Charity Week success - £70,000 raised for orphans!

Last Saturday, fundraising totals were announced for Charity Week 2013 (CW) at the annual round-off dinner, with Imperial College students raising just under a staggering £70,000 in one week.

In October, Imperial College was graced with the arrival of Charity Week; a national, student-led initiative supported by Islamic Relief (one of the charities comprising the UK’s Disaster Emergency Committee). It was hosted by Imperial’s Islamic Society. CW is an annual campaign that focuses on creating unity between its volunteers. While doing so, it also raises money for orphans and needy children worldwide - independent of their race, gender, or religious affiliation.

This year it all began on Monday 28 October, with the autumn air being overpowered by the sweetness of baked goods, as our campus was dotted with charity stalls selling cakes and doughnuts. At sunset, the first charity event of the week kicked off – the much renowned “Battle of the Societies” quiz night (BOTS), an event in which over 20 societies competed in to win the coveted BOTS trophy (won by the AhlulBayt Society). Other events held during the week included a ‘HYPE night’ that consisted of people carrying out dares in return for sponsorships, an inter-uni football tournament that was won by our noisy neighbours Kings College, a sponsored assault course/ sky-diving, as well as tube and street collections across London.

The week drew to a close with an elegant reception at the flagship Charity Week Dinner, this year held in the rather grand Porchester Hall. The dinner was attended by over 300 students, many with their families. Inspiring speeches were given throughout the dinner, with the guest speakers painting a vivid picture of the suffering taking place around the world. An enthralling auction soon followed, which saw beautiful canvases go for as much as £2,000 a piece, as well as intricately decorated cakes being sold for nearly £400! All in all it was a heart-warming sight seeing students uniting together under one roof for a noble cause, and more than £23,000 was raised on the night for orphans and needy children.

However, that was not the end of Charity Week, as the weekend saw the return of the now UK famous Smoky not Smudgy ladies pampering event. Bigger and better, this consisted of a massive bazaar, as well as two fashion shows. Hundreds of students from both Imperial and other universities attended, as well as famous bloggers who were invited as special guests.

Overall, Imperial College came third nationally, raising a monumental £69,697. To put this number in to context, this is nearly half the total amount of money raised by Imperial students during the whole of last year (£147,684), through RAG, Medics RAG and CW 2012! With Charity Week celebrating its 10th year anniversary this year, a massive £2,993,176 has been raised to date, and this figure continues to grow rapidly each year.

As Charity Week 2013 draws to a close, volunteers now have the opportunity to vote for the projects that they would like the money raised to go towards. It is memories such as those formed in CW that help shape our students – sprouting and developing their ambition to grow both personally and on a societal level.

The Islamic Society commented on this achievement: “We would like to thank everyone who made Charity Week the success that it was this year, from the dozens of volunteers who took part, to the Union who were supportive throughout – this was truly a collective Imperial College effort and is a testament to what we students can achieve through dedication and uniting together for a common cause. We pray that our efforts go some way to fulfilling our obligation to serving humanity and helping those less fortunate than ourselves.”

Charity Week 2014, we wait for you with much impatience.