Welcome to the 2012 Give Hope catalogue!Millions of people receive socks, soap and chocolate boxes every Christmas, but we want to make this year different! Instead of socks and soap, we want to give gifts that bring hope. Gifts that not only bless those who receive the card, but bless the vulnerable in our city too.

Inside each Give Hope card is space for you to write a personal message as well as a description of how the card has blessed someone in need. This way you can give the card to someone special, but the real gift will go where it is needed most. Now doesn’t that sound like a grand gift idea? We think so.

Happy shopping,

The Common Good team

Meet Thembani. Thembani is a bubbly six-year-old who dreams of being a soccer star when he grows up. He loves playing with his friends and eating ice cream. But Thembani’schildhood hasn’t been easy. His dad left when he was only four-years-old and a little while later his mom was diagnosed as HIV-positive.

The R50 used to purchase this card will enable a child like Thembani to attend a fun-filled day outing. So one more child will have a reason to smile.

Meet Thobeka. Thobeka is the teacher at a crèche in Vrygrond, a community that has been deeply affected by poverty. At 7am most mornings, children start pouring in through her gate. These children rely on Thobeka not only for education but also for a daily meal. For some of them, this will be their only meal for the day.

The R100 used to purchase this card will sponsor a food pack for an organisation like Thobeka’s crèche. That means that one more person will go to bed with a full stomach.

Meet Mary. Mary is a gifted seamstress and a mother of four young children. When her husband lost his job, she was anxious about how she would provide food and shelter for her family. But, while on the bus one day, Mary heard about the Paradigm Shift business training programme, which helps equip people with the skills to run their own small business. Realising that she had been blessed with a talent for sewing, Mary signed up for the course.

The R200 used to purchase this card will help a small business owner like Mary attend the Paradigm Shift business course. A gift that will keep on giving for generations.

Meet Lonwabo. Lonwabo is a skilled painter from a rural village in the Eastern Cape. He moved to Cape Town hoping to find work and send money back to his family, but without any connections he battled to find a job. He would often lie in bed at night wondering how he was going to buy food for the next day. Then one day he was introduced to NETwork…

The R150 used to purchase this card will help someone like Lonwabo attend the NETworkcomputer course. A gift that will keep on giving for generations.

Meet Grace, Asanda and Leticia. They are best friends and live together at a children’s home in Cape Town. They love playing hide-and-seek and hopscotch in their playground. The only problem is that the paving is so old that it’s cracked in places. This has led to scraped knees and tears on more than one occasion!

The R100 used to purchase this card will sponsor tools and building material for non-profit organisations like Grace, Asanda and Letitia’s children’s home. These will be used to help with much-needed repairs and maintenance.

Meet Jack. When Jack was seven-years-old he started learning how to read. His favourite book was one that had colourful pictures and funny characters. He couldn’t wait for story time at school to hear his teacher read this book. He wished his parents would also read to him at home. The only problem was that Jack’s school didn’t have a library and his parents weren’t able to afford to buy Jack his own books.

The R50 used to purchase this card will provide one book to help a child like Jack learn to read. A gift that will keep on giving for generations.

Give Hope cards are available from the Common Ground Cafe during

the week (click here for directions) or from the Common Good

involvement desk after Common Ground Church meetings on Sundays.

To place an order or for more information,

email info@commongood.org.za. To find out more about Common Good,

visit www.commongood.org.za.

CHOOSE. BUY. GIVE.

IT’S THAT SIMPLE!