Townhouse Hotel Imvelo Awards 2012 Best Social Involvement Programme

imvelo awards entry for 2012

best social involvement programe

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“izandla ziyagezana /hands wash each other”We take this age-old wisdom to heart in a business so interdependent on people. It underlines much of the Townhouse Hotel’s Corporate Social Investment approach.

We believe that the smallest contribution has the power to effect change…

from the development of a talented kitchen worker to a sous chef supreme, the health and fitness project initiated by waist-watching staff members, the support of a job creation project that makes crafts sold in the hotel, the rands from a hotel guest that help fund our community projects or the efforts of staff to see more of a city’s homeless with food and shelter this winter...

…every little bit counts.

A sample of our Corporate Social Investment projects and initiatives is included here.For more detailed information, visit our website www.townhouse.co.za

introductionDuring the last 12 months our guest’s have donated R35 500.00 towards Our Kids of the Cape Fund. The Hotel has matched this amount Rand for Rand to ensure that we uplift and support our various long term and short term beneficiaries. Our staff eagerly joins the committee on the project visits to the various beneficiaries. Our goal is to ensure that by the end of the financial year at least 90% of our staff would have visited one of the beneficiaries.

The Townhouse Hotel prides itself on taking any opportunity to assist the local community which is seen as our extended “family”. Whether it is a small donation for fundraising; giving food to the homeless; educating our employees on what they can do in their local communities or supporting local non-profit organisations financially on a monthly basis, everything done or given, comes from the heart.

A committee of staff from the supported Hotels run the committee and distribute funds. They meet monthly to evaluate progress of projects and authorize funding to new ones. The KOTC Committee also arrange various social involvement projects for staff, and draw on the resources of the hotels to assist with sponsorships and donations in kind. Between August 2011 and July 2012, R 260 332.00 was collected by the KOTC. In 2011/12, R351 700.00 was donated or spent on CSI initiatives.

To grow our initiative we have successfully become a beneficiaryof My School My Village My Planet.

We have also included an SMS donation facility: Simply SMS ‘KOTC’ to 38021 / each SMS costs R10*

*Please note: a percentage of the R10.00 donated will go to network operator and administration fees.

donations to long term beneficiariesBaphumelele Children’s Home

Woodside Special Care Centre

The Stellenbosch Hospice

Aquarius School Feeding Scheme

St Michaels Home for Girls

Genesis Trust

Anthea Pieters Safe House

SA Childrens Home

baphumelele children’s home - www.baphumelele.org.zaBaphumelele Children’s Home in Khayelitsha is a very special home to about 180 children from newborn to 18. It is a place of safety for abandoned, abused, neglected or orphaned children - most infected or affected by HIV/Aids. To limit the effects of institutional living, children are accommodated in houses each with 12 children. Our contribution pays the monthly expenses of one household.

woodside special care centre - www.woodside.co.zaWoodside Special Care Centre is a private residential home to about 90 intellectually and physically disabled children and young adults. Our funding goes towards their general expenses such as food and toiletries.

the stellenbosch hospice - www.hospicepalliativecaresa.co.zaThe Stellenbosch Hospice provides holistic, palliative and chronic health care to all the communities of Stellenbosch and the surrounding areas since 1992. They offer a 24/7 palliative ward service, home based care for over 400 patients per day, who suffer mainly from Cancer, HIV/AIDS and TB and provide the psycho-social support and counselling to patients and their families to cope with the burden of disease.

aquarius school feeding scheme - [email protected] (email address)The Aquarius School feeding scheme provides soup and bread to over 8500 of Cape Towns poorest Children at School. Retired pensioner, Clive Kolbe collects thousands of loaves of bread weekly and delivers this to the needy schools.

genesis trust - www.genesistrust.co.zaGenesis Trust sees potential in the disadvantaged children of South Africa. These children, like any other child, have dreams, ambition and talent. The real needs of these children are education, mentoring, guidance and support. Without funds none of these are possible – funding to help set up a firm foundation to further their education, issue them with home basics and to help them find work and a place to live. The fund supports a bursary for one learner towards their tertiary tuition.

st michaels home for girls - www.st-mikesct.org.zaSt Michaels Home for Girls is an innovative; therapeutic and developmental residential environment for up to 25 vulnerable young women between the ages of 13 and 18 who have been seriously traumatized and removed from their families for their own protection and safety by an order of the Children’s Court.

anthea pieters safe house - [email protected] Pieters of the Eersterivier Empowerment Centre takes care of children who have been placed in her care, who are all victims of neglect, violence, drug and alcohol abuse of the parents. These children range from 1 - 11 years old.

Over and above this, she also provides temporary shelter to women and children who are the victims of domestic violence. With our support, she is able to provide the foster children with the daily essentials.

sa childrens home - www.sakinderhuis.orgThe South African Children’s Home was the first welfare institution established in South Africa. Originally known as the ‘Orphan House’ it was founded in 1808. The children are placed in their care strictly through the Children’s Court and are given three balanced meals each day, attend local schools and are provided with school uniforms, sports equipment and casual clothing. They receive medical and dental attention as well as therapeutic and counselling services. Our support has enabled them to complete their play therapy room as well as regular equine therapy for the children.

