2012 saw the third year in a row that the South African office organised the Shavathon on site.
The Cancer Association of South Africa [CANSA] is the organiser of the event. The CANSA Shavathon is one of South Africa’s best-loved annual events in support of a worthy cause. People shave or spray their hair to show solidarity with cancer survivors or to remember loved ones lost to the disease. It also raises awareness and funds for the fight against cancer. As the shaving of heads can become a logistical nightmare [especially when it is not done indoors], the team opted for the spray-painting of hair or Spray-a-thon at a minimum donation of R20 per head.
The ‘old’ site, at the Customer Service Operations Canteen was manned by Percepta’s own Customer Relationship Centre staff with the assistance of Johnson, a Ford employee. Johnson remarked the following: I really enjoyed working here today. Percepta is like a family. The people come out to work and they joke with one another and one can feel the good vibe.2012 saw a first collaboration effort as the Ford Motor Company’s Wellness Coordinator offered to assist and organised an additional two sites where people could participate. One catered specifically for the parts warehouse staff. The second new site was situated next to the main canteen, an area with a lot of feet walking past. The high number of feet was evident in the R1 610 that was taken in that area.
Similar to 2011, most Percepta employees donated money to buy the paint needed for the day. As is the case with all volunteering efforts from small teams, every body contributed to the success of the day. The guys, who did not assist with the spraying, had to deal with all the incoming calls for the day.
2012 saw the team reach the target of hosting a bigger event. A whopping R2 750 was raised, far exceeding the R1 356.50 that was raised in 2011.
A big highlight of the day was the launch of the new branding with a banner masterminded by Christel Snyman, the Operations Manager.
For more info about the Shavathon, see the CANSA website at www.cansa.org.za or www.shavathon.org.za.
