Casual Day 2014: Bring out the Bling!

Casual Day is on Friday 5 September 2014

Casual Day celebrates its 20^th birthday this year. The theme for 2014 is ‘Bring out the Bling’. So put on your dancing shoes and dress up, not down, for this year’s Casual Day.

“The theme is appropriately celebratory,” says Project Leader Celeste Vinassa. “We have been dressing casually for the past two decades, but this year is a special occasion. So our message to you is to rustle up a little razzle dazzle. Casual Day is all about fantasy and dressing up in things you can find around the house. Be creative with glitter, fabric, shiny paper or just wear your sticker and a posh casual attitude!

“This year we have printed 3.5 million stickers and we need everyone’s help to raise donations for these stickers. We don’t just sell stickers on one day, we must start now to make this year a success.”

Casual Day is South Africa’s most successful fundraising project for persons with disabilities last year raised R24.8 million. Sponsored by The Edcon Group, Casual Day is the flagship project of the National Council for Persons with Physical Disabilities in South Africa (NCPPDSA), which this year celebrates 75 years of service to the community of persons with disabilities.

“Casual Day is an ideal and fun way for learners to do their community service,” says Vinassa. “Whenever we have had young people out in the field selling stickers, they have always had the best time. Casual Day also relies heavily on volunteers to sell stickers all over the country. We work with hundreds of organisations in the disability sector – which means there are opportunities for young people in every suburb. Our ambassadors are also all volunteers and they do spectacular work in their communities. This is a national project that happens at a community level, so we need to make sure that people are reached in their home towns. We also encourage parents to get their companies on board to raise donations for stickers. Young people should call us to get hooked up with NGOs in their area.”

Keep abreast of activities at Casual Day on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CasualDaySA

Twitter: @CasualDay_SA

#BringouttheBling

#CasualDay

DStv Kids’ Xtravaganza

Holiday fun with Ben 10 and Mister Maker at DStv Kids’ Xtravaganza

The winter school holidays will begin with a bang when the DStv Kids’ Xtravaganza brings your children’s favourite television characters to life at Vodacom World in Midrand from 28 June to 6 July 2014.

Young children and tweens will be treated to regular 30-minute live shows featuring Mister Maker and Ben 10, from their favourite DStv kids’ shows.

Ben 10, the popular character from Ben 10 Omniverse on Cartoon Network (DStv channel 301), will be appearing in the multimedia stage show Top Secret Plumbers’ Academy from 28 June to 1 July.

During four live shows each day – at 09h30, 12h30, 15h30 and 18h30 – kids can witness the exploits of this courageous cartoon hero alongside several other cool characters, performing amazing acrobatic stunts as they take on aliens. This show is recommended for children aged four to 12.

Having fun creatively is the name of the game with Mister Maker from CBeebies (DStv channel 306), who will perform four live 30-minute stage shows every day from 2 to 5 July (at 09h30, 12h30, 15h30 and 18h30) and three shows on the final day of the DStv Kids’ Xtravaganza (at 09h30, 12h30 and 15h30).

CBeebies favourite making-man Mister Maker is a global phenomenon with a dedicated following of mini makers. Fun, inspirational and very good with his hands, Mister Maker finds bright ideas for art from everything around him – making objects and pictures magically come to life. Mister Maker proves that anyone can be creative by demonstrating how easy and satisfying it is to have hands-on, artistic fun.

Mister Maker

Each ticket – priced at R135 from Computicket – entitles the bearer to two hours of access to the DStv Kids’ Xtravaganza: one 30-minute live show and 90 minutes in the huge Fun Zone.

The Fun Zone will feature face painting, jumping castles, a Lego puzzle section, gaming stations courtesy of Sony PlayStation and fabulous kids’ merchandise from retailers such as Toys R Us and Glomail. Refreshments will be available to purchase in the food court.

So, what are you waiting for? With interactive live entertainment and activities galore, the nine-day DStv Kids’ Xtravaganza offers the ideal opportunity for parents to spend quality time with their children these holidays while keeping them busy and entertained.

And not only are you and the kids having loads of fun, Vodacom is donating R7 from every ticket purchased to Reach For A Dream, in the hope of raising R200 000 towards sustaining their invaluable work. The DStv Kids’ Xtravaganza will also host 50 Reach For A Dream Dreamers at the event, where they will enjoy the live shows, explore the Fun Zone and take home a goodie bag packed with products from Toys R Us, Sony PlayStation and Glomail.

