After completing a gruelling three hour and 12 minute swim along the Robben Island Crossing on June 6, Cape Town-based firefighter Oliver Sampson managed to raise over R11 000 for the children at Thárros Family Centre.
As previously reported by Kouga Express, after learning about the trauma experienced by the children at Thárros Family Centre, which provides temporary safe care for children in need in Hankey and surrounding areas, Sampson wanted to make a difference.
He then decided to embark on the Robben Island Crossing, to raise funds for the children at the centre.
Finally, after training for months, on June 6 at 14:00 Sampson began swimming towards Big Bay and was able to complete the swim in three hours and 12 minutes.
He said that completing the Robben Island Crossing was the most amazing experience he has encountered.
“All my training came together perfectly, and the swim went better than anticipated,” said Oliver.
Thankfully, he said that he was blessed with a beautiful, flat and open sea.
“I knew it would be hard, but I was well prepared. What kept me motivated during my swim was the reason I was doing it,” said Oliver.
He said that he was overwhelmed by the tremendous support from family, friends and colleagues who were there to cheer him on as he neared the end of his swim.
Oliver said that he was determined to complete the swim, so when he did, he felt relieved.
“The Robben Island swim can be very unpredictable and even professional swimmers have come in short and not finished because of the turn in conditions during their swim. I also knew that I had a huge responsibility on my shoulders, literally and figuratively, to finish for Thárros,” said Oliver.
Despite hoping to raise funds for the centre, he said that the swim was to raise funds for one specific boy whom he refers to as “little star”.
When becoming familiar with Thárros and the challenges they faced, Oliver learnt about “little star”, an 11-year-old boy who fell from a tree and hurt his head when he was nine.
Unfortunately, he did not receive the correct medical treatment and has developed a learning disability.
By completing the swim, Oliver was able to raise R11 838 for the young boy, and in turn help Thárros with their financial needs.
“Without my heavenly Father, none of this would have been possible. I would therefore like to thank Him for giving me the strength and perseverance to finish the swim,” said Oliver.
He further said that he would like to thank Howard Warrington and his wife, Elmarie, who were his back-up safety in the water, Darren Willard from Big Bay Lifesaving for skippering his support boat, and crewman, Bertus Campher, who made sure he received his nutrition on time during the swim.
Oliver said that he would also like to thank each person who contributed towards his fundraising efforts.
He said that his next goal will be to do a double crossing in 2024, which will see him swim to Robben Island and back again.
Founder of Thárros Family Centre, Taise Sampson, said that the money raised was a huge help towards the nurturing care of “little star”.
She said that it costs approximately R200 per day to ensure that their TEN10 Care Plan is effective, which includes therapeutic, educational, and nurturing care.
“Little star has very specific needs related to his childhood trauma that requires intensive therapy and an above average referral rate to external professionals,” said Taise.
Like many charities in South Africa, she said that they live in financial uncertainty each month, which is a stressful state to be in, however the services they offer to the children at the centre is important.
Taise said that she would like to see more individuals and businesses become champions to charities close to their hearts.
“Having a champion choose our organisation as a cause is heartwarming. We feel so encouraged, grateful and special. It’s also extra funds that we did not budget for which is an amazing gift to any NGO,” said Taise.
