Five more families and households received financial support and assistance from LottoStar and GMA. The laughter and cheers from our recipients make this an enjoyable and fulfilling journey for all. May we all continue to hold the candle, offer hope, light and support by nominating those in need during this lockdown period. The journey continues and below are today’s stories that touched our hearts.
Recipient 1: Gerald Fitzpatrick Home
Gerald Fitzpatrick House is a facility for the elderly in Troyville, Johannesburg. The home accommodates 79 elderly people with the oldest resident being 102 years old. Residents at the home live independently but the 37 residents who are used to cooking, cleaning and shopping for themselves, will now be in need of assistance due to the current lockdown restrictions. This now puts a financial strain on the home’s to provide some of these essential services to its residents. LottoStar and GMA contributed R10 000, to assist residents with food and essentials during this period.
Recipient 2: Patricia’s Sewing
Azania Patricia is an owner of Patricia’s Sewing company in Phalaborwa that employs about 17 people. Her concern as a small business owner during this lockdown period is not being able to pay salaries to her employees leaving them stranded and unable to sustain their livelihoods. Her business employs those labelled as ‘unemployable’, people with no formal qualifications and coming from very poor conditions. Some don’t meet the requirements to claim UIF. With this burden on her, Azania turned to us requiring assistance for her staff. Patricia received R10 000 from LottoStar and GMA.
Recipient 3: Marlize Herbst, sole breadwinner from Boksburg
Our next R10 000 Angel Rands recipient is 20-year old Marlize Herbst, an admin assistant from Boksburg. Last year in July, her parents’ home burnt and Marlize and her boyfriend, Dylan, had to take in her two siblings. Shortly after this tragedy, her father passed on and her mother Ronel moved in with them too. They’re currently staying in a bachelor flat and Marlize is now the sole breadwinner as her boyfriend, Dylan, lost his job too. Marlize is struggling to meet all her family’s needs even more so with the current lockdown in place. She was nominated by an angel named Mariette Schoeman.
Recipient 4: Corné de Necker, an unemployed mother from Middleburg, Mpumalanga
Corné de Necker lost her job just before the lockdown and is now faced with financial difficulties of not being able to pay rent for her one-bedroom flat, paying school fees and providing for her two children. She has sold all her valuables just to keep a roof over their head. Corné’s 74-year-old mother assisted by paying for this month’s rent but was placed on a no-work-no-pay leave for the lockdown period and won’t be able to continue doing so in the next month. Corné’s sister, Petro and husband, were also lending a helping hand by covering some of their expenses but it’s still not enough. But a beam of light broke forth for Corné after her sister nominated her to be one of the R10 000 Angel Rands.
Recipient 5: Chanell, an expectant mom
Meet our last recipient for the day, Chanell, a mother to a 7-year-old daughter and currently pregnant with her next child. Chanell worked as a bartender and now unable to earn a salary due to the lockdown underway. She lives with her partner, mother and daughter in a one-bedroom flat with no income and food. She’s has a few weeks left before giving birth and unable to provide for her miracle baby due to the current financial difficulties she’s faced with. However, Chanell’s sister-in-law, Herma Maree, reached out to us requesting assistance for Channel and nominating her as a recipient of the R10 000 Angel Rands.
