Reach For A Dream

Reach For A Dream fulfils the dreams of children between the ages of 3 and 18 who have been diagnosed as having a life-threatening illness by a medical practitioner. We do not discriminate based on race, culture, financial status or any other factor. Each child living with a life-threatening illness is given a chance to dream.

Reach For A Dream believes that no child should live without hope. Childhood can be the most magical phase of the human existence, filled with dreams, aspirations and most of all… fun!

For children who have been diagnosed as having a life-threatening illness, the magic of childhood may be lost in the emotional, physical and financial strain of dealing with their illness. Reach For A Dream tries to alleviate some of this strain (which often affects the whole family), by creating a different environment for the child – one that is not focused on her/ his illness. We would like our children to find their laughter again and therein find the strength to live beyond their illnesses.

Protea Hotels is proud to be in association with this wonderful charity as a sponsor. We have dedicated various Social Investment projects to this worthy cause.

It is a minimum requirement that each and every Protea Hotel, our Head Office and Regional offices have social investment programmes. Many of these internal departments have programmes dedicated to the Reach For A Dream organisation.

Protea Hotels has launched a campaign to help raise both awareness and funds for Reach for a Dream. Utilising the retail potential of the company’s wide hotel footprint throughout South Africa, the Protea Hospitality Group is selling fluffy Lions in a Tin for R100. All proceeds from the sale of the Lion in a Tin fluffy toys go directly towards realising the dreams of children suffering from life-threatening illnesses.

“Because we have approximately 80 hotels in South Africa, there are 80 outlets to sell the Lions in a Tin and that’s a good spread. There is no profit attached to these sales; every cent goes to Reach for a Dream because it is an organisation very close to our hearts. The hotel footprint also puts us in a position to help more children realise their dreams because if they need to travel, chances are exceptionally good that there’ll be a Protea Hotel somewhere nearby,” said Danny Bryer, Protea Hospitality Group’s director of Sales, Marketing and Revenue.  “We are honoured to play our part in helping Reach for a Dream.”

DREAMS DO COME TRUE...WITH PROTEA HOTELS

Robyn's Dream:

Robyn has Glioma, which is a malignant brain tumour. Her dream was to go ics skating and shopping. With the help of sponsors, Protea Hotels and volunteers, her dream was fulfilled!

Robyn Facts: Her birthday is 10th June, favourite colour is purple, favourite food is pizza and she loves arts & crafts.

Her hobbies include outdoor activities, tennis, hocket and swimming.

The team met up with Robyn and spent the morning in Canal Walk going on a full 'girly' shopping spree. Starting off with hot chocolate, where she was presented with clothing sponsored by Rotex Fabrics. The spree started with vouchers, sponsored by Toys R Us, then off to Foschini and Earth Child.

The girls then headed off to Sorbet to have Robyn's nails painted and after off to Musica. Lunch break finally came and the guys were off to Primi Piatti where Robyn had her favourite pizza! The gang then teamed up with the rest of Robyn's family and went off to Grand West for some fun and ice skating. A whole lot of fun was had by all involved!

A great big THANK YOU to all of the sponsors:
Toys R Us, Rotex Fabrics, Foschini, Earth Child, Sportmans Warehouse, Musica, Primi Piatti, Protea Hotels and Grand West Ice Rink

Luciano's Dream

Little Luciano suffered from Germ Cell Tumours, from Graaf Reinet and is 2 years old. His dream, a simple one - to go on an outing with his mom and have lunch and clothing. The team from Protea Hotels endevoured to make this little guy's dream a reality.

His dream day started with an outing to the V&A Waterfront, with a trip to the Aquarium where little Luciano, even though he wasn't feeling too well, was very impressed and fascinated by the various types of fish and sea creatures on display. He even tried to take a picture of them with his mom's phone (see left!). There after it was off to the Protea Hotel Breakwater Lodge, Time Out Cafe for lunch, where he accompanied by his mom and gran, was presented with a clothing hamper from Naartjie clothing to the value of R2 000! Transportation for the day was sponsored by the Protea Hotel Sea Point. 

We are reminded of the importance of fulfilling these dreams and bringing joy to these children, as a mere two weeks after the day of fun, little Luciano passed away. Our hearts and prayers are with the families of all these children.

A great BIG THANK YOU to all our sponsors:

Naartjie Clothing, for their generous donation, Protea Hotel Sea Point and Protea Hotel Breakwater Lodge as well as the volunteers from Reach For A Dream and the team from Protea Hotels.

Sarel's Dream

Sarel Grobelaar is 12 years old and has recently had a liver and kidney transplant at the Red Cross Hospital. His dream was to have a laptop and meet Brian Habana. He enjoys building puzzles and doing woodwork. He loves rugby and favourite foods are ribs from Spur and spaghetti bolognaise.

Sarel's dream day started off a little differently, with the team from Protea Hotels making a trip to Red Cross Hospital to take party packs to the children, in memory of little Luciano who had passed away. The children were excited to receive their gift packs filled with juices, chips, chocolates, seetes and the favourite, bubbles! All items sponsored by Protea Hotel Sea Point.

During the handing out of the packs, the team stopped to say hello to Sarel, who was asked to hold onto the RFAD teddy and make a wish - which he did. He was then presented with a lap top bag, sponsored by Protea Hotels IT department and a laptop sponsored by Mustek! Sarel was overjoyed. It was then off to lunch at the Protea Hotel Fire & Ice!, where Sarel was presented with a 750 piece puzzle.

The team then took him off to Newlands stadium to watch a rugby match and Sarel was allowed to meet Bryan Habana and have his picture taken with him. Sarel finally met his hero, thanks to the hard work and passion of everyone involved. The day was a huge success.

A great big THANK YOU to all the sponsors invloved:

Protea Hotel Fire & Ice!, Mustek, Protea Hotel Sea Point, Western Province Rugby Association and all the volunteers!

Tiara's Dream

Tiara is a shy 4 year old who has been diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. She has a 2 year old sister, Adri. She loves Dora the Explorer, Hannah Montana, Barbie and the colour pink. Her dream was to have a portable DVD player.

The team from Protea Hotels gathered up their resources and made their way to Tiara's home in Atlantis. While Tiara was at her grans house, the team decorated her and her sister's bedroom with all things pink and girly so that both girls would feel special. Tiara came home to meet the team and made a wish on the RFAD bear. She was taken to her room for her big surprise. She was then presented with several gifts including her own portable DVD player. She was overjoyed!

The team from Supakids then came to set up the Dora the Explorer Themed party for Tiara and 8 of her friends. Lots of fun was had by all the kids as well as the rest of the team!

A great big THANK YOU to all our sponsors:

Datacentrix, Canon, Supakids, Cheryl's Creations, Smart Vending and the staff from Protea Hotels!