Inner wheel club of
Claremont
Our Story
We were very amused at our AGM to note that our President, Vivienne Morkel, our Secretary, Pat White and our Treasurer, Vicky Kempthorne, all joined our club in 1975. Our ISO, Shona Sturgeon, joined in 1985. Inner Wheel must be a great organization to keep members active in a club for that period of time!! That said, we also have members who have joined more recently.
We financially contribute regularly to a range of non-government agencies. We check that these are well managed, ethically sound some of our members actively engage with their work. These funds are mostly earned through our hard work assisting the Claremont Rotarians at the Cape Town Cycle Tour.
What We Do
The organizations we support address abused and neglected children, scholars requiring assistance, rural communities, the elderly, those with terminal illnesses, people in disaster situations, the physically and the mentally disabled. We try to contribute to a range of needs and feel very proud that we have supported mental health organizations for many years – an area of desperate need often overlooked by funders.
FRIENDS OF CHILD PORTECTION
Our ladies have been hard at work knitting soft toys for the Comfort Packs given by the Friends of Child Protection to sexually abused children who are waiting at police stations or hospitals for questioning or medical examination. We hope that cuddling these little animals helps them cope with the trauma they have been through.
Knitting these toys and assembling them also provides fellowship to our ladies as they meet in someone’s house. They also assist in the 5 or 6 packing sessions of the Friends of Child Protection. It is to their credit that they supply in excess of 100 knitted items for each packing session.
Ladies in retirement villages, for example, Norfolk Place in Kenilworth, are given wool and are also part of the knitting team. This is a wonderful experience for them and helps the children.
DOREEN & PIKKIE GEFFEN BURSARY
The coordinator of the District project, the Doreen and Pikkie Geffen Bursary, Shona Sturgeon, is a member of our club. This bursary contributes to the academic fees of students at the University of Cape Town (UCT) who are studying social work. Shona is engaged currently in meeting with these students at the university and telling them all about Inner Wheel. They become advocates for us among their peers and enjoy invitations from the clubs to address them on their experiences as they undergo their practical work in the communities of Cape Town.