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Miss South Africa goes casual

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Reigning Miss South Africa, Marilyn Ramos, has added Casual Day to her portfolio of causes that she will support this year. She is passionate about children, and has spent much of her reign so far advocating and caring for vulnerable children. By supporting the Casual Day campaign, she is helping to raise awareness of the needs of all persons with disabilities.

Casual Day, South Africa’s most successful fundraising project for persons with disabilities, has invited eight new organisations to join its beneficiary family: Autism South Africa (ASA), Down Syndrome South Africa, The National Association for Persons with Cerebral Palsy (NAPCP), the South African National Deaf Association (SANDA), the National Institute for the Deaf (NID), QuadPara Association of South Africa (QASA), Alzheimer’s South Africa and the South African Disability Alliance (SADA).

“The addition of the new beneficiary organisations affords us the opportunity to effect real transformation of the project and to become more representative of the wider disability sector,” says Therina Wentzel, National Director of the National Council for Persons with Physical Disabilities in South Africa (NCPPDSA), the owners of the Casual Day Project.

“Now in its 19th successful year of service to the community of persons with disabilities, this gives the Casual Day project team the chance to refresh our approach and to re-align our values within a changing landscape of diversity and greater inclusion of persons with disabilities in today’s challenging world.
Casual Day stickers, caps and shirts will now be available through the new beneficiaries,” continued Wentzel.

Last year Casual Day raised a staggering R22.2 million. That is ten percent more than the year before. All in all, the project has raised R170 million. “We are ecstatic about the response from South Africans. With the world economy in turmoil, and a decline in funding for NGOs from corporations and government, Casual Day is going from strength to strength. Casual Day is a lifeline for many disability organisations that serve persons with disabilities. The money we raise through this project affects the lives of thousands of vulnerable South Africans,” Wentzel concluded.

Donations are raised R10 at a time for a Casual Day sticker, which is distributed via the infrastructure of the project’s various sponsors and financial partners and a wide network of participating organisations rendering services in the field of disability.

Friday 6 September 2013 is Casual Day.

The 2013 Casual Day them is Go Big, and organisers are encouraging participants to wear big hair, a big tie, big shoes or just go big on the number of stickers you wear, anything goes, as long as it’s big.

Miss South Africa 2013 - Marilyn Ramos
Through Marilyn Ramos’ work with various children’s organisations, and meeting children like Ditebogo Majara she has become aware of the importance of children’s development, especially in the first 1 000 days of their lives.
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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.