Bloemfontein police have called on members of the community to give their time to people at a local home for disabled people. The provincial SAPS office, together with Fashion World, made donations at Jean Webber Home.
Free State Police’s Veronica Scharneck said that the reason behind the idea of donating at Jean Webber Home was to show that the police care about their community and people living with disabilities. She said they also realised that the need at the centre was dire.
According to Scharneck, there was a huge outcry for support to the centre. She said that people at the Jean Webber Home do not necessarily need gifts, but rather time, appreciation, and acknowledgement from people in Mangaung. People with disabilities deal with a lot in their lives and feel excluded, especially because many people do not consider what they have to deal with daily, said Scharneck.
Fashion World’s Santie Ellis said she was touched by what she saw and felt honoured to be there to show love and not only to hand out donations, but also to spend time with people living with disabilities. She said Fashion World had been sponsoring such such initiatives for some time.
Meanwhile, the Provincial Director for the Association for Persons with Disabilities (APD) in the Free State, Gavin Davids, expressed his appreciation following the visit and donations from the police and Fashion World. Jean Webber Home currently has 35 residents.
“For these people, this is an amazing gift … Any person reaching out with a gift is special for them. It is our mission as APD Free State to advocate what it is and how to include people with disabilities in the broader community. I want to thank SAPS and Fashion World for this gesture. I would like to engage further with them and invite everyone who would like to come, to just give us a visit. Just being with these people will uplift the morale of each and every person that walks onto our premises.”
Kekeletso Mosebetsi
