Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 121, August 2019 | Page 31

EXPAND A SIGN AND UZWELO GO BEYOND 67 MINUTES
Expand a Sign prides itself on being a company with heart, so
along with Uzwelo, a creative initiative it formed several years ago
to help change lives, it went all out on Mandela Day to continue
to do just that.
Westridge High is a pre-
vocational school for over
800 children with learning
disabilities. “We believe it’s
import to keep investing and
uplifting our local community,”
said Fonzari. The donation
was split over two days,
with Expand a Sign teams
having the opportunity to
address the pupils at assembly
on both days.
It was a meaningful time for
both the scholars and the
teams. “Giving back to people
is very close to our hearts,”
said Fonzari.
In Johannesburg, the company packed dozens of extraordinary
hampers for homeless people living in the streets, which staff went
and handed out. Included in the parcel were fruit, sandwiches,
cold drinks, blankets, soap, socks, donated clothes, deodorant,
toothbrush and toothpaste.
“The hampers were so gratefully received,” said Expand a Sign’s
marketing manager Kirsty Fonzari. “Such a small gesture and yet it
made such a big difference in those people’s day.”
Nelson Mandela said that “A society that does not value its
older people denies its roots and endangers its future. Let us
strive to enhance their capacity to support themselves for as
long as possible and, when they cannot do so anymore, to
care for them.”
Taking this to heart, down in Cape Town, an Expand a Sign team
delivered food parcels and Uzwelo gift bags to a healing home
for the elderly in Blackheath. They also baked a cake and scones,
and spent time chatting to the residents, many of whom have
long been forgotten by family. “The gratitude and smiles from
everyone including the staff was a moment I won’t forget in a
long time,” said Fonzari. “I feel so humbled to have been a part of
this campaign.”
“At Expand a Sign, we believe
every one of us has a valuable
contribution to make, which
inspires us to give more of
ourselves. It’s about achieving
as a team and striving to put
passion into process, with a
can-do attitude. Helping our
communities, particularly for
something as important as
Mandela Day, is our way of
giving more of ourselves – and
improving other people’s lives
just a little bit.”
For more information on other
community projects that
Expand a Sign and Uzwelo Bags
are involved in, visit
www.expandasign.co.za and
www.uzwelo.co.za
One of Mandela’s greatest legacies was his contribution to
education. “It is not beyond our power to create a world in which
all children have access to a good education. Those who do not
believe this have small imaginations,” he said.
Madiba recognised education as a great vehicle to bring equality
of opportunity to the world, and so in KwaZulu-Natal, the like-
minded Expand a Sign and Uzwelo teamed up with Westridge
High and donated 1,000 pencil cases to the school. The pencil
cases were made from excess Expand a Sign banner material.
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