GMA Extra: Bikers for Mandela Day 2015

The 6th annual International Mandela Day was celebrated this part Saturday, 18 July on Madiba's birthday. People across the world marked the day by doing 67 minutes of service to make our communities a better place. How you do it, is up to you and the idea is to get your hands dirty, give of your time and effort and be of service - taking the future in your own hands. 

 

This year, Good Morning Angels again went along on the annual Bikers for Mandela day journey of service. The group, lead by Madiba's former PA, Zelda la Grange left last Thursday morning  for Beaufort West, Knysna, Graaff-Reinet and Bloemfontein. Good Morning Angels supported the initiative at the Vermont Old Age Home in Knysna. The home and it's 50 elderly residents, have not been spared from the surge in power prices. The home is on the verge of having it's electricity cut due to an unpaid municipal account. The bikers took along blankets and warm water bottles for the residents, they also helped with some solar geysers to help reduce costs and the GMA Fund helped to pay off their municipal dept. 

We will bring you the full story on Good Morning Angels this Wednesday morning. 

 

  
Background on Bikers for Mandela Day:

Bikers for Mandela Day is one of the many activities taking place under the broader Mandela Day campaign. The United Nations passed a resolution in 2009 to declare Mandela day an international day of service.  

Madiba spent 67 years of his life as an activist.  The public is called upon to spend at least 67 minutes or more on community service or volunteerism in his honour around his birthday – 18 July.   

The first Bikers for Mandela day was organized by Zelda la Grange in 2010. This is therefore the sixth Bikers for Mandela day campaign organized by Zelda. In previous years others have joined in organizing similar activities even as far as in India.  The aim of Bikers for Mandela day is not to raise money but rather goodwill and service. The group will spend more than their 67 minutes during the trip at charitable organisations, offering labour and assistance by participating in a variety of activities at the respective projects like schools and old age homes, mostly in the Southern Cape.

1st for Women Insurance, via its charitable trust, the 1st for Women Foundation, will once again be supporting the group of bikers on their 2015 Bikers for Mandela Day journey. In 2010 Zelda la Grange was also appointed as Patron of the 1st for Women Foundation. Throughout the journey, the bikers will be distributing whistles to the organisations they visit, in support of Blow The Whistle, an anti-rape and women abuse organisation. Blow The Whistle is a national campaign that aims to empower women and children by giving them a platform to feel safe. At each project the bikers will be joined by local bikers from that particular community. The hope is that they will continue to support the projects way beyond Mandela day.

The Bikers for Mandela day group consist of 27 bikers and some 20 support staff.

You can follow  Bikers for Mandela day on www.mandeladay.com