Time to make a difference

‘WHAT counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.” – Nelson Mandela.

July is Mandela Month and Nelson Mandela International Day is in recognition of the iconic statesman’s birthday on July 18.

The message behind this day is simple: each individual has the ability and the responsibility to change the world for the better.

South Africans are crying out for help.

This is the time for each of us to reach out and continue Madiba’s legacy of helping others and building a better South Africa.

We can each make a difference through various initiatives, including helping at your local hospice, donating toys to the children’s ward at your local hospital, tutoring kids in a school subject you are good at, donating your old computer to a school or donating books to a school.

In the spirit of Mandela Day, The Mercury Hibberdene Children’s Holiday Home will host 120 underprivileged children at the Wild Coast water park.

We have partnered with FNB and the Wild Coast to bring cheer to these children.

The children’s charity will also be the winner in this year’s Mercury Sprint – proceeds from the annual horse race will benefit the home.

Thousands of children have never seen the sea, something that residents of coastal cities and towns take so much for granted.

Many of us take holidays with seasonal routine without encountering evidence of the needy families in our midst.

Children from disadvantaged families bear the brunt of grinding poverty. School holidays can bring uncertainty and hunger for them.

For more than eight decades the Mercury Hibberdene Children’s Holiday Home has been a household name, both in KwaZulu-Natal and to a growing community in Gauteng.

Each year, the home has offered 1 500 indigent children between the ages of 9 and 13 the opportunity of a short seaside holiday free from deprivation and in a safe, happy environment with nutritious meals and care by committed staff.

When those thundering hooves pass the finishing post at the Mercury Sprint, at the Greyville Race Course, tomorrow, remember there will be many brightly lit, smiling faces who will enjoy a beach holiday, all thanks to the racing fraternity.

Let us keep the legacy of our forefathers and Madiba alive.

Let us lead by example and help make a better South Africa.