GREAT FULL HEARTS

Posted on April 24 2024

As always this blog post is long overdue. But I’ve decided to no longer make excuses. It’s been a busy year after all and when running a small business resources are often low. You just keep moving forward, one foot at a time. And breathe. That's terribly important.

Our year started with an exciting bang. An order from MacRobert Attorneys – who have recently been awarded level 1 B-BBEE status by proudly supporting South African SME’s. We created wall phone pockets and felt covered notebooks for them and as always it was such a privilege to work alongside them.

We also took part in the NEXT18 Trade Exhibition in February where 33 leading South African designers and manufacturers presented their new product ranges of small furniture, lighting, home textiles, fashion and home accessories. We created our new flat-pack felt storage baskets which were well received by the international buyers and visitors alike.

We also re-branded at the same time – and hired Nicola Vermeulen - a talented young graphic designer to work on Heartfelt's new look and brand development. It’s been a pleasure having her as part of the Heartfelt family. We're now HEARTFELT (no longer calling ourselves The Heartfelt Project) – it’s our transition from community project to social enterprise – and a little more ‘grown up’ from when we first began. Please let us know if you like our new look, and also if you don’t in the comments below – your feedback is greatly appreciated.

Mother’s Day rolled around in May and we created 4500 heart coasters for all the mom’s visiting Doppio Zero restaurants nationwide. Doppio do an incredible job in supporting Heartfelt on a yearly basis (this is the 5^th year running) and through this loyal support, Doppio are committed to helping the Heartfelt moms and their families on a yearly basis. Huge kudos to them for continuing to fill many hearts with hope.

One of the most exciting things however that has happened to us this year is the building of our brand spanking new Workshop in Makapanstad (200 metres down the dirt track from Pinky Place). It all came about through an incredible grant we received from the IDC (Industrial Development Corporation). They saw our vision and acted on it. Words can not even begin to explain the way we feel about them and their incredible support.

Our amazing new workshop has been designed, project managed and built from containers by an awe inspiring company called Africa’s Got-Game. Their innovative design and forward thinking is just what community development truly needs. They are passionate about making change. Fingers crossed this is the jump start we've been needing (12 years in the making) to help create more jobs for women in the rural communities of South Africa.

None of this however would have even come close to happening had it not been for the vision, passion and dedication of Human Nature Consulting and the tour de force behind it that is Jo-Anne Hay. She sees the world though a different lens. She is visionary and a pioneer in the field of social corporate responsibility and social enterprise. She connects the dots. And makes change happen. If you are a corporate and don't know how to help the Heartfelt's of the world - get in touch with Jo, she will help you make dreams come true.

I want to sign off the first 6 month of this year with a quotation that really resonates with me: "Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.” ― Dalai Lama

At the end of the day it's not about how many blogs we write, or about how many likes we get. It's about how we love and who loves us. To me, there is no greater achievement.