By Nancy Fairbank
The Trinity College MCR donated £2,000 to UK and local charities this month from funds raised during the 2017 and 2018 MCR Gala Dinners. The gala is hosted each year in May and includes both raffles and an auction event where attendees can bid on prizes donated by MCR members. Past prizes have included bouldering and ballroom dancing lessons, a cake of the bidder’s choice, and a caravan trip to Wales. Ticket sales, as well as the proceeds from the raffles and auction, generate the money that is donated to local charities selected by MCR members.
2018 Trinity MCR Committee at the Gala Dinner
There were three charities that received donations from the 2017 and 2018 Galas, including Homeless Oxfordshire, the Broken Spoke Bike Co-op, and the International Rescue Committee (UK). Homeless Oxfordshire offers a variety of support services to the homeless and is the largest accommodation provider across the country. The organization provides services for over 550 homeless people and serves 75,000 meals each year. The Broken Spoke Bike Co-op offers free workshops and trainings to teach people about cycle maintenance and riding, including workshops specifically for women and transgender people. Finally, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) gives aid to those facing humanitarian crises across the world. In 2017, the IRC helped almost 23 million people get primary health care and provided 1.14 million children with educational opportunities.
2018 Trinity Gala Dinner
The current MCR gives thanks to the 2016-2017 MCR Committee and the 2017-2018 MCR Committee (member names below) for raising these funds. Thanks also to our current MCR treasurer Michael Garstka for completing the donation payments. We are looking forward to the upcoming Gala Dinner this spring and hope to be able to give back even more to organizations making a difference in our Oxford community. If you would like to suggest an organisation that we should support with our next Gala fundraiser, please contact the MCR.
2016-2017 MCR Committee:
Katie Collett (President), Cosima Gillhammer, Kieran Ball, Manon Simard, Hannah Walters, Anu Unnikrishnan, Debbie Malden, John Kenny
This committee raised 400£ for Homeless Oxfordshire and 400£ for International Rescue Committee (UK).
2017-2018 MCR Committee
Jason Brickhill (President), Owain James, Richard Lu, John Kenny, Leah Matchett, Natalie Ng, Pascale Gourdeau, Olu Arisekola, Freddie Hopkinson
This committee raised 800£ for Homeless Oxfordshire and 400£ for the Broken Spoke Bike Co-op.