Pat4Project PlayGround: Support a cause to empower youth in need

Patrick Atherton is an extraordinary human being who has tread a difficult path since he was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2019.

The former Managing Director of TheSouthAfrican.com and Blue Sky Publications has emerged from the journey stronger.

Pat4Project PlayGround: What you need to know

A life-changing experience

Patrick is now asking for your help as he champions a cause close to his heart. His diagnosis forced him to step away from the work that he loved and had done for most of his adult life.

“At first I felt a deep sense of loss – a loss of purpose and a loss of self. Little did I know that some extraordinary humans would come along and change that; they would change my life. They gave my life meaning and purpose again.”

Project Playground is the cause Patrick credits as giving meaning back to him during one of the darkest points of his life. Project Playground is an NGO that empowers 840 children and youth from the townships on the outskirts of Cape Town.

“Their vision is a world where every child and young person grows up with a belief in the future and the opportunity to positively impact their own lives.”

How you can make a difference

If you’d like to help Patrick and support the important work that Project Playground is doing in Langa and Gugulethu, you can contribute to his BackABuddy campaign.

The campaign aims to assist the work Project Playground does to feed and provide therapeutic assistance to families affected by trauma.

“For as little as R40 you can feed a child for a week, and for R800 you can provide a family with therapeutic interventions for a month, which is much needed as many children face trauma, neglect and abuse.”

Patrick credits the investments in his mental and physical strength to his healing process and this has translated into him training to compete in Ironman events.

Weekly running club in Langa

In addition to the work Patrick is doing to assist Project Playground and raise money in these Western Cape Townships, he has also set up a running club. The Club runs from their Langa branch weekly on Friday afternoons.

To assist with the work the running club is doing, Patrick has also asked that readers who can donate their gently worn or new running shoes and kit if they’re able to support the club’s runners realise their potential.

You can support the work Project Playground is doing by donating to the BackABuddy campaign. You can also follow Patrick one Instagram and Facebook to keep up with the work and his training.