10/04/2024
Celebrating its 9th birthday in 2024, Seven7 Drive, an initiative that delivers hope and supplies to kids with cancer while simultaneously raising awareness about the benefits of early detection, is now primed to make a far greater and tangible difference in even more children’s lives.
Now registered as a non-profit organisation with a new board of directors, the ‘new’ Seven7 Drive will again host the traditional ‘Drive’ in September 2024, but with some notable changes to the structure. This year, seven car companies and new sponsors will join the event to expand the footprint and awareness of the campaign to much greater levels than before.
The annual music concerts will also continue, with the proceeds from a music concert scheduled for 22 September also going directly towards the kids. Several stand-alone events, custom corporate outings and even specialist overland adventures are also on the cards.
Expert focus for maximum impact
To align with the Seven7 Drive’s renewed focus, the board of directors purposefully include specialists in their respective fields, all sharing the common goal to assist kids with cancer in any which way possible.
As of this year, the Seven7 Drive board consists of Ziphora Masethe, IgnitionTV presenter and producer; Christo Valentyn, former journalist and current head of marketing for Kia Lesotho; Khulekani Dumisa, director of Khulekani on Wheels and KoW Marketing; and Danie Botha, director of BoBo Productions, a company that specialises in television productions and adventure events, and original co-founder of the Seven7 Drive.
Masethe will run all creative elements and will present the television special that will be produced on the actual Drive in September, while Valentyn will handle marketing, Dumisa will be responsible for corporate affairs, and Botha will drive the overall project.
More opportunities more often
Ushering in this new dawn was a quick excursion to Polokwane in Limpopo, where the Seven7 Drive team picked up six cancer kids and their moms and transported them from the Polokwane Hospital to Adventures with Elephants near Bela-Bela. The event was hosted by the Cancer Association of Lesotho (Cansa). At the venue the kids got to interact with the amazing gentle giants – an experience they won’t forget in a hurry.
The Seven7 Drive team used three vehicles to transport the kids and their moms: a Kia Sportage 1.6 CRDi EX, a GWM Tank 300 HEV hybrid and a Toyota Hilux 2.4GD6 RaiderX 4x4.
“Kia Lesotho have been our partner since Day one,” says Seven7 Drive founding member Danie Botha. “Late in 2023 we reached a crossroads, along with our colleagues at Kia: after eight years, we no longer just wanted to idle along, offering limited assistance. Instead we wanted to go much bigger, opening the door for all car companies to join Kia in this venture, reaching more kids – and making a much bigger impact. So the new non-profit was born.”
