In April an enterprising Durban widow wrote to international stars Sting, Oprah and Richard Branson asking them to donate money to her local church.
A few weeks later they responded; by generously sending cheques totalling R4 000 between them, and earning the 68-year-old parishioner top prize in her church's unique fundraising contest.
The "talent bag" contest, now in its second year at St Joseph's Catholic Church in Morningside, entailed about 500 individual bags, each containing R20, being distributed to parishioners. Using whatever God-given talents they possessed, church-goers were encouraged to at least double the money and return the bags two months later.
With the celebrity windfall bolstered by a donation from her London-based son, pensioner Frances Hilton this month handed over a whopping R5 000 to her priest.
The closest competitor to her had raised R3 000; he used his R20 at a local casino and then donated half his winnings.
Now Hilton, who suffers from an age-related degenerative eye condition, has converted the grand prize - two air tickets, accommodation and car hire in Cape Town - to cash. Next month, she will use the money to travel to Johannesburg to undergo a ground-breaking eye operation.
"It's all been quite wonderful and I'm very grateful to the celebrities who eventually responded," said the sprightly mother of three, who has been a parishioner at St Joseph's for seven years.
"I'll always be particularly grateful to Sir Richard because he was the first to respond positively and send a cheque for R1 000," said the retired estate agent.
Staff at the local Virgin Active gym used by Hilton gave her Branson's postal address. Ironically, the billionaire was in Cape Town at the time and immediately posted back his donation.
Sting - one of Hilton's favourite performers and whose address she got off the back of a CD - and top talkshow host Oprah Winfrey each sent cheques for £100 (about R1 500 at the time). Hilton had used her R20 to pay for the stamps on the letters.
The fourth person to respond to Hilton's plea was her son Oliver, owner of an IT company in London, who also sent £100.
Generous
Not everyone was as generous.
Best-selling authors Maeve Binchy and Frank McCourt (Angela's Ashes) ignored Hilton's plea. So did popstar Madonna.
And although Neale Donald Walsch, author of the hugely successful Conversations with God, wrote back, he declined to donate, saying he only funded the desperately needy.
Said parish priest, Father Desmond Royappen: "Frances' idea was very creative and original. And so well done considering her failing eyesight. She is an inspiration to us all about what can be achieved."
Hilton also won the contest last year after raising just R100. She paid a local beggar R10 to collect bags of bottles for her, and then made R4 profit on each bag by returning them to the supermarkets as empties.
The R70 000 raised in this year's contest will go towards the building of new catechism classrooms and a youth centre for the 150-year-old parish, the oldest Catholic parish in Durban.
The next fundraising project is a grand fete at Greyville Racecourse on August 31.