SPAR helps make children smile


A smile on a child’s face was once again the incentive for SPAR Western Cape to raise funds. Operation Smile South Africa recently received a cheque for R70 000 from staff.  


The hills surrounding Paarl were alive with the sound of some of South Africa’s best and well-loved performers at the end of November 2013.

In what used to be known as ‘Jingle Bells Rock’, SPAR Western Cape celebrated under the stars at the ‘Tussen die Sterre’ concert, which brought a host of Afrikaans stars to the stage. The voices of boy band ADAM, Bobby van Jaarsveld, Jay & Lianie May and Theuns Jordaan resounded and entertained young and old in Paarl’s natural amphitheatre, sponsored by Liquifruit.  Elsabe van Zyl, advertising manager for SPAR Western Cape and Namibia, said: “Knowing that this money will literally help bring a newly found smile to a child born with a cleft palate in a needy community, makes all this worthwhile.”

This is the third year that SPAR has hosted the event, which each year supports a chosen charity. This year, in addition to takings at the concert, smiley badges were sold in KWIKSPAR, SUPERSPAR and SPAR stores throughout the Western Cape at R2 a badge. 

SPAR in the Western Cape shares a close association with Operation Smile, and has also donated considerable funds from the Cape Town leg of the SPAR Women’s Challenge to the organization, which changes lives through surgical missions and training.

On receipt of the cheque, Sarah Driver-Jowitt, regional director  for Operation Smile, said: “The smiley badges, along with the ‘Tussen die Sterre’ concert, have not only raised much-needed funds for the operations, but have also raised awareness that this is a common, but correctable disfigurement.”

Statistics show that one in every 1,000 children is born with a cleft lip and or cleft palate in Africa.

From SPAR Savour Magazine