The Association for People with Disabilities (APD) Free State, was named the top performing participating NGO in the Free State in the Casual Day (Loslitdag) fundraising campaign of 2012. APD director, Hendrien de Klerk, received the accolade at a recent roadshow function in Bloemfontein where the participants were thanked for their hard work. Casual Day had raised over R22 million for persons with disabilities, breaking all previous records. Casual Day is the flagship project of the National Council for Persons with Physical Disabilities (NCPPDSA), an NPO mandated to improve education, inclusivity, accessibility and social integration for persons with disabilities.
APD Free State was among the hundreds of dedicated organisations in SA that raised over R170 million over the past 18 years for Casual Day beneficiaries. Last year’s theme was Get On Board and judging by the attendance of 160, the Free State certainly did that, dressing up on 7 September 2012 – as sailors, pirates, mermaids, captains and sea creatures of all descriptions.
The Casual Day theme for 2013 was announced amidst much laughter. This year we Go Big so whether you wear big hair, a big tie, big shoes, or just go big on the number of stickers you wear, anything goes, as long as it’s big. Top Bloemfontein achiever and motivational speaker, Sheri Brynard, took the podium as guest speaker.
She spoke movingly about rising above one’s disabilities, saying that everyone has the opportunity to touch people’s lives and make a difference in the world. Casual Day 2013 takes place as usual on the first Friday of September, being Friday, 6 September. In continued partnership six main beneficiaries and 294 participating organisations are dedicated to advancing the rights of and rendering services for persons with disabilities. The funds are distributed to NCPPDSA, Epilepsy SA, SA National Council for the Blind, SA Federation for Mental Health, the Deaf Federation of SA (DeafSA) and Disabled People South Africa (DPSA).
