Greetings friends of the Theo Jackson Scholarship Fund

Welcome to the first official edition of the Theo Jackson Scholarship Fund newsletter!

Through this newsletter we hope to keep you up-to-date on what’s happening at the Scholarship Fund, alert you to upcoming events and activities and keep you informed of progress in the lives of the boys whom you sponsor.

If you have received this email, it is because you are either a contributor to the fund or have, either directly or indirectly, contributed to the sponsorship of one or more of our scholarship recipients.

Should you not wish to receive this email in future, please click on the “Unsubscribe” tab at the bottom of this email.

Please feel free to send us your comments and feedback - we’d love to hear from you!

Kind regards,

Dale and Craig Jackson

Scholarship Fund launches new website and CRM Database

The Theo Jackson Scholarship Fund website launched in September 2008 !!

The website, which can be visited at www.theojacksonfund.org.za contains detailed information on the background to the fund, all the boys whom we sponsor, upcoming events, TV and media clips, application forms, a list of contributors and much more.

We have also invested in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software and will be able to communicate a variety of information (such as this newsletter) to you via either email or SMS in the future.

To go to the website, click here

2009 Applications Process

Applications for the 2009 scholarship intake have now been received and are in the process of being assessed, and interviews held, with those applicants who have made the shortlist.

In addition to the seven boys we currently sponsor there are a minimum of four additional positions available for 2009 although, subject to further funding being confirmed, we are hoping to offer scholarships to five or six new boys.

To view a selection of the profiles of the 2009 applicants, as well as their letters of motivation, click here.

Contributions Update

We have been extremely fortunate to have experienced the ongoing generosity of a number of benefactors, both private and corporate.

Contributions received to date now exceed R800,000 with the bank balance currently sitting at a healthy R560,000.

We have managed to keep our promise that 100% of contributions will be spent on the boys and not a single cent has be used for administrative costs, running expenses or salaries (even the website and this newsletter are being funded by Dale and Craig).

Although a list of all those who have contributed directly to the fund can be viewed on the website or by clicking here, we would like to highlight the recent contributions of the following who have agreed to sponsor the education of one child for the full 5 year period of their high school education as from 2009: 

• Anglovaal Industries (AVI) Limited
• Tony Brown of Bisley Office Equipment in the United Kingdom
• Trevor van Staden
• Toga Laboratories 

The above companies and individuals join a number of other benefactors who are already sponsoring the education of individual scholarship recipients as well as over sixty individuals and corporates who are donating via monthly debit orders or lump sum payments.

Upcoming Events

In order to continue raising money for, and awareness of, the Fund we will be holding a Spinathon at Old Eds Virgin Active on the 25th October as well as our 3rd Annual Golf Day in April 2009.

To book your place at the spinathon email cjackson@investec.co.za or view the events on the website by clicking here

Tax certificates

For those of you who have contributed to the fund in the tax year ending 29 February 2008, please note that your donations tax certificates are now available. Please email dale@kaelo.co.za with your postal address should you wish to receive a certificate.

Please feel free to forward this email to anyone whom you think may be interested and wishes to be added onto the database, to add your details to the database, and to receive the Newsletters and other information - click here.

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