Giving back to her community and making a difference has become a driving force for Lia Bishop. The 15-year-old from Vredenburg decided that she needed to act to bring change to the West Coast.
She established “With Love, Lia” to give back to those in need in any way she could. In March, Lia embarked on her first project, focusing on Easter. “I decided I don’t just want to sit around and watch people suffer; children deserve to enjoy Easter no matter their circumstances. So I bought a few boxes of Easter eggs and reached out to a few people who donated a few boxes as well. After creating a thank you post, even more people donated Easter eggs. In total, I collected almost 30 boxes of Easter eggs and handed them to organisations and individuals who work in the communities in Langebaan, Saldanha and Vredenburg.”
In the middle of Nelson Mandela Month, Lia is currently spearheading another project in collaboration with her church, CRC Langebaan. To cook 67 meals for Mandela Day, she has used her pocket money, and with the help of others, she believes even more can be done.
“The meals will be distributed in the George Kerridge and Hopland area through Aunt Sinodia’s Soup Kitchen. With the heavy rains lately, even more people from CRC Langebaan donated not only goods, but also their services. I am excited about this outreach, which will happen on Saturday 19 July.”
Lia said she believed giving back to the community, supporting people in need, encouraged positive change and created a sense of belonging, and kindness was contagious. “I think the first thing to do is to make teens aware of the issues in their communities. Many people do not know what circumstances others have to endure, or they have a mindset of ‘it’s not my problem’. I challenge other teenagers to look for opportunities in their communities, whether it’s helping at church, social, involvement in sports clubs and even local non-profit organisations. One doesn’t need money to help; donating some time is enough.”
Should you wish to support the initiative, inbox With Love, Lia on Facebook, contact her on 072 421 5258 or send an email to withlovelia@gmail.com.
