Chatsworth couple offer free car chauffeur services for prom season
Inspired by their experiences
Natalie Anne Pillay and Kaylin Vadiveloo.
Image: Supplied
A CHATSWORTH couple, inspired by their own experiences, are offering free car chauffeur services to help less fortunate pupils attend their proms, aiming to make a difference in their community.
Natalie Anne Pillay, 30, a service station manager, and her husband, Kaylin Vadiveloo, 26, a fleet controller, were both raised by single mothers, and many times did not have the opportunities to do what their friends could.
“We both did not have finances to be a part of our debs ball or prom. Our schools were also located in low income areas, so they didn’t offer proms,” Pillay said.
“As the years went by, my husband and I built our lives. My husband purchased his car last year. We are building a future together. One night we watched a video on Facebook about a Chatsworth school prom and thought about helping the less fortunate kids. We didn’t get this experience and wanted to help.”
The couple's 7.5 GTI
Image: Supplied
Pillay immediately took to social media and posted her idea of hiring out their red Golf 7.5 GTI to less fortunate pupils.
“The post was made anonymously and drew a lot of negative attention. The reason why I posted anonymously is because we have our families on social media and we were not doing this to get famous or to show off. We wanted a child in our home town, Chatsworth, to benefit from the joy that they would have ordinarily missed. People said we were scammers who wanted to kidnap children. But that is far from true. We will engage with their parents and they will have to accompany their children on the day."
Win big with the POST.
Image: File
Pillay said the offer was not limited to Chatsworth.
“We thought of Chatsworth because we were both born and brought up here. However, I can also help with the driving, if my husband is at work. We hope we can accommodate many children who need help.”
Pillay said she had not yet been approached by any children but added it was still early.
“We don’t have a fancy car, but we want to help and give back to society. Unfortunately, during our youth, our parents had no one to ask for help. We want to give opportunities to those who have lost hope and given up on their dreams. Prom is a special day and we want to show these kids that dreams do come true,” said Pillay.