Terrific Tin Can Tuesdays

How do we make South Africa better?

We do it by helping out wherever we can. We donate money, we give blankets, we support drives once or twice a year, pat ourselves on the back, and feel chuffed. Attending a blanket drive doesn't necessarily mean you automatically deserve that feeling of self-satisfaction. By bringing that one blanket along, you certainly have made a difference.

But the difference I'm thinking of making is a huge one. I recently had the pleasure of meeting the CT Angels. You can find them on Facebook (find them here: http://www.facebook.com/CharliesAngelsCapeTown), and hashtag them on Twitter (#CTAngels). They've done amazing things. We all know how hugely successful the Twitter Blanket Drive was. More than one and a half blankets were donated. But I still got the feeling that we could be doing more as Capetonians.

So my suggestion to Fatima Razzak was this - let's do something every three months. And the next big thing we're looking at doing, is assembling food. Canned food. Now, I know how sometimes having to go out of your way to help sometimes is the only thing hindering you from doing good. And that's ok. We're going to make it easy for you.

"How?" I hear you ask. Every Tuesday in July, we'll be collecting your cans at one of the busiest intersections in Cape Town. Right outside the CTICC, Coen Steytler, where the N1 and N2 converge to bring most of Cape Town into work. Here's all that's required of you:

Step 1: When doing your monthly/weekly shopping, slip a few extra cans into your trolley.

Step 2: Bring them along to work with you on any Tuesday in the month of July

Step 3: When you reach the traffic lights at the CTICC, hoot, and one of our volunteers will come running over to collect your cans.

Helping to make a big difference in three easy steps.

We aim to be at the intersection every Tuesday in July (there are five of them) between 7am and 9am, and then headed out of town at the same intersection at the Waterfront exit between 4pm and 6pm. And all you have to do, is bring us your cans.

We plan to do a very similar thing at major intersections in the northern suburbs. I'll post soon with a full timetable for all the intersections we're planning on hitting.

Winter fast approaches, and August is our wettest month. Let's help try to make Winter that little bit more bearable for those who are far less fortunate than you and I. When tweeting about it, kindly use the hashtag #TerricTincanTues along with #FollowSA and #CTAngels.

Let's do this, Cape Town.

The Power of You

I am truly overwhelmed.

Anyone who had ever doubted social media as a vehicle for positive change has really wasted their time doubting.

Within hours of asking for cake for Bridget - http://lancelivect.blogspot.com/2012/03/we-need-cake.html - we have cake. Well, not only cake... we have cupcakes, cakes, juices and snacks.

So now, let the thank yous begin:

First up, two people who jumped onto my plight quickest: Rucinde Edson (@Goddess_Rae) and Cape Town Bru (@CapeTown_Bru) who went ahead and got Charly's Bakery involved (@charlysbakery - http://www.charlysbakery.co.za/ ) who have gladly offered to bake a cake for Bridget. And that was just on Twitter.

Rucinde has also pledged to donate snacks and juice for the party via RealNet in Athlone. A huge thank you for all you've done... and on your birthday too (Happy Birthday, Rucinde). Thank you also for roping in Pick 'n Pay's Support Office, who, via Olfa Solomon, the Regional Customer Service Coordinator is donating a cake for the party too.

A HUGE thank you has to go out to Lameez Smith Nielsen, who runs a charity bakery called Cakes from Heaven. She is making a massive birthday cake saying "Happy Birthday Bridget" with all sorts of chocolate niceties as well as 110 cupcakes for the more than 100 guests who will be in attendance at the party on Friday 30th March 2012 at the Woodside Special Care Centre. This, via Facebook.

The power of the internet. The power of social media. The power of you.

I cannot put in words just how much all of this means to me.

May you all be blessed.

We Need Cake

So, I'm never any good at asking for things. In fact, getting my favourite dish cooked for me for dinner by Wife is a bit of a stretch at times.

However, there are times like these. Times when a man must swallow his pride, get down on his knees and humbly call upon the charity of the intertubes and ask... for cake.

I do a lot of charity work (for free, mind you, but I don't like to talk about it) and one of my preferred charities is the Woodside Special Care Centre. This Centre - find them here: http://www.woodside.org.za/ - has been caring for severely mentally and physically handicapped children since the 1970s. And they do phenomenal work.

Like any non-profit organisation, they struggle. But that's not the purpose of this post. I want to tell you about Bridget.

On Friday, March 30th 2012, Bridget turns 50. I can't begin to tell you what an achievement it is that a woman so severely disabled has been able to live this long. She has outlived her own mother, and was one of the first residents to be admitted to Woodside making her a resident here for 34 years.

What I am asking of you, Internet Users, for a Cake to celebrate Bridget's birthday.

Who's with me?