Charlene made patron
Princess of Monaco Foundation honoured for work with Lifesaving SA
FORMER Olympic swimmer Princess Charlene of Monaco has been appointed patron of Lifesaving SA at an event held at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Umhlanga. “It is a great honour for me to be named patron of Lifesaving SA, an organisation which shares the same vision as my foundation and one that I have always been inspired by.
“Your commitment to drowning prevention is remarkable and the spirit of volunteering that you are instilling in our young people is infectious,” Princess Charlene said yesterday.
The princess discovered her passion for the water and dedicated 20 years of her life to become an Olympic swimmer, representing South Africa in the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
“During those years I learnt the importance of discipline, team spirit, dedication and respect for the water, oneself and others; values that I know LSA lifeguards appreciate and demonstrate every day,” she said.
The Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation was established in 2012 and has since reached more than 300 000 people worldwide, with operations being established here in 2013.
The work of the foundation is internationally acknowledged and celebrated for raising public awareness about the dangers of water, teaching children essential water safety skills and how to swim.
The partnership between the foundation and Lifesaving SA will strengthen the promotion of water safety and support “learn to swim” projects.
Lifesaving SA’s Watersmart programme is a classroom-based educational water safety programme developed to complement the current Grade 4 Life Skills curriculum.
The programme, presented by Lifesaving SA Watersmart facilitators, will during the course of 2017 be delivered free of charge to over 80 schools nationwide.
Gavin Varejes, president of the foundation, also announced the distribution of 200 rescue boards, valued in excess of R2 million.
This will see every LSA affiliated lifesaving club receiving rescue boards.
Varejes said “the new partnership would hopefully continue to encourage different sporting codes to work together and form the bonds, strengths and partnerships that make such a wonderful difference in our country”.
“Cell C endorses this initiative in growing an awareness around water safety and deems it a great privilege to be associated with the foundation”, Doug Mattheus, head of marketing at Cell C said.
Lifesaving SA’s president Dylan Tommy and SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee president Gideon Sam both expressed gratitude to Princess Charlene and Varejes for their contribution to raising the profile of lifesaving, both on a social level and as a sport.
Tommy said: “We are extremely grateful to HSH Princess Charlene for agreeing to serve as the patron for Lifesaving SA.
“With the princess as our patron and the partnership we have established with the foundation, we will be able to achieve far greater success in our fight against drowning.”
In 2017, Continental Tyre SA, by way of its General Tire brand, committed to a three-year investment and sponsorship of Lifesaving SA, and its marketing manager, Niel Langner, applauded the contributions of Varejes and corporate heavyweights Richmark and Cell C.
“It sends a great message to corporate South Africa to get involved with saving lives.
“You can’t put a price on saving a life and it’s fantastic to see the investment in lifesaving as a result of the partnership with the foundation,” said Langner.
Sam said “it was noted that the princess gives so much to the country she grew up in, but also so importantly to the serious issue of water safety and water education”.
He described her as “an inspiration to the global community and a particularly special South African”. – Staff Reporter