Hosting such an event has become an annual tradition for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Management final year students at Anglia Ruskin University as part of their dissertation. It is an opportunity for the students to put into practice all they have learned.
The group’s project leader, Hugo Santos, who volunteered at a village in Kenya, feels a direct connection to the impact even a small contribution can make. “When people have literally nothing, it is amazing to see how far a small donation will get you,”says Hugo in an interview.
Hugo goes on to point out the state of such an economy in comparison to the UK just means that everything costs so much less. For example, someone may barely survive on the minimum wage here in the UK, whereas the same amount of money over there could feed half the village. “This is why we want to work with SOS Children’s Villages,” says the project's head of marketing, Joshua Barnard, “our contribution, however small, will literally change the lives of so many children.”.
SOS Children's Villages is a charity organisation that has been based in Cambridge for over 65 years and has an international reach to over 120 different countries spanning Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas. Working together with deprived communities, SOS Children's Villages identifies needs and provides practical and emotional tools for parents and caregivers to prevent family breakdown. When children lose their families and have nothing and no one, the charity ensures that they can grow up in the safe environment of an SOS Children's Village. The charity also establishes schools and medical centres to ensure that more children have the opportunity of an education and access to quality medical care.
The charity evening is set to be a spectacular event, hosted at the Cambridge icon, the Hilton Cambridge City Centre Hotel, on Thursday 14th April. The guests, senior executives from various companies in and around Cambridge, will be welcomed with a champagne reception, followed by three courses served with wine, all the while being entertained by the local-born and spectacular close-up magician, Luke Clough. Well known for his mind-bending close-up magic, and highly entertaining character, the evening is poised to be a night to remember for quite some time.
“We weren’t sure whether to get a speaker or an artist," says Hugo. “In the end we realised that our guests will be coming to enjoy themselves, so we will make sure of that, and Luke is perfect! He is a great conversation starter.”
The team have also secured Rowley Fine Art auctioneer and valuer, Will Axon, who has been on BBC programmes such as Flog it!, Antiques Road Trip and Put Your Money, as the evening's auctioneer.
The team is working hard, calling and visiting potential sponsors and has already secured some interesting auction prizes. So far the impressive list of prizes include luxurious holidays, for example, golfing fans in particular will love the prestigious and exclusive beachside resort in Troia, Portugal valued at £1,300 and the exquisite 4 star, The House Collection Hotel in Cambridgeshire; an eccentric wall art piece by the playful and quirky artists at Mineheart and a £3,000 workshop by international speaker, author and trainer, Brian Mayne, with his world-leading success system, Goal Mapping, which is apparently used by organisations such as Microsoft, BT, Disney, Coca-Cola and some other big names. An impressive repertoire from a handful of students.
So who is supporting this initiative financially? “We have started to approach potential sponsors and have already secured TTP Group plc, and we are currently in discussions with other companies,” says Hugo with a look of confidence. The event is set to draw a large crowd of high profile people. While not blatantly advertising, guests will be aware of who is sponsoring the event
The evening looks like it is very well organised, and with the talent and expertise involved, it promises to run very smoothly. The money raised from this event will be used to support the SOS Children's Villages Basse in The Gambia which provides a new home, education and healthcare to more than 120 children. With a bit of luck, children (such as those pictured above) will be receiving a great boost of financial support later this year.
The Black Tie Dinner and auction event is due to be held on 14 April 2016 at 7pm, at the Hilton Cambridge City Centre Hotel in Cambridge. More info and tickets can be found at https://goo.gl/o9SjAg
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