Give a buck
For 15 years, she had been dreaming about a campaign: if each person gave 1 Rand, we would make a difference at the SPCA.
While adopting a dog at the East London branch, she saw the tiny spaces the dogs were living in, with little room to run. This resulted in Neumann launching the Buckaroo initiative. Give a buck - our bucks would improve the quality of the dogs' lives while waiting for adoption.
Buckaroo has the potential to help many charities, but the primary project aims at renovating the dog kennels at the SPCA. They are very small and in disrepair. The goal of the one year project is to double the size of the kennels and build runs for exercise. The SPCA receives no municipal or government funding, so this campaign has swept in to revive the heartbeat of the SPCA and give the animals a better quality of life while awaiting adoption.
The Buckaroo initiative was born in March 2014. In only a few months, Marlene, her enthusiastic team and countless people in the city of East London have rallied behind her and raised R350,000 in funds and another R300,000 in donated materials, equipment and labour. A phenomenal feat in a small space of time. In just four months, the project has exploded and the building and renovations are already at an advanced stage.
"The animals have so much love to give. The least we can do is give them hope and make them comfortable," said Marlene Neumann.
The Buckaroo initiative developed a mascot, modelled and sewn by volunteers. Buckaroo dog is a shelter dog and visits schools and creates awareness for the project at functions.
The first project undertaken was a massive street collection which saw East Londoners emailing and the phone rang off the hook with offers of assistance. On Saturday, 31 March nearly 200 volunteers manned every major shop in the city with Buckaroo tins, proudly wearing their Buckaroo t-shirts and the public gave and gave! The day also saw a massive fundraiser hosted at Vincent Park Shopping Centre. The Buckaroo Bailout had prominent business people 'jailed' in a massive martial arts cage and 'bailed' out. Of course Buckaroo was there meeting the children and generous public. There were flash mobs dancing to the Buckaroo jingle and schools entertained the crowd. There was a celebrity guest appearance by Ian von Memerty, who joined in the fundraiser and sang to the crowd for his 'bail'. R90,000 in cash was collected on the Saturday alone through the street collection and event. For the next two weeks the bank deposits were still rolling in.
The children of East London have been amazing. Hundreds from all major schools have collected through collection sheets, donations, civvies days and entered the Buckaroo colouring-in competition. Stirling Primary School made an outstanding effort and handed over a cheque of R50,000.
Like-minded and like-hearted people like Marlene have supported the Buckaroo campaign. Businesses have donated money, materials, expertise, and their labour. Poles, lights, paint, signage, fencing, stickers, plumbing, blankets... the list goes on.
The renovations are underway and the Buckaroo Mandela Makeover Day saw 100 volunteers arrive to paint, scrape and develop gardens. The more welcoming the SPCA is as a whole, the more the public is encouraged to visit and the more adoptions can occur.
