South African Corporate Social Investor blog

Make Christmas Matter

marcashton — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 04:13:34 +0000

2008 has been a tough year and with the fallout from the financial and economic crisis Christmas this year is likely to be very thin for a lot of people this year.

Purely by chance I came across this campaign and I thought I would post the details of this campaign and thought it might be nice to let people know it exists and see if they can help out where they can:

Make Christmas Matter

Make Christmas Matter is a GreaterGood South Africa campaign that gives you the chance to break the mould and give Christmas some real meaning.

How it works
The Make Christmas Matter online store has a range of gifts to help you change lives this festive season:

Choose some great alternative gifts.
Personalise your own gift cards to send to friends, family, colleagues or business associates explaining how the gifts are helping to change lives in South Africa.
You make Christmas matter in 2008.

Where your gifts go
All the gifts support carefully selected projects working towards the eradication of poverty in South Africa. Make Christmas Matter uses GreaterGood SA’s SASIX assessment and evaluation process to select the projects that will benefit. This includes peer review panels, site visits, a comprehensive organisation and risk assessment, research, evaluation and detailed reporting.

So when you buy a Make Christmas Matter gift, you can be sure that your contribution will make a real difference, to real people and communities, facing very real problems in South Africa. The gifts are chosen from approved project budgets in priority development sectors.

Did you know?
Since it started in 2005, Make Christmas Matter has raised almost R1.5m for 17 development projects ranging from a child immunisation programme in the Northern Cape to a community environmental education drive on the East Rand.

(Sponsor Link: assetant.co.za)

16 CHARITIES, 16 DAYS - THE FOSCHINI GROUP AND SAFM

marcashton — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:42:31 +0000

Sixteen charities are set to receive a financial donation and media exposure to acknowledge their efforts in fighting violence against women and children, during the 16 days of activism campaign this month (25 November-10 December). This initiative is a joint effort between The Foschini Group and SAfm in support of this campaign. The nationwide selection of organisations range from trauma support, children and women’s shelters, community empowerment projects to legal aid for those affected by abuse and rape.
Each year, South Africa joins the world in the United Nations campaign, the 16 Days of Activism: No Violence Against Women, that takes place annually between 25 November (International Day of No Violence Against Women) to 10 December (International Human Rights Day).

Due to the high rate of child abuse in South Africa, the government runs a parallel campaign that includes issues relating to violence against children. In 2008, The Foundation for Human Rights mandated that a focus should be on the empowerment of the non-profit organisations in South Africa that provide vital services to those affected by violence. These organisations are typically out of public view and this campaign would highlight their work and funding requirements.

Recognising the importance of this mandate, The Foschini Group – which has supported the campaign for four years – joins forces with SAfm (104-107fm) with a unique concept that not only empowers organisations through donations, but guarantees them the vital media exposure to highlight their services and detail their needs to the South African public and business community.

Kicking off on the 25th November, twenty non-profit organisations will be receiving a donation from The Foschini Group and sixteen of these shall be interviewed on weekdays until the 10th December by presenter, Nancy Richards on SAfm’s Otherwise programme from 13:05-14:00.

Says Richards: “Otherwise looks at what women are up to right around the country - and sometimes the world. With the level of violence against women and children in this country being what it is, as a broadcaster, we are supporting organisations fulfilling a vital need by giving them a national voice to tell South African’s what is required, what is going on, and what we can all do to help.”

Says Karde Buys, Senior HR Manager: CSI & Wellness of The Foschini Group: “Of fundamental importance to us is to partner with government in spreading the message that violence again women and children cannot be tolerated. It has no place in our community, in our country or the world. It has also given us the opportunity to highlight the critical work done by the NGOs dealing with the terrible consequences of violence on women and children.”

Mpho Msiza, Marketing Manager, SAfm concludes saying: “SAfm is proud to be in partnership with The Foschini Group to build awareness and engage in conversation around this campaign of national interest. The 16 Days of Activism against women and children is an initiative that the station takes seriously and SAfm commits to support and effect change in behaviour and attitude around this debilitating situation. This campaign allows our station to continue to empower women and South African citizens and we hope to take this association to even greater heights next year.”

(Sponsor Link: assetant.co.za)

Glamour clubs score goals for charity

marcashton — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 02:20:30 +0000

Top South African football clubs Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates have raised R100000 for charity with a goalscoring deal each time the two sides meet.

Further details can be found here.

(Sponsor Link: assetant.co.za)

Somebody needs you

marcashton — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:52:13 +0000

I know that in South Africa, we tend to become somewhat immune to stories of violence committed against young kids.

However I’m making a call to mobilise any resources I can to assist. I received a message from a guy who runs a children’s home in JHB. Over the last four years he has seen plenty of bad things and has regularly had to hit people up for cash.

I received the following SMS from him this evening and when he says things are bad - he means things are bad.

“Dear friends, we have a little girl named Kim (aged 6) who was badly raped - the worst we have ever seen. The cost of the reconstructive surgery is R100 000. My company is able to contribute R50000 and we are seeking sponsors for the difference”

I completely appreciate that things are tight at the moment but I have committed to assisting in the fundraising efforts.

