Celebrities giving back!

Sometimes we forget celebrities are people too, they also started from nothing to become the successful public figures we see on television or hear on radio today.

That is why it is always nice to read stories of celebrities giving back to the community - after all it is we, the fans who make them the household names they are.

For instance popular 5fm disk jockey, Thato “DJFresh” Sikwane, every year gives away fully paid Boston Media House bursaries to deserving students. Lastly July, to celebrate Mandela Day he gave away 67 bursaries and short short-courses.

He describes himself as, “a person, trying to change the world one person at a time”, has certainly tried to achieve this with education being his main priority. In 2000, while still working at Yfm, he convinced the station to “adopt” 100 matriculants to give them extra lessons and revision every Saturday until the exams were over.

Cape Town based radio station, Good Hope fm, run’s their “Keeping Cape Town warm” campaign every year for the past decades. This initiative sees Capetonians donating blankets to the radio station, which they in turn will hand out to the less privileged people in poorer communities. This year they have teamed up with ABSA and are collecting non-perishable food items also.

Good Hope fm loves giving, every year at Christmas time they also have a toy drive, where they urge listeners to donate old toys that they can donate to children’s houses around Cape Town to brighten up their day.

Another 5fm DJ, Anele Mdoda, who recently celebrated her 25^th Birthday, asked guests coming to her birthday party to each bring a blanket instead of a gift, this she in turn will give to a charity.

 Other celebrities who love to give back is musician, Emo Adams, using social networks such as Twitter and Facebook to keep in touch with his fans and always urging them to donate to his causes. Whether it is your worn shoes, non-perishable food items, worn clothes or just your time, by helping to hand out soup and bread to the impoverished in the community.

  He uses his celebrity status to lure people to help, when they help they get to work side-by-side with the popular performer, who played in stage productions such as “Cat and the Kings “and “My broetjie my bra” to name a few.

by  Joline van der Merwe