Reaching For A Dream

When Reach For a Dream Foundation (RFDF) co-ordinator Angie Pape arrived on the day with the 14 wide-eyed little boys, she hadn’t yet told them what they’d be doing. But when they saw all 16 Jeep Wranglers lined up and ready for action, the levels of excitement became electric. We asked the boys to choose the vehicle they wanted to travel in and after a mad flurry, we were finally ready. Five-year olds Gift and JoJo were in our vehicle, and to be honest, it was they who kept us entertained the entire afternoon. First, we set off for the lion enclosure. It had been pre-arranged that the lions would be fed early that morning especially for the boys. The way those felines devoured that piece of meat was a sight to behold and the boys were energised and full of questions. Continuing on our game drive we unfortunately came across a recently poached white rhino. It was really sad, but an opportunity to teach the boys about poaching and how important it is to respect animals. Fortuately the scene was made better when the boys spotted a five week old giraffe and its proud parents standing close by. The kids loved the reserve and certainly enjoyed the two-way radios and sun roofs even more. As a lot of the guys had their tops down, the boys were standing on the seats with their heads sticking out of the top of the vehicles, calling to each other — not great for game viewing, but they were having a ball. After a picnic lunch break, it was time to get the mud flying. We didn’t need to ask the boys to get back into the vehicles, they were all in and ready. Gift had become so attached to Sean (from Gtribe) that when Sean wasn’t in our vehicle when the engine started Gift calmly asked, “Where’s my daddy?” The 4x4 track was certainly the highlight of the day. The first obstacle was a ravine crossing on a bridge of gum poles. JoJo and Gift shouted to their friends to watch as we navigated through axle twisters and up and down steep inclines. At one point, we reached a steep incline of about 40 metres. As we idled at the bottom awaiting our turn, Gift told us he was scared and wasn’t sure about going up. JoJo was in the back shouting, “Go, go, go!” Once Gift saw his friends had made it up with no problems, he turned to us and said, “If they can go up, I can go up”. So slowly, but surely we went up. Their excitement was contagious. It reminded me of the first time I ever went off road in my Jeep. Every obstacle from there on out just got better and more exciting. The day finally ended with a prize-giving where each boy received a Captain Courageous medal and a replica Jeep Wrangler JK, bought for them by MSE South Africa and Zone Offroad. Raffle tickets bought by the drivers managed to raise an additional R3900 for RFDF. The day was as wonderful for us as it was for those boy and we can’t wait to do it all again in March 2011. Hope to see you there!

Priceless Prezzie

Finding that perfect gift to show someone that you really care, or to get them to help you regain your rightful place on your throne, can be tricky. In the case of the famous Egyptian queen and femme fatale, Cleopatra, it was imperative that her gift to Julius Caesar not only capture his attention, but also encourage him to back her in her fight against her power hungry brother Ptolemy XIII who had stolen her crown. So what did she give him? Cleopatra sent Caesar the largest, finest, most opulent Persian carpet on the planet. And as if that weren’t enough, she gave it a little priceless touch by rolling herself in it. Legend has it that when Caesar unrolled the beautiful carpet, Cleopatra, dressed in nothing much at all, jumped out. It’s safe to presume that Caesar was pleased with his gift because shortly after the delivery, Roman reinforcements were deployed to Egypt and Cleopatra was safely restored to her throne. Oh, and Cleopatra also gave birth to a son whom she promptly named Ptolemy Caesar. Say no more.

Toffee Travels

A little bit of butter, some sugar, some dark chocolate and a handful of roasted almonds and… wham, you’re in Italy. When high-school friends Brandon Weimer and Leah Post told their parents about a school trip to Italy, their parents said they could only afford to pay half. Not about to say ciao to the opportunity, Brandon and Leah came up with an idea on how to make a quick buck. Never did they imagine that their plan would create so many bucks, that they could travel the entire world. The plan? Brandini Toffee. Brandon remembered his grandmother’s delicious toffee recipe, which they made and sold. Soon they had sold enough toffee to send them on tour… and then on to college and then to send their siblings to college too. Even more awesome than that, Brandon and Leah have appeared on The Martha Stewart Show, and their toffee was a Martha Stewart Best Dessert for 2008 and was selected for Oprah’s O-List online. They have also won the Sofi Gold for “Outstanding Chocolate 2008” and have been selected as a finalist in the 2010 Spirit of the Entrepreneur Awards. Now, four years later the teenage business tycoons have even opened their very own Brandini retail store and toffee factory in Palm Springs, USA. Brandon and Leah took time out from their university classes to attend their grand opening, which was a huge success. They’re still at university? Good for them!