Rand Aid’s Elphin Lodge retirement village and Ron Smith Care Centre (RSCC) residents and staff are calling for donations to support Tails and Whiskers this Mandela Month.
Elphin Lodge and RSCC kicked off their Mandela Month project on 7 June, when Sharon Blackwell, the founder of the Tails and Whiskers, and her team, visited the village and care centre with some of their animals and spoke about the non-profit organisation’s animal welfare and rescue work in various communities.
Tails and Whiskers raises funds, via its charity shop and Saturday markets in Edenvale, to help and support several smaller animal welfare organisations in the area.
These include Hellen White, a pensioner who attends to dogs and cats in poorer areas in Johannesburg South. Helen goes from house to house, feeding more than 200 dogs and cats. She also helps with medical bills, sterilisation and vaccinations for sick and needy animals, and distributes kennels and blankets for pets without shelter.
The organisation also assists Christopher Mynhardt who runs Edenvale Ferals, which feeds 800 cats. Edenvale Ferals has set up feeding stations throughout Edenvale and, to date, has trapped, neutered and released 359 feral cats back into their colonies.
“After Tails and Whiskers’ presentation, residents and staff had a lovely time cuddling and interacting with the dogs and cats. For many, the time spent with these animals brought back precious memories of all the wonderful pets they have had in their lives,” says Debbie Christen, Rand Aid’s manager of recreational programmes.
The village and care centre are now running a food and blanket drive for the dogs and cats and are also collecting items for Tails and Whiskers to sell in its charity shop.
“We are humbled and inspired by the love, dedication and passion with which the Tails and Whiskers team and their beneficiaries do their work. In the spirit of Mandela Month, we feel that this is a most worthy charity organisation to support,” says Debbie.
One of the residents has also donated a handmade quilt that is being raffled to raise extra funds for the organisation. Tails and Whiskers is running the raffle on its Facebook page and tickets are available for purchase at reception.
For more information, email Debbie at dchristen@randaid.co.za
Resident Olive Jew gets some loving licks from Watson, much to the delight of Isabel Peddie, Rhona Burnham and Trish Llewelyn.
Trish Llewelyn cuddles a newly rescued kitten which is still too young to be adopted.
Whiskey.