If you are able to assist in any way please drop me a mail at marc@rival.co.za or contact me on 082-561-1585 to discuss further.

Kind regards,
Marc Ashton
www.ManufacturingHub.co.za

(Sponsor Link: assetant.co.za)

Christmas wish list

marcashton — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 05:22:15 +0000

It’s a very quick blog posting but in terms of a great corporate social investment initiative, the 94.7 Highveld Stereo, Christmas ‘wish list’ is one of the best initiatives out there at the moment.

Every year I think a huge portion of Joburg residents drive to work and listen to some of the heart-breaking stories and the way companies can make an enormous difference to one or two people’s lives.

It is a great initiative run by Highveld and I hope they keep it up.

With the economy in a serious downturn, I urge all South Africans to see if they are able to contribute in anyway to a charity and make somebody else’s life a little better….

(Sponsor Link: assetant.co.za)

Cycle Lab

marcashton — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:19:39 +0000

Cycle Lab is sponsoring a very worthwhile cause. The cause is the “Making Difficult Lives a Little Easier” project, which plans to raise money to buy wheelchairs which will be donated to disabled people.

Read the complete article here.

Nice initiative from the Cycle Lab team - well done!

(Sponsor Link: assetant.co.za)

Sasol’s investment in the future pays matric pass dividends

marcashton — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 05:22:01 +0000

The 96% pass rate, with 16 distinctions achieved by the 2007 Grade 12 class from Alexandra, compared to the 49% overall pass rate achieved by pupils in other Alexandra high schools, is expected to be emulated or even exceeded by the class of 2008.

At least 45 of the 58 learners of the class of 2008 have already applied to tertiary institutions. In 2007, 46% of the schools’ 12 graders obtained exemptions, compared to the national average of 16%. Over 50% of the class are now studying degrees ranging from actuarial Science to engineering at universities and the remainder in Colleges.

These remarkable results are due the highly successful Alexandra High Schools Programme, a structured Mathematics and Science educational programme facilitated at St. Mary’s Waverley and funded by Sasol.

The results show that the programme, which has 130 Grade 11 and 12 learners from five Alexandra high schools attending weekly Saturday and school holiday supplementary programmes facilitated by St Mary’s, has found the formula for success.

“Improved performance in Maths and Science is crucial to building a solid foundation for tertiary education and economic growth in South Africa,” says Pamilla Mudhray, Head of Corporate Social Investment at Sasol. “However, it is difficult for under-resourced schools that lack resources, laboratories and adequate mentoring to achieve good results. St. Mary’s has stepped in to provide valuable access to their facilities and teaching.”

Through the programme, learners from Alexandra who have shown potential in mathematics and science are identified by teachers and the Department of Education. Learners are given 250 hours extra tuition on Saturdays and during school holidays, at the classrooms, computer and science laboratories at St Mary’s in Waverley.

Cheryl Phophi from Reologile High school in Alexandra has attended the project for 2 years. The daughter of a slain struggle activist, Cheryl is determined that her father’s dreams will live on in her. A visit last year to a coal mine whilst attending the Sasol Techno X a science expo in Sasolburg sparked a keen interest in mining engineering and Cheryl has been awarded a full bursary to study mining engineering at the University of Witwatersrand next year.

“I gained an incredible amount from participating in this programme - including career and life skills to support the maths and science theory. I am one step closer to achieving my goals,” says Cheryl.

“We started this project with an aim to increase the number of learners from Alexandra passing with matric exemptions, which gives them access to tertiary institutions. We also need to see an increase in the number of learners registering in Maths and Science related career streams,” says Pamilla Mudhray. “With the partnership of St. Mary’s we are achieving these aims each year.”

In addition to Maths and Science, the programme incorporates other learning areas including English, Accounting, Computer and Life Skills. Educators from the high schools in Alexandra are involved in workshops and forums conducted by St Mary’s. This year 40 educators from Alexandra and Tembisa High Schools attended English, Mathematics, Science, Geography, Life Skills and Home Economics forums.

“The enthusiasm and diligence with which the students come every Saturday is amazing, and judging from their results, we see their commitment being rewarded,” says Linda Giuricich, project manager and teacher at St Mary’s School.

(Sponsor Link: assetant.co.za)

Social Responsibility Gets New Home At ThoughtRocket.com

marcashton — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 19:47:03 +0000

USA (SANEPR.com) October 9, 2008 — Corporate Social Responsibility gains momentum with the help of Will Marre, acclaimed speaker and CSR advocate. Marre, CEO of Realeadership Alliance, today announced the launch of his new multi-media CSR resource and daily blog site, ThoughtRocket.com. Upon reviewing the site, Neville Billamoria, Vice President of Marketing for a regional credit union, stated, “This is exactly what people need, who have a persistent longing to make a difference right where they are, right now.”

To cite a recent example of how Corporate Social Responsibility can work in the real world, Marre (with co-founder Dr. Paul Cox) created a strategic relationship with a large international skin-care company, which agreed to use botanical ingredients found in tropical island plants in a popular line of products. In return, the company pays a 25-cents-per bottle royalty which helps fund Seacology projects. (Seacology [ http://www.Seacology.org “>, co-founded by Marre, is an innovative non-profit dedicated to saving the rain forests and coral reefs of tropical islands, while preserving indigenous cultures.)

