By: Lungisa Somtombo
In an effort to save their service centre that supports the less fortunate, Berea Gardens Retirement Foundation will host a High Tea fundraiser on the 27th of April.
Berea Gardens was founded in 1974 with a vision to provide a safe environment for retired people. It was started by Richard Mogg, a pharmacist who had a pharmacy in Quigney, after he noticed a lot of his customers were living in poor conditions and could not afford better places to stay.
Berea Gardens Foundation executive director Mike Schulze said the foundation grew, today it has five complexes and accommodates over 700 residents. Berea Gardens has economic and sub-economic accommodation, for the economic accommodation you can be from anywhere, for the sub-economic you have to be a resident of the Buffalo City.
Speaking to BCM News Schulze said the aim of fundraiser is to generate funds for the service centre, the life-blood of the foundation as it sometimes runs at a deficit and it is where they offer affordable services to people.
“A few years ago our subsidy was reduced drastically by the Department of Social Development, rather than to shutdown the service centre we wanted to keep it going. The fundraiser is a huge part of being able to keep the service centre,” he said.
The executive director said in the service centre they have subsidized mid-day meals for people who are less fortunate, a clinic that operates there and a little bit of visits from a home-based carer and all of that is funded out of the service centre.
“At the fundraiser people will host a table and sell tickets. We have auctions, some are silent auctions and the others are normal auctions. All the funds will go to our service centre,” he said.
Schulze expressed that the foundation has had a fundraiser two years ago and it was very successful, as the public seemed to have enjoyed it.
He added that the fundraiser is something that can generate revenue and it also exposes what they do to the public.