“home is where the heart is” sa childrens home44 children + 8 caregivers = 1 amazing family

the our kids of the cape fund ad-hoc projects:

atlantic hope – september 2011 Atlantic Hope is an emergency safety home for vulnerable infants. The infants placed with Atlantic Hope are placed through the courts and are in need of immediate safe care. These infants having either been removed from their parents due to neglect/ abuse or abandonment or are waiting adoption. With more than 500 babies being abandoned in Cape Town over a 12 month period our contribution was made to assist with the feeding of these infants.

philippi children’s centre – december 2011 The Philippi Children’s Centre provides a crèche and educare centre for disadvantaged children from three months to six years of age which include those affected by HIV/Aids, TB and foetal alcohol syndrome. We assisted the centre with the purchase of a new cot, bedding and the repair of a donated sewing machine.

earth child – september 2011The Earth Child project aims to transform existing classrooms into “living”, interacting learning environments which are engaging, practical and fun for children. Through workshops Earth Child offers teachers tools that can be integrated into all learning areas. Our funds enabled another Living classroom to be set up with a worm farm, container vegetable garden, sprouting kit and monthly life skills classes for the learners. www.earthchildproject.org

ocean view junior fire fighters – march 2012Enviro Wildlife Services established the Ocean View Junior Fire-fighters in January 2012, with the aim of training youth in the area to become ambassadors for their community in increasing awareness, assisting in the prevention of veld fires and to provide necessary life skills to the children of the Ocean View community. Our contribution assisted with the purchase of first aid kits for children who have completed a registered Level 1 first aid course; fire beaters and protective clothing for children who pass the basic veld fire fighting course.

cape care centre – march 2012The objective of the Cape Care Centre is to feed underprivileged Primary school children at Garden Village Primary in Maitland. We assisted the centre with much needed funds to provide breakfast for 200 children for two months.

shooting stars – march 2012Is a developing day care facility in the informal settlement of Bonnytoun which aims to provide early childhood development for pre-school children to ensure a smooth transition to formal education and a platform from where the education of parents can be addressed. Our contribution went towards the set-up of the much needed day care facility.

tea partyIn December 2011, a High Tea party was arranged at the hotel for the girls of St. Michaels, Heathermore, and the Girls of Boys and Girls Town. A wonderful afternoon was had, the room was decked out in pink, with the young ladies being treated to an afternoon of tea & treats, each young lady received a goodie bag full of girlie essentials including a gown, make-up, hair accessories and a pair of shoes generously donated by Jordan shoes.

golf day 2011In November 2011, the KOTC held its first charity Golf Day. The day was a huge success, supported by the likes of Chester Williams, Mat Pierce, Ryan O’Connor and FW De Klerk with R141 000.00 being raised for KOTC.

What did we do with the golf day money?Funds Woodside hoistIn support of our quest to “help the children who can’t help themselves”, KOTC has decided to use a portion of the funds raised at our charity Golf Day to install a second electronic bath hoist at Woodside Special Care Centre - a home for profoundly intellectually disabled children and young adults.

With a hoist in each bathroom, the carers will be provided with much-needed relief as they carry out the children’s daily bath routine. It works firstly, by lifting and lowering each child safely and securely into the bath and secondly, by supporting them, once in the bath, so that the carer’s hands are free to give them a nice clean wash.

Our staff eagerly joins the committee on the project visits to the various beneficiaries.

By the end of the year at least 90% of our staff would have visited one of the beneficiaries.

Ons Plek and Homestead, Cape TownThe Hotel has contributed R18 081.12 to Ons Plek -R10 768.12 and Homestead - R7 313.00 from the various proceeds made from our lounge buffet. For every meal that is sold in the lounge we contribute R4.00 to Ons Plek and Homestead. We also provide them with soup and bread on a weekly basis.

The Big Walk74 Employees and family participated in the Annual Discovery Big Walk in November 2011. Proceeds of the walk was made to Nazareth House; Steenberg Foundation and Cansa.

Mandela Day In an effort to support Mandela Day on the 18th July 2012, the hotel baked 120 cupcakes and celebrated this special birthday with Stepping Stones Daycare Centre.

Townhouse Hotel has now partnered with Stepping Stones Daycare centre to assist them with maintenance work in and around the centre, and also assist with any projects, homework...that is required to support the children with their learning.

Beach Clean Up!at MilnertonStaff & management at the hotel have committed to a community based environmental project and undertake quarterly coastal clean-up events.

Spring Dip - donation to Tygerbear FoundationOur maintenance department

participated in the Annual Spring Dip presented by Heart 104.9.

The staff collected R1250 amongst themselves as a pledge to get our maintenance team to participate. The hotel matched this amount and donated R2500 to the TygerBear Foundation.

Woman’s DayWe supported the Women’s Legal Centre for disadvantaged women in Khayelitsha with their Woman’s Day initiative by donating curry, rice and vegetables for 120 people.

For the past 12 months we have donated linen, crockery and made cash donations to Silverlea Primary school, Father’s Heart Ministry (a community based church in the heart of Elsies River), St. Luke’s Hospice, SA Guide Dogs Association, Basket of Hope and Heathfield High School

t +27 (0)21 465 7050 / e [email protected]

f +27 (0)21 465 3891 / w www.townhouse.co.za

P.O.Box 5053, Cape Town 8000

60 Corporation Street, Cape Town 8001, South Africa

thank you!