Exeter Raise and Give (RAG) has announced its chosen local and national charities for the upcoming academic year. Balloons Devon was elected as RAG’s local charity, whilst Cancer Research UK is the national charity that was elected by students at the University of Exeter.
The selection of charities goes through a process of giving students an open vote on the guild website, in order to chose from a pool of pre-selected charities. Charities are shortlisted by RAG according to a form, with questions including what charities would do with fundraising donations, and how much support they can offer to RAG.
As the largest fundraising group in Exeter, RAG are a charity on campus that enables students to participate in events and challenges in order to raise money. All funds from events are dispersed amongst the two elected charities, along with contributions towards ESV (Exeter Student Volunteers).
Voting began on Monday 16 May, with the launch of a charity fair in the Forum where students could meet charity representatives in person. Similarly, fundraising activities included within RAG’s organized challenges. Events such as Jailbreak, Lost, RockSolid, and even hiking trips abroad like the Kilimanjaro, have separate fundraising incentives. Internationally credited charities supported through charity challenges include: Hope for Children, East African Playgrounds, and Children’s Society Action Against Hunger.
The President of RAG, Peter Gillibrand, commented on the beneficial outcomes of charity work at university: “It’s important for students to be part of any charity platform, whilst raising money. RAG provides a wide variety of events, which are both local, national, and international. This allows students at the Univeristy to socialize through fundraising. Being in RAG has enabled me to travel the world and gain new experiences. The amount of opportunities we give students to fundraise money for different charities is incredible.”
VP Activities, Katie O’Connor showed positivity towards RAG: “It is great to see students once again choosing a group of worthwhile charities to support in the forthcoming year.”