Channelwise Editor Mark Davison has thrown down the gauntlet to men in the IT channel, in support of the A-Plus/Channelwise Women’s Day 101 Donations challenge.
He has donated R1 000.00 to the cause and challenged other men in the channel to match it.
The 101 Donations Challenge aims to help women (and men) in the IT channel to support the worthy causes that would normally benefit from many Women’s Day events that are traditionally held around the country in August.
In the IT channel, the A-Plus Women’s Day luncheon has been an institution for 18 years and has raised hundreds of thousands of rands, as well as much-needed goods, for those less fortunate.
However, with the Covid-19 pandemic raging, the Women’s Day luncheon won’t be going ahead this August. “But the need of the causes we support is actually greater than ever,” says organiser Sue Castelyn.
A-Plus and Channelwise have teamed up to help bridge the gap with an online outreach. They are asking women in the IT channel to dig deep and give at least part of what they would have spent on raffles and other fund-raising opportunities at the Women’s Day luncheon to this year’s designated beneficiary, the Sandton SPCA.
“We had always planned to make the SPCA our beneficiary this year, and we don’t want to let them down now,” says Castelyn. “The need at many animal shelters is dire. During the Covid-19 crisis, South Africans have poured out their hearts to so many charities and causes, but the animals have found themselves last in line for assistance – and they are being abandoned in greater numbers than ever as the economic crisis deepens.”
Mark Davison, editor of Channelwise, agrees – and has become one of the first to put his money where his mouth is.
“I’m challenging the men in the channel to get involved in this worthy cause,” he says. “I’m putting down R1 000.00 to get the ball rolling.”
The A-Plus/Channelwise Women’s Day Challenge runs from today (20 July) to 14 August 2020, when it will culminate in a webinar with the handover to Sandton SPCA, and an address from popular mountaineer Stephanie Brown.
It’s not all about giving, though. The A-Plus/Channelwise Women’s Day initiative is about having fun too. There are spot prizes up for grabs, and also competitions for the cutest pet.
The Back-a-Buddy page can be accessed here.
For more information on the initiative and on the online event, click here.