Video
MOSSEL BAY NEWS and VIDEO - In August 2016, Camlin or Cami as she is known, cancelled her 10th birthday party to rather spend the money it would have cost her mother, Candace, a single parent, on providing for the homeless.
She ended up giving meals, blankets and party packs to children in need.
Why did she do this?
"I was watching 7de Laan with my gran and we were nice and warm in front of the heater. I asked her where homeless people sleep. She said without blankets and under cardboard boxes." Upon hearing this, Cami promptly got up from the couch, walked to her mother's room and announced that her much-anticipated birthday party must be cancelled.
"She explained what she wanted to do. We put it on social media, it went viral and before we knew it, we were contacted by KFM," Candace explains. Cami was asked for a telephone interview on the Ryan O'Connor show, but the family decided to drive to Cape Town for the big occasion to be interviewed in the studio during the breakfast show.
'So huge so fast'
They were prompted by the producers to get a facebook page up and running prior to the interview to allow listeners wanting to become involved to make contact with Cami.
"We couldn't believe it. As the interview ended, the likes just started pouring in on her facebook page, Cami's Happy Hands. We didn't know what had hit us. It just became so huge so fast. "
Since 29 August 2016 after being on KFM's Breakfast Show, Cami has indeed been a very busy young girl, reaching out to her community wherever she hears of need.
With the help of her family and some school friends from Milkwood Primary where she is a learner, Cami has been doing her weekly rounds to change the lives of the needy. According to her mom, in order to accommodate her other responsibilities "like school", they had to adapt her schedule to do outreaches once, maybe twice a month.
How many projects has she done?
"Yo! Do I have to say without counting?" Cami exclaims wide eyed. Putting their heads together, Candace, gran Natasha Stevens and Cami reckon well over 20. She has reached out to the poor, the elderly and the disabled from Buisplaas to Powertown. She has also spread her magic to George, assisting fire victims.
Assisted by adults who guide her, she also has committed sponsors among local businesses, such as Coffee@Work and Imaan's Delight as well as individual sponsors. Delfino's also made Cami champion of their blanket run.
Birthday
Cami turned 11 last Friday, 18 August and this year, having forfeited her birthday party, Candace is throwing her a party. "When the venue, Blasters, heard the Cami having her birthday was the Cami from Cami's Happy Hands, they came on board in a big way." All the exact details of Cami's birthday celebrations, Candace doesn't divulge, but tomorrow, 19 August, compassionate Cami and a handful of her friends are in for a good few surprises.
What do her friends say?
"When I told my friends I was on KFM last year, they thought I lied. And then my teacher played a recording of the show in class. Now they all think I do a good job."
"She's only 11, but her mouth is 25. She is like an old lady," chuckles Candace.
Natasha, a teacher at Erika Primary School says that Cami's ideas are "amazing".
"Sometimes I can't take it all in. It's a pity that we have to sometimes remind her that we need to plan first before we do things."
And what does she want to be - some day?
"I want to be a doctor. But I don't want to work with blood. And when I have a lot of money, I want to build shelters for the homeless."
Follow Cami on facebook at Cami's Happy Hands.
Watch a video below.
ARTICLE, VIDEO & PHOTO: CORNELLE CARSTENS, MOSSEL BAY ADVERTISER JOURNALIST
'We bring you the latest Mossel Bay, Garden Route news'
