CASUAL DAY 2011

Casual Day, South Africa’s foremost fundraising event for persons with disabilities, raised a record amount of R18,026,000 through the 2010 campaign, representing a respectable increase on the 2009 tally.

Says Mrs Annelise De Jager, Casual Day co-ordinator, “Despite the fact that 2010 was an extremely difficult year for the project due to the industrial action in the education sector and the distraction of the Soccer World Cup, we managed to improve on the 2009 income. It is gratifying to see the enthusiasm and passion displayed by the South Africa public and the hundreds of participating NGOs and companies. We are satisfied that with each passing year, the project gains greater acceptance with the public. We believe the public appreciates the opportunity to support a project where they know that their contribution really reaches the people it is intended to assist.”

The funds are raised as a result of each R10 donation for a Casual Day sticker made by South Africans on September 3 last year. Stickers are distributed via the infrastructure of the project’s financial partner – Absa, Game and Edcon stores countrywide, and a wide network of participating organisations rendering services in the field of disability.

Says De Jager, “Casual Day creates a lot of excitement in the workplace, as staff members compete with each other to dress up in humorous outfits. However, underlying all the fun is the serious business of raising money and increasing awareness of the challenges persons with disabilities are faced with. This year’s stars, Game and DionWired stores raised R1,306,090 representing a 20% increase over the previous year and the Edcon group raised R820,000, representing a 43% growth over the previous year.”

Mr Johan Viljoen, National Director of the National Council for Persons with Physical Disabilities in SA (NCPPDSA) has congratulated all the participants of the project on their excellent performance. He says, “Casual Day is a highlight on the calendar of the 270 beneficiary organisations who participated in the project, making use of the opportunity to raise funds for their organisation's needs. The lives of persons with disabilities have been greatly enhanced by the funds they have raised for those they render services to. The money is deployed in many areas, including job creation, poverty alleviation, social upliftment, housing and education. Not only does it raise funds, it also raises awareness of the needs of this sector of the community in a fun way”.

The funds are distributed to the following six national beneficiaries: The National Council for Persons with Physical Disabilities in SA (NCPPDSA); Disabled People South Africa (DPSA); SA National Council for the Blind (SANCB); SA Federation for Mental Health (SAFMH); Deaf Federation of SA (Deafsa); Epilepsy SA (ESA)

Marcia Zungu, Absa Corporate Social Investment Manager says, “We are proud of our long and successful association with Casual Day. The project has gone from strength to strength each year. We could not have achieved this success without the passion and dedication of our employees over the years. We are especially glad that our efforts go towards helping and empower persons with disabilities.”

The Casual Day team has revealed the amount raised by the 2010 project at a series of roadshows across the country. The Casual Day ‘Show & Tell’ functions serve to celebrate the outstanding achievers of the campaign.

Each year Casual Day chooses a wild and wacky theme – and 2011 is no exception. Participants are encouraged to unleash their inner rock star and dress up as musicians, rock stars or music groupies. De Jager is upbeat about 2011, “We have had an extremely positive reaction to this year’s theme announcement. In addition to our usual efforts through corporate South Africa, we have also had great interest from schools in this year’s project and we encourage each and every citizen to get on board and make the world rock!”

Casual Day is a fundraising project where people are encouraged to go to work dressed differently for a day. To earn this right, they make a donation of R10 for the official Casual Day sticker. Proceeds benefit persons with disabilities. Casual Day is a project of the National Council for Persons with Physical Disabilities in SA (NCPPDSA) with Absa as primary sponsorship partner. They further provide an infrastructure for sticker distribution.

Casual Day 2011 will take place on September 2, 2011. More information at www.casualday.co.za