnership with The Gathering Table (thanks Lee Saul), Kruiskerk (thanks Ruben Scheepers) resulted in a sense of community that was entirely unplanned, and absolutely welcomed. We had enough funds to cater for up to 15 students at a time, and we are grateful to the Agriscience Student Association (ASA) at SU for generous donations of canned goods that we were able to share more widely with other students in need. Thanks to Rejeanne Louw for those special administrative skills! With the help of stalwart supporter, Monika Basson, we had a cake with which to celebrate birthdays every month – that was a very delicious first!
During those dark weeks in September when gender-based violence campaigns heightened our awareness of atrocities against women and children, we saw students in the Fund reaching out to one another, and rising to take leadership in big and small ways. With help from the Fund, we were able to host two coffee conversations with female students who needed space to breathe after all that. Thanks, Linda, Rejeanne, Shannon, Angel, Abongile, Amy, Monique, and Makoto for rising up as you did… as you do…
Lastly, we thank students and staff for cash and in kind donations in our Departments, Faculties and elsewhere in the Stellenbosch University community, and beyond. This is really a community effort, and it is paying dividends in the lives of young people who are reaching for dreams well beyond the material dictates of their circumstances.
A heartfelt thanks to all of you who give to this initiative. It is truly relational, and it is truly inspirational. Many of us who support The Small Things Fund are first generation graduates ourselves – thank you to the students who also keep us motivated to do and be better.
We are excited to see what 2020 holds in store for the young people coming our way in the new academic year. In the meantime, we thank you for your continued support. God bless you all.
Read Angel’s story here: https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/…/2019-12-12-he-was-not-supp…/
Cape Town Radio interview: http://www.capetalk.co.za/…/his-late-mom-fought-to-keep-him…
The Small Things Fund 