Wednesday the 26th of February – Houghton Golf Course. Not really the greatest weather for golf but the day could not have turned out more gloriously, raising a hefty R95,000 for the Meals on Wheels NGO.

The golf course was abuzz with excitement, as members of SAVRALA (Southern African Vehicle Rental And Leasing Association) descended on it for their Annual Charity Golf event. Sadly, weather cut play short and only 13 holes could be completed, but this certainly did not dampen spirits or the fun that was had by all.

MC Graeme Joffe ensured his razor sharp wit and horseplay kept the field entertained and there certainly was no shortage of fun and laughter along the course, provided by the various sponsors who had pulled out all the stops to show support for this worthy cause.

Although the day is always great fun and the golfers truly battle it out for some great prizes and the glory to be the industries top four-ball, the real winner at the end of the day is always SAVRALA’s chosen charity – this year the charity of choice was Meals on Wheels. MOW really got stuck in on the day and showed their appreciation on the course, to the delight of the golfers.

The winning four-balls were:

 

As is tradition, the day ended with a prize-giving dinner followed by an auction to raise additional funds for SAVRALA’s chosen charity. But before this commenced, Gershan Naidoo of Meals on Wheels gave a brief overview on what Meals on Wheels do and how SAVRALA’s donation will positively impact them as an NGO. As the auction commenced Meals on Wheels had another surprise in store by providing items from their Charity Shop which included hand-made items which were auctioned off.

Meals on Wheels is a not-for-profit organisation that has been in operation for more than four decades and runs more than 280 service points. Over 13,4 million meals are served and delivered annually to the poor and needy. But, Meals on Wheels is much more than just about delivering meals to the elderly, MOW is a multi-faceted welfare service aimed at helping the elderly of our country to live out their sunset years in dignity and relative comfort. The service includes Old-Age Homes, Frail-Care Centres, Service Centres for Senior Citizens, and the well-known Meals on Wheels for the Aged meal delivery service.

MOW’s goal is to encourage every family and every business in South Africa to sponsor just a few meals a month for a struggling Senior Citizen.

The car manufacturer’s really showed heart and Toyota handed over a cheque of an amount of R10,000.00 on the night, followed by an additional R10,000.00 sponsored by Nissan later in the evening.

Nissan South Africa’s sponsored hole raised the most money of the day and they were generous enough to send their prize back into the auction and raise a further R3,000.00 . The hole that won the best display however went to Honda who went all out to show their colours.

“The support by both member and manufacturer’s was overwhelming and demonstrated once again that business in South Africa plays a valuable role in supporting CSI initiatives and the community at large through fund-raisers like this. SAVRALA’s whole-hearted thanks goes to all the members for their continued support for this type of charity drive by playing, manning holes or by being sponsors and reaching into their pockets and giving so graciously as well as sponsoring prizes, participating in the auction and raising money for Meals on Wheels”. Marc Corcoran, President of SAVRALA said.

The SAVRALA NEC extends a hearty thanks to all for their participation.