“Every individual, from CEO to stay-at-home mother, can make a difference to save the world if they examine their unique gifts, talents and experience to make the biggest impact”, says Will Marre. “Imagine a future where all of us are making our best contribution to create our Greatest Total Value. That’s the world of Sustainable Abundance. And it’s within our reach.”

Marre’s latest book, to be published by Capital Books in early 2009, is titled “Save the World and Still Be Home For Dinner”. In this new book, he urges businesses and individuals alike to take responsibility and ask: What can I do to transform my job, my business, and my life to help create a sustainable future for all?

Marre’s mission for his new website is “to drive world-wide sustainable abundance by inspiring leaders with mind-blowing business ideas they act on.” His decades of experience have given him a powerful ability to translate what he calls the Triple Bottom Line [ http://www.thoughtrocket.com/triple-bott… “> - people, planet, and profit - into a unique value advantage. “When you combine people, planet and profit, the new sources of value and points of differentiation you uncover yield top-line growth, fiercely loyal customers, and committed internal and external talent”, says Marre.

Visitors to the ThoughtRocket web site [ http://www.ThoughtRocket.com “> are greeted by a short video, entitled: “Sustainable Abundance: the Greatest economic and leadership opportunity in the history of the world.” Marre truly feels that we should not view this movement as Corporate Social Responsibility, but rather Corporate Social Opportunity.

About Will Marre
Will Marre co-founded the Covey Leadership Center, and as President was instrumental in bringing the “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” to millions. Marre has also been a personal leadership coach and advisor to CEOs of multi-billion dollar global companies. For the past 10 years, he has focused on making Corporate Social Responsibility strategic. He has helped publicly traded companies forge working alliances with non-profits, and helped non-profits find corporate partners. Will received an Emmy award for writing a learning documentary, “Reclaiming Your American Dream”, which continues to air on public television stations across the country.
Press Release Submission By PressReleasePoint

Contact:
Will Marre
ThoughtRocket.com
San Diego, CA
866-876-6596
info at thoughtrocket.com
http://www.thoughtrocket.com

(Sponsor Link: assetant.co.za)

Izibead

marcashton — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 18:19:40 +0000

I came across these guys on an e-mail they sent me. I don’t know much about them, nor do I endorse or know much about what they do. i.e. it sounds good but a bit of investigating is always recommended no matter what any charity or sponsorship initiative says.

But the concept sounded good and proved the point that anybody can make a contribution, no matter how small.

Check out their website here - http://www.izibead.com/Main/aboutus.html

The e-mail sent to me read:

A truly dear friend of mine is battling through her treatments as I write this. More and more people are being affected by this disease every day and there is still no suitable cure. For each kit sold Izibead will donate R3.00 to Breast Cancer Research. Our goal is to make a difference, no matter how small.

Please take a look at our website for more details. An order form is available on our site for download. It would be greatly appreciated if you could print one out and circulate amongst your staff.

Izibead supplies schools throughout South Africa with educational material. For this initiative we are more than happy to supply the private sector also.

Visit us here

www.izibead.com/breastcancer.htm

(Sponsor Link: assetant.co.za)

Finally South African Rock Music with Heart!

marcashton — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 02:55:57 +0000

Author: Morag Stiles

When I heard of Feedback from Cape Town, I honestly thought in my arrogance that no one could compare with Seether at this point. However I have been a fan of Rock music since the tender age of 8, when my father caught me listening to KISS, and thus I must admit that this band left me pleasantly surprised.

Reminiscent of early LIVE, sumptuously infused with Creed overtones, Feedback’s lead singer has a signature sound which instantly transported me to the first time I heard Lightening Crashes by Live. I became an instant fan.

Moreover, in contacting this band to find out how the rest of the country can get hold of one of their CD’s, my opinion of Feedback escalated out of the stratosphere. Finally a South African Rock band boldly exposing their caring hearts. For every single CD sold by Feedback, two extremely worthy causes get a donation. The Animal Anti Cruelty League and Save the Dolphins, are listed as the two causes that Feedback are giving back to at the end of their fiscal year.

Thus if you are a fan of rock music and would like to support a worthy cause and a worthy band, please log on to www.feedbackband.co.za to order a copy of their CD now!

The best news is that our readers will get the CD at the lower than retail price, at only R70 until the end of November this year. Although Feedback are already looking forward to the trauma caused by fireworks around the country during the months of October and November. Help them to make a worthwhile donation to the SPCA by paying the normal retail price of R100 per CD. Feedback have made a pledge to give the extra R30 to SPCA’s around the country, to help support and feed the traumatized animals of our fireworks displays.

So show that YOU have a heart, by supporting local music that GIVES BACK. When you compare this bands intentions, instantly their competition doesn’t even compare. They are helping to make our world a better place, and in the process, you get to do your Christmas and Holiday shopping early.

Empower FEEDBACK to Feed Back.

to listen to the music first go to
http://www.myspace.com/feedbacksa

(Sponsor Link: assetant.co.za)