Our Ambassadors
Like any non-profit, we rely on others to assist with spreading the word. We are honoured to have ambassadors who assist us in creating awareness of our cause.
Ambassador Johannes C Wolfaardt
We have been working with Johannes C Wolfaardt remotely since 2024. When we met him for the first time in person in 2025 we asked him if he would become an Ambassador for Sonneblom Foundation. Johannes agreed without hesitation.
Johannes C Wolfaardt is the first official Ambassador of the Sonneblom Foundation. He is also the author of Struggling Stains, a book that tells the story of his difficult childhood and young adulthood. His life has been shaped by personal hardship—poverty, trauma, and the long process of recovery. His work today is grounded in those lived experiences.
Born and raised in the Free State, Johannes grew up facing many of the same struggles he now helps others navigate. In 2024, his story began reaching wider audiences through interviews, radio shows, television shows and community talks. He spoke openly about his past—about pain, mental health, survival, and ultimately, freedom. His honesty struck a chord. People listened.
That same year, he became the first ambassador for the Sonneblom Foundation. The role is not symbolic—it’s active. Johannes represents people who are often overlooked. He speaks from the ground, not on behalf of it. He brings insight from lived experience, not from theory or distance.
Today, Johannes leads United for Change, a small organisation that supports people in Bloemfontein with food, trauma support, help accessing services, suicide awareness, and more. He stays involved in the daily work, home visits, outreach, meals, and direct support for those in crisis.
His goals going forward are simple:
- Keep working at street level
- Help people speak openly about suicide, violence, and trauma
- Support youth who feel stuck or hopeless
- Build practical partnerships, not performative
Johannes doesn’t claim to have all the answers. But he does have one thing to offer without hesitation: presence. He shows up. He listens. He speaks when it helps and stays quiet when it doesn’t. As the Sonneblom Foundation’s first Ambassador, he is committed to making dignity, healing, and real support part of everyday life for those who need it most.
Johannes C Wolfaardt
Author | Motivational Speaker
📞 063 389 2152
✉️ info@unitedforchange.org.za | info@strugglingstains.co.za
Ambassador Natalie Gunther
We have been working remotely with Natalie Gunther since 2025. Natalie first approached us to become a volunteer, but in the end, we convinced her to take up a role as ambassador.
“I Broke My Neck — and I’m Grateful”
In the early hours of Woman’s Day on 9 December 2014, tragedy befell Natalie Gunther, then 29 years old. While travelling as a passenger, the vehicle she was in lost control and rolled off the highway. Natalie was discovered 13 metres from the wreckage, suffering from a broken neck, and was promptly transported by paramedics to a local hospital.
Admitted to ICU, her family received grave news from the specialist surgeon. He explained that surgery was necessary, but Natalie’s chances of survival were only 40%, and if she did survive, there was a 50% likelihood she would be paralyzed. The procedure was a novel technique, performed only once before in South Africa and just the third time ever.
Natalie does not recall the accident itself—her memories begin in the ICU. When the doctor delivered the prognosis, her thoughts focused more on the possibility of death than on paralysis. Before the operation, while waiting in the theatre, she closed her eyes and prayed, surrendering peacefully to whatever outcome awaited her. She awoke to discover that she had survived and, remarkably, was not paralyzed—a turning point in her life.
The surgeon attributed Natalie’s serene recovery to the success of the surgery. After her time in ICU, she was moved to the general ward to continue recovering. Previously, Natalie had worked in digital marketing sales and signage, but she had always dreamed of learning graphic and web design and starting her own business. Like many, she had put these ambitions off, citing a lack of time and resources. While confined to her hospital bed and facing the reality that her sales career would have to pause, she saw the perfect opportunity to pursue her passions.
With help, Natalie commissioned a logo design, and upon her discharge from hospital, her journey of learning and entrepreneurship began. It was a period marked by both pain and reward, as she celebrated each small milestone. During a bout of depression, she tuned into the Christian channel TBN, where pastors shared a message aimed at a woman—aged 29, recovering from a car accident, in pain and feeling low. Their words encouraged her to use her creativity for God, instantly lifting her spirits. She soon discovered a support group for broken neck survivors on Facebook, which led to her helping manage the group alongside a woman in the USA.
Around this time, a friend invited Natalie to join her at church. Although she had attended church throughout her life, she returned as soon as her health allowed. During a general prayer led by the pastor, Natalie prayed for relief from her back pain. She felt warmth in her back and the pain vanished.
Natalie’s business and her physical healing both flourished. Despite living with daily spasms, she remained grateful for her second chance at life, accomplishing more post-accident than she ever had before. On both personal and professional fronts, she won and was nominated for multiple awards. She hopes her story motivates others and offers guidance for overcoming adversity.
Over the decade following her accident, Natalie experienced marriage and subsequent divorce. She relocated to Mossel Bay, where she helped a German couple manage and expand their farm, all while running her business remotely in Johannesburg. Eventually, she opened a branch in Mossel Bay with partners but later realized she had taken on too much. In early 2025, she chose to close her business and resign from the farm.
Despite the ups and downs, Natalie discovered a true passion for teaching digital marketing. Not long after her accident, she felt inspired to start a charity, sharing miracle testimonies and using her creativity for a higher purpose. In July 2025, she moved to Somerset West, where she now pursues her calling. Natalie firmly believes that her challenges have shaped her into the person she is today, ready for the opportunities of this moment. She considers her survival a miracle and credits God for the extraordinary changes in her life. Her relationship with Jesus has grown stronger, and she values this fulfilment above all material success.
Natalie invites others to follow her journey and stay tuned for the launch of her YouTube channel and podcasts.
- Social Media – Natalie Gunther
- info@nataliegunther.co.za
- nataliegunther.co.za
- Social Media – TrainCo SA (training platform for anyone interested)
- info@trainco.co.za
- trainco.co.za
- Social Media – Soul Station (sharing testimonies, open for submissions)
- info@soul-station.co.za
- soul-station.co.za