Good Morning Angels: A look back at 2017's top stories

Over the last year, Good Morning Angels has not only shared some of the most incredible stories, but they have helped change the lives of many. 

Dianne Broodryk and her Good Morning Angels team have truly identified deserving individuals who needed a helping hand in order to either achieve their dreams, look after their family or those in-need of a live-saving operation. 

We have distributed over R7-million worth of help throughout this year alone and it's only the start. 

Below are some of our top stories of 2017:

GMA 13 SEPTEMBER 2017: 26 trucks of help sent to drought stricken farmers in the Northern Cape

BACKGROUND: The Western, Southern and Northern Cape areas have been battling the drought all of 2017 - and there seems to be no end in sight.

Residents in the Western Cape are limited by water restrictions. For farmers in the Northern Cape, its a life-and-death-battle: they simply do not have feed for their live stock.

In September 2017, the Caring Daisies lead the charge to take 26 trucks of animal feed to farmers in the drought stricken Northern Cape. This was sparked by a video of a desperate, crying farmer, pleading for help.  

NOW: The crisis is still not over, it is deepening. The Caring Daisies are calling on South Africans from the North to help their fellow citizens and especially animals.

We caught up with Anria van Heerden from Caring Daisies for the latest update.

GMA 12 JULY 2017: Helping a blind mom of three to breathe easy again

BACKGROUND: Life-long friends, Nicky and Gerda are both blind. Nicky wrote to Good Morning Angels about her friend Gerda’s predicament. Gerda is the mom of three partially sighted boys and her husband is the only breadwinner. They’ve not let their lack of sight hold them back and all three boys have achieved well at school and varsity. Besides her lack of sight, Gerda has also suffered from lung disease and asthma for the past 20 years, which has affected her health, but not her will and drive to live a normal life. She’s not been able to work though, which has made finances a constant battle. Nicky was worried that Gerda’s deteriorating health forced her to a life in doors. She constantly needs oxygen and even making a short trip to her doctor was a life threatening gamble. Gerda needed a portable oxygen device. She scraped together a R3,000 deposit for a second-hand machine that turned out to be faulty. 

Our friends at the Round Table, stepped up and helped Gerda with a brand new R40,000 portable oxygen machine.

NOW: Life has been a whole lot easier for Gerda, since she received the Portable Oxygen Machine from the Christo Bezuidenhout on behalf of the Round Table.

Her eldest son only has only three semester-subjects left to qualify at university, her middle son has finished matric and her “baby" is going to grade 9. Gerda says the machine is always with her in the car, which has made it possible for her to play a more active role in her son’s lives. 

“The morning after Good Morning Angels visited me - and the Round Table gave me the new machine - I came down stairs and I was sure it was a dream. But there it was: my new oxygen machine was charging in the kitchen. I cannot explain in words how grateful I am.” 

GMA 18 OCTOBER 2017: The Jacaranda FM community digs deep into their hearts and pockets for tornado-hit Laerskool Protearif  

BACKGROUND: In October this year, Laerskool Protearif in Krugersdorp suffered major structural damage in a tornado. Several members of the community asked Jacaranda FM’s Good Morning to help this school.

The damage ran into millions of rands and there was no hope that the school would be repaired in time to open for the 2018 school year.

The Jacaranda FM listeners opened their hearts and pockets and donated building materials, skills, services and cash. The biggest commitment came from Tigris Construction, who offered to manage and co-ordinate the building project and to do all in their power to ensure that Laerskool Protearif re-opens on 17 January 2017.  

NOW: The re-building of Laerskool Protearif is still on track - despite the heavy rains over Gauteng the past two weeks. 

Not only will the school be restored - the Tigris Construction has added several improvements, like 5 new class rooms.

The insurance underpaid severely and any donations towards the building project will be much appreciated.

Donations can be made to Laerskool Protearif’s special tornado relief account. All proceeds will go towards replacing, fixing and rebuilding what was lost in the tornado. The fund is administered by the chairperson of the school governing body and the principal and audited by Furter en Carstens Ouditeurs. 

ACCOUNT DETAILS:

Laerskool Protearif

ABSA Savings Account

ACC: 928 439 2240

REFERENCE: Name and 'Noodfonds'

This is just a handful of the amazing work the Good Morning Angels team has done over the last year.

Here's to another successful 2018!