CAPE TOWN-A 13-year-old scout from 1st Muizenberg Sea Scouts is organising a community raffle to help adolescents battling chronic illnesses at Groote Schuur Hospital enjoy their Christmas.
Luke Pomeroy-Ward, who has been scouting since age six, is raising R4 000 towards an R8 000 goal for the Better Together programmes year-end function, supporting young patients who no longer qualify for Red Cross children’s services.
The Better Together Programme at Groote Schuur Hospital provides vital support to
adolescents (13-24) who are living with chronic health conditions.
Many of them have transitioned from paediatric care at Red Cross to adult services.
Through a weekly, facilitated peer-led group young people connect in a safe, consistent space
to share experiences, build confidence and navigate challenges together, ensuring no-one has to face their journey alone.
Earlier this year, Luke assisted the firefighters at Lakeside Fire Station who were battling the
Tokai blaze.
He described his motivation for the three-week fundraising campaign: “I wanted to do
something for Christmas for others. All scouts are encouraged to do service projects during the
year, from helping create gardens to cleaning up and collecting for different charities. We have a lot of support from our fellow scouts and the adult leaders.”
The idea of having the latest fundraiser at Groote Schuur came from a Pomeroy-Ward family friend.
“One of my parents’ friends works at Groote Schuur Hospital, and when I was looking for something to get involved in they told me about Better Together. I liked it because it was also about youth my age, but just going through a hard time with their health.”
He hopes to have a raffle draw at the end of this month (November).
“I am trying to raise at least R4 000 towards Better Together’s goal of R8 000 for its end of-year function for the youth. I have created a raffle; the tickets are R20 each. I have shared this on my mom’s social media and on my WhatsApp status. I have planned it for about three weeks, and will do the draw at the end of November.”
The Muizenberg community, parents and friends have greatly supported Pomeroy-Ward.
He said seeing how many prizes people had donated as well as the number of tickets taken was heartwarming.
For details contact Tracey Pomeroy-Ward on 071 174 3099.
