The Lions Club of Tokai completed the first phase of an extensive renovation project at Tygerberg Hospital. The non-profit organisation collaborated with City Ballet and Artscape Theatre in a joint effort to increase awareness about childhood cancers and raise funds for the refurbishment of Tygerberg Hospital’s children’s ward.
The renovation initiative will progress in stages, the first phase involved converting a storage room into a playroom, which was completed and officially unveiled on Thursday, 28 September 2023.
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Club members dedicated several weekends to complete the renovation of the playroom.
The following phases involve the refurbishing of the family waiting room and hallway.
As reported by IOL, Dr Mari Thiart, the leader of the Paediatric Orthopaedic Unit, expressed her gratitude in saying, ‘Because we’ve got the wonderful donation from the Tokai Lions of a freshly painted vibrant room with a soft couch and multiple toys and books, we’re going to use this room for our children who are mobile, so those who aren’t in a bed are able to come physically into this room and play with all the toys that are inside, either together or with their parents or with some of the allied and health staff.’
‘Those who are still in bed and not able to mobilise, we will ask them what they want us to bring from the room, whether it’s a puzzle or a book so that they can also share in the fun. We just hope that this is going to be a relaxing place for the children to forget about why they are not at home and the fact that they are admitted to hospital.’
Mark Rossouw, serving as the media and marketing chairperson for the Lions Club of Tokai, emphasised that childhood cancer is a central focus of Lions International, an organisation to which Tokai Lions is a dedicated member.
He added that the playroom will serve as a collaborative area for children receiving cancer treatment and those undergoing paediatric orthopaedic care.
The Artscape Theatre generously provided the club with tickets for the Cape Town City Ballet’s performance of Cinderella. These tickets were subsequently offered to the public at a discounted rate, with the proceeds contributing to the renovation project.
In addition to ticket sales, a portion of the earnings from the Cinderella production was directed towards the renovation initiative. Further funds were raised through contributions from theatre attendees during the performance.
For individuals wishing to make donations, they can get in touch with the club via Facebook or email: [email protected] or contact them at 079 151 4679.
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Picture: Tokai Lions Club / Facebook
