JDF/WG Corporate Charity League ‘swings’ for the underprivileged

Following six rounds of battle, winners of the 2021 John Deere Financial/Wirtgen Group (JDF/WG) Corporate Charity League were announced at an awards ceremony held at the Serengeti Gold and Wildlife Estate on 12 November, with three winning teams donating their prize money to charities of their choice. 

What started out as an annual social round of golf arranged by Wirtgen Group South Africa, has over the past three years evolved into a multi-team golf competition aimed at raising funds for charity. 

“Previously, we used to arrange a number of social golf rounds with golf-loving clients. In 2019, we decided to combine our passion for golf with helping the less fortunate and came up with the idea to have our customers join us in a league format competition played over six rounds, with all proceeds raised donated to charity,” explains Waylon Kukard, sales manager at Wirtgen Group SA.

Sponsored by John Deere Financial, in conjunction with Wirtgen Group SA, the idea behind the JDF/WG Corporate Charity League is to assist selected charities with their financial needs. Each team that participates in the charity league nominates a beneficiary of its choice. Funds raised during the annual league are distributed to the top three teams’ nominated charities. 

The champions

With 500 points, Team Wirtgen Group SA are the 2021 champions of the JDF/WG Corporate Charity League. As Wirtgen’s chosen beneficiary, Amadea Safe House – a home for mentally and physically challenged children and youth aged between nine and 21 – pocketed the R120 000 first-prize money. 

Amadea is a charity organisation that helps children in need, mainly abandoned, neglected, abused, disabled and HIV/Aids affected or infected children and orphans. Most of these are placed within the organisation by the courts, pending finalisation of their cases. In some cases, some end up growing up in the home as they have nowhere to go. “We stand true to our goal to provide a loving Christian environment in which our children can develop into well-balanced and skilled adults,” explains Amadea’s Rina Malan. 

“We work closely with all social welfare organisations and SAPD in Pretoria and surrounding areas. Five years ago we started home schooling, where several skills are taught, including cooking, baking, mosaic, crochet, knitting, jewellery, wood work and several arts and crafts. Although this has proven to be expensive, we have seen amazing results in our quest to develop skills for the youth,” says Malan. 

“We are grateful for the donation from the Wirtgen Group, which makes it possible for our children to receive the best total care possible. The donation will go towards medication, therapy and nappies, while a small portion will be used to upgrade bathing facilities for children in wheelchairs,” adds Malan. 

Second place 

With 485 points, AFGRI placed second in the 2021 JDF/WG Corporate Charity League. The company’s chosen beneficiary, Kinders van die Lig, was therefore rewarded with the R75 000 prize money.  

Kinders van die Lig was founded in 1997 by a group of theological students of the Afrikaanse Protestant Kerk Pretoria Oos. Kinders van die Lig reaches out to children in need, especially those who are from low socio-economical groups. The organisation’s primary goal is to “evangelise” to as many children as possible, primarily in the west of Pretoria. Its secondary goal is to provide for the physical needs of the children.

“The donation gives us hope for the future of our organisation. We will be able to organise camps for the children and provide the food they need at our monthly Sunday events. We are eternally grateful for the donation,” says Maryke van der Merwe, communication officer at Kinders van die Lig. 

The donation will also be used for the organising of bi-annual camps for the children. “We usually hold these camps during the March/April and December school holidays for an entire week, where students volunteer to help the children learn about Christ in a funny and interactive way. Daily meals are provided through the sponsorships we receive,” she adds. “During December camps we always try to give each child a present for Christmas as well, as well as food parcels for the families.”

Third place 

With a total of 482 points, SP Surfacing finished third in this year’s JDF/WG Corporate Charity League. As SP Surfacing’s chosen beneficiary, Walking on Water (WOW) Outreach Ministries – a volunteer-based outreach organisation that focuses on the homeless and the destitute – pocketed the third-place R50 000 prize money. 

“It is truly an honour and privilege for us to be the recipient of this donation,” says Robert Pollard, founder of WOW. “One of our pressing needs at WOW – as we seek to expand our work – is to purchase a minibus to transport people from the streets to shelters, rehabilitation centres, clinics and the church. This donation will go a long way towards meeting this need.” 

Web: https://www.wirtgen-group.com/southafrica/en/