As part of this year’s 67 Minutes for Madiba, General Motors South Africa (GMSA), along with employees from GM dealer Williams Hunt PE and players from the Chevrolet Warriors Cricket Team visited the Esinelitha Day Care Centre in Walmer, Port Elizabeth to carry out volunteer work.

The Esinelitha Day Care Centre, which takes care of 71 toddlers in the Walmer Township area, was adopted in 2012 by General Motors as part of the GM Childlife Foundation project, the Centre benefiting from on-going support and assistance from GMSA.

The volunteers cleaned up the facility, including the toys, books and mattress store rooms. Gift packs were also handed over to the children, which included much-needed items like stationery and a beanie, a fleecy jersey and a ruck sack for each child, along with a guaranteed smile-inducing sweets hamper.

Mama Joyce, Founder of the Esinelitha Day Care Centre, said, “The additional help and especially the warm clothing from General Motors came as such a surprise and it means all the children can now come to the Centre warmly dressed.”

Michelle Wilson, GMSA PRO, says, “The Centre, which was painstakingly built from nothing by ‘Mama Joyce’ is widely supported by Williams Hunt PE and has already benefitted from a R55 000 facility upgrade and a monthly grant from the GM Childlife Foundation, a relationship that will continue to flourish going forward.”

“Our friends at the Esinelitha Day Care Centre immediately came to mind when we were making our plans for this year’s 67 Minutes tribute to Madiba.  We take great pride in supporting the Centre and our volunteer efforts are extremely heart-warming, especially when we get to see Mama Joyce and her children with big smiles on their faces. We would like to thank our colleagues from Williams Hunt PE who stepped in with GMSA employees to make a difference on this significant day, and we send all our well wishes to Tata Madiba on his 95th birthday.”

The GM Childlife Foundation, which was founded in 2008, has expanded exponentially since launch with in excess of R7-million having been invested in projects to date, including the building of school classrooms and playgrounds, the running of feeding schemes and supporting of educational initiatives around the country. The Foundation is funded via contributions through every GM vehicle sold in the country, the GMSA dealer network and GMSA Financial Services joining forces with the GMSA team to make a big difference where it is needed most.