On the road...

The Beautiful Gate Riders are on the road again! This year 44 riders will join the Beautiful Gate staff as they take on the Pick n Pay Cape Argus Cycle Tour challenge to help raise support for the children's home and hospice! The riders will follow a 110km route around the mountainous Cape Peninsula, an exciting challenge for an exciting cause. Would you like to join them? Just follow the link below and join us by making a donation online to support the children of Crossroads! Thanks for cheering us on!
http://www.givengain.com/cause/274/projects/10876/

Dr Michael Mol cycles for Beautiful Gate!

Yes indeed! Michael Mol, Former ABSA Cape Epic Rider and South Africa's favourite doctor will be riding this years Pick n Pay Cape Argus Cycle Tour to benefit the children of Crossroads. For the second year in a row, Michael will don the Beautiful Gate jersey and make his ride count for children affected by HIV and poverty on the outskirts of Cape Town. Beautiful Gate is a children's home and hospice and partners with the Western Cape Health Dept in bringing anti-retroviral medication to HIV positive children provides empowerment to families affected by the disease.

The ride takes place on 11 March 2012 and will take in 110 km of scenic beauty as the riders circumnavigate the Cape Penisula.

Would you like to ride with Michael and join the Team? Would you like to sponsor a rider to raise support for vulnerable children? Send an email to vaughans@beautifulgate.org for more info
 

Teen poems

Here's one of many vibrant poems written by our very talented young people about the challenges and joys  of life in South Africa!

Lerato's Hope Outing

Every month a group of dedicated volunteers visit the children and mamas at Beautiful Gate Child Care Centre to help with house chores, play games, sports and general fun activities. Recently the "Friends of Beautiful Gate" team, run by our partner organisation, Lerato's Hope, took the kids and mamas for an outing to Wynberg Park. It was great fun! Check out the photos! Thank you FoBG - you guys are awesome!

Another Parenting Course graduates!

Last week our third parenting course graduated! This time with 23 graduates. Parents from the local community attend the course following referrals or on their own initiative to improve their parenting skills. All the sessions are run by our Family Preservation team lead by Social Worker, Nodumo Ndengezi. Topics include positive parenting and discipline, children's rights and parental problem solving. Parents also learn God's heart for parents and for children. Next month we hope to include a special module on helping parents disclose their own and their child's HIV status to their children.

There are some organisations that continually find ways to improve the world of others. One of these special organisations is Reach For a Dream http://www.reachforadream.org.za/

Recently Reach For a Dream took our kids on a creative outing of crafting workshops at Canal Walk. There they explored their creative and crafty side by making wonderfully arty pieces and generally having a great time. Such opportunities to build our children's confidence and belief in themselves is indeed the dream and vision of all involved in helping hurt and ill children. Big thanks to all at Reach for a Dream for making our little ones dreams come true!

The harvest is coming in!

The hard work and dedication of the children (and the wonderful green fingered staff members who encourage, remind, organise and equip them!) is paying off! Yes - the food garden is producing a plentiful harvest for our kitchen. So much so, that it saves our shopping bill and we hope it will be able to expand even further! In reality, many people make the food garden happen - Thank you to sponsors such as Lerato's Hope and Willow Creek and volunteers like those from the Auditor General's Office who helped us break new ground, clean up the beds and even mended some irrigation pipes! Thanks to all who have invested in this project and continue to do so. For BG, it's a sustainable step in the right direction...