Four-year-old Cayley lives in the Cape and loves bicycles, Barbies, Hello Kitty and Tinkerbell. When she grows up, she wants to own a mussel shop as she absolutely loves seafood. She also suffers from rhabdomyosarcoma, a form of cancer that can affect the connective tissue and muscle tissue. Reach for a Dream planned an outing for her and her family – mom, dad and two sisters.

Reach for a Dream began in 1988 when Owen Parnell, inspired by the American organisation Make – A – Wish Foundation, threw JC Steinman a wonderful birthday party, complete with pony and motorcycle rides. Officially named Reach for a Dream in 1989, the organisation defines its core purpose as “fulfilling the dreams of children of any race, colour and creed between the ages of 3 and 18 faced with a life-threatening illness.”

The kids whose wishes they grant are under extreme pressure to deal with complicated medical issues and are often in desperate need for encouragement. The outings and dreams-come-true give them and their families a moment to relax and regain their childhood through magical moments. The organisation has several national projects such as: Camp Sunshine (a weekend dose of funs for the kids), Queen for a Day (a pamper-filled day designed especially for girls), Captain Courage (boys only for this celebration of courage), and Jabulani Kingdom Hospital Entertainment project (a group of pro entertainers trained in all aspects of working in a hospital environment).

To support Reach for a Dream, Relate has created a special bracelet just for them. Relate provides job opportunities for both the young and elderly township dwellers. For older bracelet makers, it’s a fun social activity that can also provide much-needed additional income. The younger bracelet makers are given training courses to help them increase their skills set and eventually move on from Relate to achieve their career goals. Plus, one third of the profits made from the sale of the bracelets goes directly to the organisation it’s in honour of!