The Vodacom Dome at Vodacom World, Midrand, is definitely the place to be from 28 June to 6 July! Tickets (including 90 minutes in the Fun Zone, followed by a 30-minute live show) cost R135 from Computicket, with children under one admitted free of charge. Visit the DStv Kids Facebook page for more information. And look out for the next DStv Kids’ Xtravaganza, to be staged later this year!

The DStv Kids’ Xtravanganza is brought to you by DStv and Vodacom World, in association with Glomail, Toys R Us and Sony PlayStation.

Press release prepared by Total Exposure.

Build Snowmen at The Ice Station

If you can’t get to the snow on the mountains, get yourself to the ice skating rink at the GrandWest Entertainment World in GoodWood. The Ice Station has lots of options for you to keep warm these school holidays!

Snowman Building competitions take place every Wednesday during the morning session between 10h00 and 12h30.

Prizes are up for grabs for the best dressed snowman so make sure to bring along spades, buckets, gloves and decorations. The cost is just R5 per child, excluding skate hire, so why not come down and chill out.

The Ice Station is open every day of the school holidays from 10h00 until midnight with four sessions per day. Join our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/theicestationcapetown?ref=ts&fref=ts to get all the latest info about events.

For more information please visit http://www.icerink.co.za/ or to make birthday or group bookings contact The Ice Station on 021 535 2260 or email bookings@icerink.co.za

Press release compiled by Enhance PR and Communications.

Pet Expo & partners out to break Guinness World Record

The World of Dogs & Cats & Pet Expo (WODAC), Complete Dog Food and Ford Motor Company, are calling upon animal lovers in Gauteng to help them break the Guinness World Record (GWR) for the most pet food collected in a seven day period.

The aim is to collect a minimum of 20 tons of pet food from 14-20 July 2014, in order to convincingly break the prevailing record of 15- tons.

"Animal shelters across the country look after scores of loveable pets in need of a good, nutritious meal while they await adoption. So apart from being a fun opportunity for Gauteng residents to contribute to a Guinness World Record attempt, donors can draw inspiration from the fact that the real goal behind this initiative is to collect as much pet food as possible for donation to participating animal welfare organisations," said Henk Jutte, managing director of Complete Dog Food.

Animal lovers, and those who want to be part of a bona fide Guinness World Record attempt, are asked to drop off their donations at participating Ford dealerships in Gauteng, from 14-20 July and at WODAC, which runs from 18-20 July at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand.

Gavin Golightly, marketing manager at Ford South Africa, added: “We recognise that too many animals in South Africa are in need of food, shelter and love, and applaud the work various animal shelters are doing across the country. We are grateful for the opportunity to do our bit to help, by partnering with WODAC and Complete Dog Food to attempt to break this record while collecting food for these shelters. We trust that animal lovers across Gauteng will flock to participating Ford dealers to donate.

"Many people see their pets as part of the family, and offering cars that allow people to travel with their furry friends is something we at Ford are very proud of. With several pet-friendly vehicles in our range, Ford started exhibiting at WODAC last year, and is doing so again this year."

In keeping with the spirit of generosity and fairness that characterises this Guinness World Record attempt, members of the public will decide, via a Facebook Challenge, how much of the donated food gets distributed to each of the approved animal welfare organisations.

"It’s only fair that if you’re donating the food, you should get to decide who gets how much of it," explained Brian Blades, managing director of WODAC. "To have your say, go to the Facebook Challenge at https://www.apps.facebook.com/my-polls/hfpjrb and cast your vote for the organisation of your choice. The challenge will run from the 2^nd of June 2014 to 20^th July 2014 and the percentage votes for each shelter will determine their share of the food."

The grand weigh-in, of what will likely be a mountain of pet food, will take place under strict supervision at the World of Dogs & Cats & Pet Expo (WODAC) on 20 July 2014. 

The welfare organisations that currently stand to benefit from this drive include Kitty and Puppy Haven; Animal Ambulance; Animal Anti-Cruelty League; Animals in Distress; Barking Mad; FORA; Wetnose; SPCA Springs; Mdzananda Animal Clinic; Santa Cause for Paws; Woodrock Animal Rescue; Hellen White; Angels Refuge; Claw; SPCA Benoni; Animal Instincts; Pet Save and Purr Paws for life.

So, animal lovers, what are you waiting for? Raid your cupboards, set out for the supermarket and stock up on any brand of bags or cans of nutritious cat, dog, rabbit, bird or other pet food that catches your fancy. Then drop it off at a participating Ford dealer during the week of 14-20 July or bring it to the World of Dogs & Cats & PETEXPO (WODAC) from 18-20 July! For a list of participating Ford dealers, as well as information on other drop-off sites, visit the website www.dogscats.co.za.