Broll and 67 Blankets: Making the world a better place 1 square at a time
Submitted by: Lungile Siyaya
The concept behind Nelson Mandela’s ‘67 Minutes’ initiative, now termed the Acts of Kindness Campaign, is that anyone can contribute something in their own special way to change the world and improve the lives of those around them. And this is not limited to Mandela Day – it’s something that can become part of everyone’s daily lives. This is what makes the 67 Blankets initiative so special, and Broll Property Group has gotten right behind it.
The Mandela Day-inspired 67 Blankets project was founded in December 2013 by South African media celebrity, Carolyn Steyn. Since its inception, it has become a ‘movement’ that has captured the hearts of South Africans and others from at least 10 countries around the world, and has inspired them to get involved. One of its many achievements was smashing the Guinness World Record for the largest crocheted blanket, measuring a whopping 3,367 square metres.
In May 2023, the Broll Foundation, as part of its CSI initiatives, invited its employees (fondly named Brollies) as well as EXCO members, and gathered its troops of yarn enthusiasts, with crochet hooks, knitting needles and wool at the ready.
They began the challenge of knitting and crocheting squares to attempt to meet the target of providing as many blankets as possible for people in need at a handover ceremony with 67 Blankets on 10 November this year. Broll employees who didn’t know how to knit or crochet were given the training and materials to learn, and in turn, contribute to the project. Those who didn’t knit or crochet donated money instead, which was used to purchase knitting needles, crochet hooks and wool.
The Broll Foundation and 67 Blankets collaboration indeed reached its ambitious goal, and will hand over the creative, colourful blankets at Coffee@ 61 Katherine Street, Sandown, Johannesburg. Broll employees, as well as many Broll EXCO members, together with Carolyn Steyn and EXCO members of 67 Blankets, will attend the event.
Yvonne Behari-Ram, Group Executive Procedures and Processes and Head of Broll Foundation says, “We feel privileged to have been part of this noble mission, and the enthusiastic participation of our team has inspired us to look towards future involvement in similar projects. We admire and respect the work being done by 67 Blankets and its remarkable reach across so many countries. This is something we can all be proud of as South Africans.”
This initiative is a heart-warming example of how people can unite across the world to share the value of giving, and to make a positive impact on their communities and society as a whole, knowing that they have used their creative gifts to provide warmth and comfort to those in need. Broll’s employees have dedicated their time and effort to supporting 67 Blankets' worthy cause, demonstrating the organisation's commitment to making the world a better place.
Eclipse Communications opened its doors in 1998 by Founding Partner, Jacki McEwen with just two clients based in Cape Town. Within a decade, she grew the client base to include the likes of Master Builders Association of Western Cape (MBA), Protea Hospitality Corporation, Cape Union Mart, Procter & Gamble and others across various industries. The focus of the agency was largely on traditional corporate and consumer public relations. Today, we are one of South Africa’s fastest growing, independent communications agencies, acknowledged as the Best Large PR Consultancy at the 2020 PRISM Awards and Public Relations Agency of the Year at the fm AdFocus Awards 2020. Our footprint extends beyond the three major city centres in South Africa, to Mauritius, our first African-owned office outside of South Africa. Additionally, we have four in-country communications partners in Kenya, Nigeria, Namibia and Israel.
