Celebrating his birthday by giving back to others less fortunate is something young Brad Blom plans to do every year to make a difference in the lives of others.
Blom, a Grade 3 pupil at Stirling Primary who turned nine on February 16, raised R2000 from his family and friends.
The aspiring Olympic swimmer said he wanted to put a smile on the faces of a few impoverished people every year on his birthday.
“I started doing this while I was in Grade 1. People had given me presents and money on my birthday and at the time I wasn’t sure what to spend it on, because I have everything I need and want. That is when I remembered that there are other children out there who are not as fortunate as me.
“I started saving for something which is very important to me – and making sandwiches for people who have no food is very important to me.”
Blom said that in Grade 1 he surprised his teacher when he came to school with 40 sarmies and in Grade 2 saved up for 100 sandwiches.
“At school, we have committed every Tuesday to collecting love sandwiches which are later distributed to less fortunate schools, so that is where I got the idea to put in more effort.”
Blom’s mother, Kelly, said she hoped her son’s philanthropy would spread through to his younger brother Blake.
“Brad is such a loving boy who is very considerate of other people which is evident in what he has initiated.”
Grade 3 teacher Loren Ferreira said the class had raised 442 sandwiches.
Head of the WE CARE group at Stirling Primary, Donne Cadle, said the sandwiches were collected throughout affluent East London schools by the Nahoon Methodist Church which redistributed them to impoverished schools within the Buffalo City Metro and surrounding areas. —mbalit@dispatch.co.za
Schoolboy raises funds to feed other kids
Blom, a Grade 3 pupil at Stirling Primary who turned nine on February 16, raised R2000 from his family and friends.
The aspiring Olympic swimmer said he wanted to put a smile on the faces of a few impoverished people every year on his birthday.
“I started doing this while I was in Grade 1. People had given me presents and money on my birthday and at the time I wasn’t sure what to spend it on, because I have everything I need and want. That is when I remembered that there are other children out there who are not as fortunate as me.
“I started saving for something which is very important to me – and making sandwiches for people who have no food is very important to me.”
Blom said that in Grade 1 he surprised his teacher when he came to school with 40 sarmies and in Grade 2 saved up for 100 sandwiches.
“At school, we have committed every Tuesday to collecting love sandwiches which are later distributed to less fortunate schools, so that is where I got the idea to put in more effort.”
Blom’s mother, Kelly, said she hoped her son’s philanthropy would spread through to his younger brother Blake.
“Brad is such a loving boy who is very considerate of other people which is evident in what he has initiated.”
Grade 3 teacher Loren Ferreira said the class had raised 442 sandwiches.
Head of the WE CARE group at Stirling Primary, Donne Cadle, said the sandwiches were collected throughout affluent East London schools by the Nahoon Methodist Church which redistributed them to impoverished schools within the Buffalo City Metro and surrounding areas. —mbalit@dispatch.co.za
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