Welcome to Good News Daily. Today is Sat Apr 27 2024
MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet, one of the country’s largest fundraising programmes has announced a new partnership with Johannesburg-based non-profit organisation (NPO) Better SA. With an innovative hop-on hop-off mini-bus service, Better SA fully facilitates volunteer experiences that are both easy and exceptional.
GOOD NEWS: MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet sponsors a specific Better SA mini-bus that enables MySchool supporters to volunteer at a range of NPOs, which are also beneficiaries of the fund-raising programme.
Described by SA’s media as ‘the Uber of volunteering’, the organisation offers Saturday morning excursions from designated bus hubs around Johannesburg to NPOs in need of volunteer skills and sweat equity. For those wanting to give back but not knowing where to start, Better SA takes all the hassle out of volunteering. All the volunteer has to do is book their spot on one of the busses and arrive at the bus hub. The service is free of charge and co-ordinated from start to finish so that volunteers can make the most impact in the time they have available.
From May 2017, MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet sponsors a specific Better SA mini-bus that enables MySchool supporters to volunteer at a range of NPOs, which are also beneficiaries of the fund-raising programme. Volunteer activities may include playing numeracy and literacy games with the youth from The Boys and Girls Club of SA; brightening up the day for sick children in the care of The Smile Foundation; taking walks or playing cards with the elderly residents of the Park Care Home or grooming and playing with the dogs at Husky Rescue. New beneficiary organisations and volunteer opportunities are added to the Better SA event calendar on a regular basis.
“Don’t just swipe your card – now you can get hands on. The very special MySchool volunteer bus gives our supporters the chance to go beyond their fundraising as shoppers and to get hands on, visiting and volunteering at our Village and Planet beneficiaries.” says Pieter Twine, Woolworths’ General Manager of Loyalty and MySchool, “Our sponsorship will enable MySchool supporters to spend their time and share their knowledge with children and individuals in very needy communities in Soweto, Alexandra and Thembisa, to name a few.”
How does the Better SA bus sponsored by MySchool work?
Anyone wanting to volunteer can log on to www.bettersa.org, review the upcoming calendar of events and then complete the booking form for the event that most appeals to them. The only other action they need to take is to arrive at the bus hub and hop on the bus.
The Hop on Hop off volunteer bus service runs every Saturday morning, between 8am and 12pm from the following hubs:
When volunteers arrive at a BetterSA hub they are met by team leaders who brief them on the community and organisation they are visiting and the volunteer activity they have booked for. Each volunteer receives a pack complete with a step-by-step guide on how to complete the activity and all supplies they may need. Volunteers spend 90 minutes at the organisation before boarding the bus and returning to the hub.
“We’re delighted to have launched the MySchool Better SA bus service,” comments Roberta Donovan, founder of Better SA, “Many people would like to give their time and expertise to improving lives but volunteering in South Africa can seem challenging. By eliminating the barriers to volunteering, and making the experience easy and fulfilling, we aim to ignite a volunteerism movement in the country.”
Better SA is also a beneficiary of the MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet programme and your support of their organisation can help them to expand their Hop on Hop off service to other parts of the country. Go to http://www.myschool.co.za/ to apply for your free MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet card, and select Better SA as your beneficiary. Every time you swipe your card at Woolworths, Engen, Loot.co.za or any other partner store, the participating retailers will donate a percentage of your purchase value, on your behalf, to the school or charity you have chosen to support – all at absolutely no cost to you!
