Kay Mason Foundation - The Founder, The Patron, and The Alum

As an award-winning author, Richard Mason is well-versed in the art of storytelling. But as JANE MAYNE finds out, it’s in his role as founder of the Kay Mason Foundation (KMF) that he gets to translate the power of a story into something far more tangible: the real-life journeys of students whose futures are being reshaped through education.

Established in 1999 in memory of his sister Kay, the foundation has flourished under Mason’s stewardship. Today, the KMF expands access to quality educational opportunities for young people from underserved communities—opportunities that might otherwise be beyond their reach.

This vital work was recently celebrated at the KMF’s Hummingbird Ball at Cape Town’s Zeitz MOCAA, where influential figures from business, finance and culture gathered to help further its mission.

An investment in the donor’s future

For Mason, supporting education isn’t just about building the nation’s future. As he puts it: “It actually is an investment in the donor’s future, and the donor’s happiness. I’ve spent money on many frivolous things in my life. I wrote a novel called History of a Pleasure Seeker, and what I can say is I know what it is to stay in a nice hotel, or buy a cashmere sweater. And what I can say is that the money that I personally have spent on helping a 15-year-old like Kevin Stoffberg growing up in food scarcity, and later becoming a surgeon – that joy is some of the most intense, purest joy I’ve ever experienced. And what the KMF allows, is that the people who help us invest in these kids, taste that joy for themselves.”

“I’m very proud of the work the KMF does to help children in need. Our oldest alumni are now in their late 30s, and watching them as they set up companies; and become doctors, teachers, lawyers, and judges fills me with so much pride. Building a brighter future for all of us gives me tremendous hope.”

Expanding programs into later life

As the next chapter unfolds, Mason says he would like the KMF to educate thousands more children, and expand programs into later life; getting them through university, and helping them enter the world of work We’ve already welcomed alumni onto our board, such as our chair Siphosethu Pama, who is an extraordinary woman. I met her when she was 11, cleaning toilets in my building in Cape Town. Now she is also very involved in setting up the right structures to make the organization run.”

As such, Pama is well-placed to share the profound impact of the KMF: “I don’t have enough words to express how much they have changed my life, because it was not only school fees they paid for – they cared for me holistically. The foundation has carried me through from my childhood up until the person that I am today. I am the first in my family to graduate, and overall, I have experienced so many firsts with the foundation. I have also been able to provide a life for my daughter that is completely different to how I grew up.”

Talking of barriers facing youngsters from disadvantaged communities, an emotional Pama explains: “People don’t understand how limiting poverty is. It’s very hard to come from a world where your imagination is limited, because some people don’t even have access to internet or television, so how are you supposed to dream beyond the circumstances that you’re living in?”

“The foundation always treated me as someone who has the potential to change the world. And that is how I carry myself today. It gives me so much pride. It was like planting a seed, and nurturing it. This is what sets Richard Mason’s foundation apart. The students are never seen as the poor kids from South Africa, but future leaders, and the foundation has made sure to support us in realizing that.”

Kay Mason Foundation Students Cape Town

Patron Lesley-Ann Brandt

Also working to advance the KMF’s vision is South African-born, Hollywood star and KMF Patron, Lesley-Ann Brandt. Reflecting on why the KMF’s mission resonates so deeply with her, she explains, “Where I sit in life today is not necessarily the future that was envisioned for me. That wasn’t for lack of talent, it was really just opportunities and resources.”

“We have a high unemployment rate in South Africa, and we have real social issues. But when you invest in a child’s education, the long-term value for a country is invaluable. We have a responsibility as a wider community to create opportunities for them. While there are obstacles for young people, what, for example, the KMF programme is doing, is tapping into potential, allowing children to grow and to be a real changemakers – which is what we really need.”

Richard concludes: “There are good humans in the world, and in these dark times, we need to unite. We are who we are, because we’re all together in this. And I think that as a nation, we need to overcome the legacies of the past by caring more. And when we do, we end up being much happier.”