Dailyfix user and MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet cardholder Gail Mackay has won a R500 Woolworths gift card for herself and R1 000 cash for the South African Guide-Dogs Association. Gail is the fifth weekly winner of a competition hosted on Dailyfix to support the Vote4Charity campaign. MySchool cardholders who have voted for their favourite charity in the Vote4Charity campaign in which the charity with the most votes can win up to R50 000, also have a chance to win a weekly prize of a R500 Woolworths gift card plus a R1 000 cash donation for their favourite charity.

This week’s winner, Gail Mackay, nominated the South African Guide-Dogs Association (SAGA). SAGA is the only organisation of its kind in South Africa and Africa. It trains guide dogs for the visually impaired, service dogs for the physically impaired, and orientation and mobility practitioners to teach the visually impaired skills of daily living, as well as long cane training – the alternative form of independence to our visually impaired community.
SAGA was founded in 1953 by Gladys Evans, who was trained with her first dog, Sheena, by the Lemington SPA facility in Great Britain. The 1st guide dog in SA was trained in 1957. Since then 1457 guide dogs and 97 service dogs (since 1993) were trained by the Association. Currently they have approximately 350 guide and service dogs working throughout South Africa.
The true cost of training a guide dog is R80 000, but it only costs a visually or physically impaired person R105 to receive a guide or service dog (R5 for the dog, R100 for training including 3 weeks accommodation, meals and all equipment).
There are many ways you can help – by volunteering, or by sponsoring a puppy or a guide dog. To find out more, go to www.guidedog.org.za

To put your favourite charity in line for our weekly prize of R1 000, go here. But remember you must have voted in the Vote4Charity campaign first. You can do that here. Not a MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet cardholder? Sign up here. You will receive your card number instantly to allow you to vote! The card is free.