Timbercity brings Madiba magic to Pretoria School Pupils had a great time with Timbercity mascot Chippie. Six volunteers from Timbercity Pretoria gave children and staff at Thohoyandou Primary School in Atteridgeville a great Madiba time they will not forget any time soon when they joined hands with them to celebrate Mandela Day on Wednesday. The six Timbercity Pretoria staffers who visited the school to do their bit for community upliftment were Joanne Rose, Bheki Ngwenya, Cindy Rosslee, Ephraim Mazibuko, Alfred Ramashala and Jeffrey Chauke. They thrilled the children with copies of a portrait of Madiba, sweets and balloons and helped generate the great excitement that was required to mark the big day in style with lots of singing and sharing. They had in tow the famous Chippie mascot they had brought for an injection of extra fun. It turned out to be a great idea as excited pupils gathered around Chippie to have their photographs of them with the mascot taken.
One of the classrooms at the Atteridgeville school. The school premises are dusty and not paved and help is being sought for the beautification and greening of the premises with grass and plants. Ms Baloyi said the construction of a shelter for the children would be a huge improvement.
School wishes to be a better place ahead of 2013 Ms Baloyi also said: “If we can start with the school grounds which need paving that would be good. We need paving to pave the schoolyard. We also need paint for the school walls and roofs.” Joanne called on those who can to donate sports equipment and things such as swings and slides which she said would work wonders for the morale of pupils. As the school marks its 50th anniversary next year, having such improvements in place before the landmark occasion would mean a lot to its staff and learners, said Joanne. Posing with ‘Madiba’ and Chippie. Timbercity and Thohoyandou Primary started their association after Patrick Ramantswana, a teacher at the school, approached Joanne with a request for assistance last year. The donation of wood products and the eating benches followed soon afterwards.
The green and yellow colours of Timbercity dominated. But it was in living up to the spirit of Mandela Day that the Timbercity Pretoria team made a bigger difference. They donated additional material to the school, in addition to the 20 eating benches they had handed over earlier. The items the Bloed Street store handed over on Wednesday included a medical bed for the sick room, additional eating benches and fun items which all went down a treat with the pupils. Timbercity Pretoria also made a point of taking the Nelson Mandela portrait sold at the Pretoria Central store to the school. Proceeds from the sale of the portrait formed the bulk of donations the store made to the school.
Construction of shelter a priority Painted by Prince Israel Oluwafemi, an artist still trying to make a name for himself in the art world, it shows Madiba in a dark shirt.
Timbercity Pretoria’s social responsibility programme is extensive. “We are a strategic partner of the Pretoria Zoo and assisted it with the relocation of animals during the Soccer World Cup in 2010,” said Timbercity staffer Greg Watson. Other involvements include donations to the Salvation Army in Pretoria West to which the store donates an average of R10 000 annually. A Timbercity Pretoria staffer Angela Watson was busy sorting out a consignment to deliver to the church. “We’re currently trying to get blankets and tins of food over to Salvation Army,” said Angela. She added that contributing to the lives of the needy was something her company would want to do more regularly. Some of the volunteers from the community also did their bit.
School staff have a moment of fun with Chippie. Thohoyandou Primary School Deputy Principal Joyce Baloyi said: “The children had a great time. Timbercity Pretoria entertained the schoolchildren from Grade 1 to Grade 7 and they enjoyed having their pictures taken holding the Madiba portrait and the mascot which Timbercity Pretoria brought.” Ms Baloyi said she, the principal Mr Gabriel Ramaano and the rest of the staff were very grateful for the contribution by Timbercity: “It’s not the first time that Timbercity has helped us. Last year they assisted with cupboards for the administration block and the classrooms.” A lot still needs to be done at the school which has 600 pupils. “We can only do so much. Besides doing what we can do, we are trying to get other companies involved and we are considering approaching some of our suppliers to come on board to help out at the school,” says Joanne, adding: “They need bricks and cement and a steel shelter for the children to eat in sitting on the eating tables that we have already sponsored.”
Easing disadvantaged youth into job market Timbercity Pretoria also partners Furniture World Training Centre in Soshanguve and offers the centre’s students training aids and internships to earn valuable workplace experience. It has also employed 63 former students of the centre and all the learners offered internships or employed by Timbercity have come from previously disadvantaged areas including Atteridgeville, Soshanguve, Mabopane, Hammanskraal, Duduza and Daveyton. Timbercity Pretoria is a family-owned business owned by the Henderson family that has been operating in Pretoria for 12 years. It is part of a franchise that has provided superior products to the DIY and home improvement market for more than 30 years. Timbercity offers a comprehensive range of board products in various finishes and standard sheet sizes. The range includes chipboard, Melamine chipboard, Supawood, hardboard and plywood. It also supplies a range of cabinet hardware and a host of fasten-and-fix-it-yourself products.
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