31 May will always be a special day in my life.
In 1994, South Africa was only a month into its new democracy. I had recently worked as an IEC official during our country's first democratic election and was enjoying the excitement and hope of a new South Africa.
31 May was still a public holiday then—Republic Day. It would be the last time it would ever be celebrated before making way for the Freedom Day we now celebrate on 27 April.
Around that time, a remarkable community leader, Aunt Molly Ashby, approached me and asked if I would help organise a community sports day for the holiday. There would be soccer, netball, hockey and a relatively unknown sport called basketball.
At the time, basketball had no real footprint in our community of Limit Hill. We certainly never imagined that it would become the flagship event of the entire weekend.
What happened next still amazes me.
A group of enthusiastic Under-12 children took to the court and displayed such passion, energy and talent that I felt compelled to organise them into a formal team. That team became the Panthers Basketball Club.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Over the years, Panthers became one of the most recognised basketball programmes in our region. Our Summertime Shootout tournaments attracted players from across South Africa, including national team athletes. Through this journey, God opened doors for me to meet people like Coach Renee Brown, Coach Ken Carter and many other leaders who used sport as a tool to transform lives.
But the greatest reward was never the trophies, the tournaments or the recognition. The greatest reward was watching young people grow into adults. Today many of those young players are in their 40s, raising families of their own, building careers, contributing to their communities and writing new chapters in their lives.
As I reflect on that journey, I am reminded of a simple biblical principle: “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.” — Luke 16:10
What began as helping Aunt Molly organise a small community event became a ministry of mentorship, encouragement and transformation that impacted hundreds of lives.
Today that same passion lives on through Acts4Transformation (A4T).
Long before A4T had a name, we were already living its principles: sharing our Time, Talent, Treasures and Testimony to help others discover their God-given potential.
To every former Panther, parent, volunteer, coach and supporter who walked this journey with us—thank you.
And to those who were once the children we mentored, I have a challenge for you: Somewhere in your community there is a young boy or girl who needs someone to believe in them.
Be that person. Encourage them. Guide them. Mentor them. Pray for them. Open a door for them. The same way others invested in us, let us invest in the next generation.
Because transformation does not begin with millions. It begins when one person chooses to be faithful in the small things.
Thank you, Aunt Molly.
Thank you, Panthers family.
And thank You, Lord, for what started on a simple community sports day and became part of a much bigger story than we could ever have imagined.