2023 Highlights - What a Year!
It is amazing to think we are already at the end of 2024. The CHS Life Centre doors opened on the 4th of January and it has been an amazing year of activity. Before we opened the centre we dreamt of a place which would provide a home, a harbour and a hub that would serve our community and beyond. We have certainly seen this dream become a reality as many have come through our doors throughout the year.
HOME - The CHS Life Centre has provided a new home for our 2023 tenants. It has been a privilege to host each organisation that is making a difference in the lives of others.
In Training, a personal training gym that helps people from all walks of life to achieve their personal fitness goals
Top Tots, a mums and tots group
Future Sparks, a local non-profit providing after-school programmes in Westlake
Dignity Campaign provides life-skills development for boys and girls
KS Counselling provides trauma, relationship and adolescent counselling
Annova Health, which provides medical care support for elderly residents in Westlake
Limitless Dance Movement uses the creative arts to share the Christian faith with young people across Cape Town.
Each week we host Flairs Gymnastics, Step It Up Dance Academy and Encore Gymnastics who run classes with children in our Auditorium.
The CHS Life Centre has also become a home for the vulnerable in our community. Every month the centre hosts a community lunch, which has become a safe place for our unhoused (homeless) neighbours to come have a meal, take a shower and get a haircut. The centre also hosts a weekly bible study called Sawubona which is also open to all and this has grown throughout the year. It has been one of the greatest joys, to see the centre serve many people from our community, no matter their background or situation.
HARBOUR - The CHS Life Centre has hosted numerous training events throughout the year. The vision of the centre is not to only provide a place for people to come but also to empower others to bring about change and transformation to our society. One of our initiatives was to launch the Job Journey with the FinCoach foundation and train, equip and empower 12 unemployed students to find employment and up-skill themselves. This included doing mock interviews, developing a digital CV and being equipped to look for work. We also hosted many events, one example was the When Helping Hurts Conference with YWAM, where over 120 delegates came for 3 days to learn about community development. It was an amazing time together and many went away envisioned to make a difference in their communities and organisations.
HUB - One of the initiatives we launched this year was the Kirstenhof Business Breakfast. This became a monthly breakfast for the local business community. Many people connected for the first time and started to collaborate and support one another. Out of this network, many initiatives were birthed and it was one of the highlights of the year seeing this take place each month. The breakfast was hosted at The Table Cafe and we look forward to hosting more breakfast events in the future. I have to thank Mark Bovin a resident for initiating this and it all started over a coffee in the Table Cafe earlier in the year. Great things can happen over a cup of coffee! We have had many other initiatives that have connected people in our community and there have been some exciting ideas and plans presented to us for 2024.
Here is a timeline that shows some of the highlights of 2024:
Our team is excited about all we are planning in 2024. We have new tenants joining the CHS Life Centre and here are some of the other exciting initiatives we are looking forward to:
Develop our Car Park and front landscaping plans including a Pergola and outside seating for our Table Cafe.
Develop a community garden and organic waste programme.
Host weekly events at The Table Cafe, including music events, community meals and training opportunities.
Facilitate skills training programmes for the unemployed including barista and computer skills training.
Host events and partner with organisations across Cape Town.
We would like to thank you for your support. It has been an amazing year to see people from all diverse backgrounds using our CHS Life Centre. It has been great to see the vision come to fruition and we continue to trust that the CHS Life Centre will become a home, harbour and hub for all those who enter in 2024 and beyond.
If you would like to find out more information and connect with us in the new year please email mark@chscapetown.org
See you in 2024!
Mark Slessenger
Life Centre Director