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Welcome!
Welcome to our first newsletter for 2010! I can not believe how fast this year has arrived. On the international front, its an exciting year in the world of sport, nationally a year for South Africans to show the world we can host a huge event as the Fifa World Cup and locally our new Sport and Health Centre which opened its doors on the 16th of December 2009.
We ended last year on a very high note and that set the tone for new things to come in 2010. Normally at the end of a year one is exhausted and just want to rest, but with the Sport and Health Centre opening its doors there was too much excitement to be tired. I would like to congratulate Will van der Merwe and his team on a job excellently done. There was tremendous pressure to finish the pool before Christmas and Will has given the community of Darling a wonderful Christmas present by achieving this.
2010 will also see our Early Childhood Development Programme taking off. We are extremely excited about this project as the children of the community are very dear to us. The programme will involve providing tools to children in order for them to be ready when they go to school. Another aspect will be providing workshops for creche teachers in the area, thereby empowering them to give the best possible training to children in their care. These ladies are already doing wonderful work and hopefully they'll benefit from these programmes.
Our music, drama and art classes are moving to the new centre. There is such a wonderful space for these activities and due to the fact that the centre is centrally located, children would not have to walk far anymore to attend the classes.
The activities room will also provide a venue for other programmes being run in the community and we are approached on a daily basis by people who would like to either run a programme there or people with ideas on programmes they would like to have there. This is proof that the centre was long awaited but definitely worth the wait. A true asset to the community of Darling.
Concerts in Aid of The Darling Trust
As of 2010 concerts will be held at Evita se Perron in aid of The Darling Trust. Outstanding artists will be invited to perform at Evita se Perron, from classical to cabaret. The following concerts are the first of our series.
27 February 2010 “My man, Jacques Brel”
Performed by Naomi Morgan (narrator), Herman van den Bergh (vocals) and Matthys Maree (piano).
13 March 2010 Cello and Piano
27 March 2010 Owen Britz-van Ryneveld (flute) and Pieter van Zyl (piano) perform pieces by JS Bach, CM Widor, O Messiaen and Enescu.
For bookings please contact Beryl at 022 492 3930.
Opening Times of The Darling Health and Sport Centre
The Darling Health and Sport Centre is open at the following times:
Monday - Friday : 11h00 - 19h00
Saturday 09h00 - 19h00
Sunday 12h00-18h00
Entrance Fee - R 5.50
Looking back on 2009.
Music and Art Evening
On the 19th of November 2009 we hosted our second Music and Art evening for the year. It was a huge success and once again the children impressesd all with the high quality music performances and excellent art works that were on display. The evening was concluded with a certificate ceremony followed by cake and tea.
Marilyn Langeveld
We received a letter from a lady called Marilyn Langeveld. Marilyn has had problems with her eyesight for a very long time and approached The Darling Trust to help her get new glasses. So we arranged to have her eyes tested and Marilyn recently became the owner of new, very stylish glasses. This is what Marilyn wrote (translated from Afrikaans):
To all at The Darling Trust
Thank you very much for all your help to get me new glasses. I appreciate it from the depth of my heart. Marilyn
This is such a wonderful, sincere letter written on beautiful paper. And its exaclty for people like Marilyn that we want to turn the dream of a better life into a reality.
The Senior Citizens Outing
On the 17 of November 2009 we hosted the senior citizens at Evita se Perron for their monthly tea, scone and movie outing. What a joy to experience such wealth of life experiences, laughter and a room filled with love. Definitely an experience I'll cherish all my life and an event I am looking forward to.
Visit of the Mayor of Swartland Municipality to The Darling Health and Sport Centre
On the 9th of December 2009 Mr T van Essen, mayor of Swartland Municipality and councillors, visited our newly built sport and health centre. They were very impressed with the quality of the craftmanship as well as the initiative taken by The Darling Trust to give this wonderful asset to the community of Darling. All this was not possible without the generosity of Sabine Plattner who donated funds for the building of this wonderful centre. The main aim of the function was for The Darling Trust to have the opportunity to thank Swartland Municipality for their cooperation in this venture and to plan for the road ahead.
The Dynamos
On the 09th of December we gladdened many young hearts in Darling. With the tremendous generosity of Tonja Verheul and we were able to buy soccer kit for the Dynamos, a local soccer team. Once we unpacked the balls, all self control left the field. The children were so excited. I think from afar you could hear their laughter and screams of joy as they ran on the field, kicking, jumping, running and kicking some more. Thank you to all who made it possible to experience this moment.
More ways to connect and an easier way to give!
We're always looking for new ways to connect and communicate our work with you! We've just launched a Facebook page. Why not become a fan of The Darling Trust? Just click here to be a fan on Facebook. And remember to follow us on Twitter!
We've now set up a debit order system! All you have to do is fill in the Debit Order Authorisation Form, and either fax or email it to us. We will do everything else. As simple as that!
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