Collegiate Girls’ High School rolled into the record books last week, becoming the first school in the Bay to participate in the SPAR Wheelchair Wednesday campaign and raising thousands of rands in the process.
The campaign, now in its seventh year, is organised by the Association for Persons with Physical Disabilities (APD), with volunteers spending four hours in a wheelchair undergoing a number of tasks.
The objective is to raise awareness about the difficulties those with disabilities face and to generate funds to buy wheelchairs for those in need.
Last week, Collegiate became the first school to throw its weight behind the campaign, as eight pupils aged between 14 and 16 took a seat for charity.
They were tasked with completing simple daily chores such as using an automatic teller machine, buying groceries and visiting a coffee shop, to better understand the real-life challenges faced by people with disabilities.
The group raised R5,500 to buy a wheelchair, which will be donated to APD when the annual handover function is held on September 26.
SPAR Eastern Cape sponsorship and events manager Alan Stapleton welcomed the initiative from the school.
“Hopefully it’s the start of a new dawn of rolling out Wheelchair Wednesday among the schools of Nelson Mandela Bay,” he said. “This is a chance to open the eyes of our younger members of society to illustrate the difficulties disabled people face.
“The earlier we can educate them about the challenges, the better for all.”
Among the pupils who took on the challenge, Interact Society president Jancke Blume, 17, assumed the role of assistant to Mbali Titi, 16, who bravely became the wheelchair volunteer.
“I was immediately aware of how things which are simple for me are much more difficult for people in wheelchairs.
“It has also made me realise that there are some places people can’t access because of their disabilities.
“For example, the stares and looks I received from some people, as well as routine acts such as getting a product from a high shelf and getting in and out of a car,” Titi said.
“Also, I had to plan ahead as to which coffee shop I would go to because certain coffee shops or centres that they are in are not wheelchair-friendly.”
“It really was good to be among a group of volunteers who were doing something positive to raise awareness of what people with disabilities face. So that was an overall highlight for me.”
Interact Society teacher Carla Grobler said the pupils had embraced the challenge.
“This is a chance for the girls to become aware of the issues at stake and to give back to the community,” she said.
Last year, the campaign handed over 165 wheelchairs to needy NMB residents.