In the spirit of community engagement CPUT students recently hosted a weekend of parties at Kenilworth Racecourse for 100 children from a variety of NPOs.
Every year the Department of Event Management rents multiple venues at the racecourse and invites orphans and terminally ill children for a fun time.
The children who were invited came from the Nazareth House for differently-abled children, The Homestead which provides shelter to chronically-ill neglected street children and the SA Children’s Home which accommodates children who are temporarily placed in their care by the Children’s Court and who have often suffered severe violence or neglect by their parents or close family members.
“This year we involved the Reach for a Dream Foundation that works with children between the ages of three and 18 who are fighting life-threatening illnesses such as cancer, cystic fibrosis, heart conditions, HIV, and renal failure, to name a few,” said lecturer Dr Chris Hatting.
On Saturday the first-year students designed the venue into 14 small themed parties where each NPO was assigned to an age-appropriate theme, such as Frozen, Spa, Jungle, Magic, Rock ‘n Roll, Fairies, Trolls, Pirates and Princesses.
On Sunday the children arrived for a fun day filled with exciting activities and entertainment. They were dressed according to the age appropriate theme, fed a hearty meal and provided with toys and other gifts.
“For many of those in attendance it would have been their last fun activity of their young lives as they only have a few months left to live,” added Hattingh.
The project is linked to the subject Event Practice 1 subject in which Event Management students are assessed on teamwork, design skills including the development of invitations and event programmes as well as how well they incorporate each theme into the arrival, atmosphere, activities or entertainment, food, beverages and gifts.
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