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Every year, at Christmas time, the Tree of Light brightens up Joburg. Remember your loved ones by buying a globe; funds raised go to charity.
The Tree of Light will once again be a beacon of light during the festive season
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HE Tree of Light will once again be a beacon of light during the festive season, celebrating life and honouring those with terminal illnesses.
An annual event over December, the tree stands in Johannesburg Zoo. The lights will be switched on during a celebratory affair on Sunday, 30 November, at 7pm, marked by carolling and general merriment.
Initiated 18 years ago by the Hospice Association of the Witwatersrand, The Star newspaper and Johannesburg Zoo, the Tree of Light has become a national cause. Beneficiaries of the fundraising project are The Star Seaside Fund and the hospice association.
Through the Tree of Light, people are able to send messages of goodwill, love, peace, hope and greetings to family and friends over the festive period, by buying globes that make up the tree. There are 10 000 globes for sale, for R50 each for individuals and R250 each for corporates.
"The proceeds from the globes will be used to provide palliative care to the terminally ill and to send disadvantaged children to the seaside," says the hospice association's fundraising manager, Desre Murray.
The hospice cares for terminally ill people in Johannesburg, mostly working in patients' homes. It also helps people to become actively involved in caring for their sick loved ones, thus relieving the pressure on medical services.
"Our services are given free of charge and this is where the donor can make a difference by helping us," says volunteer Doris Pillay.
This year, the Witwatersrand Choir, the Sacred Heart Primary School Choir and singer, Jacques Terblanche, will lead the Christmas carols.
For further details and to buy globes, contact the hospice association on 011 483 9100 or visit the Tree of Light website. Entrance to the zoo is free for the first 2 000 people from 5pm on 30 November. Late comers will be charged R16 for entry. The Johannesburg Zoo is in Upper Park Drive, Forest Town.
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