Service, both within and external to our College, is and always will be one of the key values of St Mark’s. Indeed, one of the many heartening aspects of College life in 2024 has been the strong presence of the Charitable Foundation.

2024’s Charitable Foundation has been led by the elected executive members, Jacob Deeb, Jean-Philippe Soulie, and Nathan Rokebrand. They have done a fantastic job promoting participation in, and awareness of, service activities across the College.

Members of the Charitable Foundation worked hard this year both to establish and to maintain volunteering opportunities with charities across Adelaide. These include Ronald McDonald House, Food on the Table, and The Magdalene Centre.

The Charitable Foundation has a long-standing relationship with Ronald McDonald House – located on Melbourne Street – which assists families to access accommodation while staying in Adelaide for medical treatment. Small groups of collegians have volunteered their time to cook dinner for and share a meal with families staying at Ronald McDonald House.

Students have also had the opportunity to prepare meals through Food on the Table and The Magdalene Centre, supporting people who are doing it tough and in need of a meal.

When the Charitable Foundation secured service opportunities and called for volunteers, the amount of interest from students often exceeded the spaces available. That certainly says a lot about our Collegians.

Several service activities took place here at College. One such activity was origami folding in the Dining Hall in support of Friends for Good, an organisation working to support people experiencing loneliness across Australia. The origami creations were distributed in the community to raise awareness of the services available to those in need.

Recently, Joel Ransom, one of the first-year students involved in the Charitable Foundation, spearheaded the Charitable Sleep Outs. Over several nights, this saw Collegians sleeping on the College tennis courts, raising awareness of what it’s like to sleep rough. Alongside the sleep outs, students volunteered at the The Magdalene Centre, purchasing ingredients and preparing over 800 meals for people in need.

A great initiative that demonstrates a passion for social justice (and ping-pong!) came from another of our first-year students, Lucas Cockshell. Thanks to Lucas’s efforts, the first-ever St Mark’s College Ping-Pong-A-Thon will run across Friday 27 and Saturday 28 September.

To bring this event to life, Lucas reached out to the fundraising and advocacy group Ping-Pong-a-Thon, an organisation that works to raise awareness of and put an end to modern slavery. The College was lucky enough to host the national CEO of Ping-Pong-a-Thon at Formal Hall on Wednesday 14 August, along with two representatives from their partner organisations. After dinner, the guests gave their time to be part of an information session, where students learned about ways they can help bring an end to slavery.

Of course, alongside all the exciting opportunities we’ve covered in this article, the Charitable Foundation have maintained their commitment to fundraising through events such as the Quiz Night and Charitable Races. The Charitable Café has also been in full swing this year, serving coffees and hot chocolates to students and staff in much need of an energy boost.

The Charitable Foundation’s many fundraising efforts have made it possible to donate generously to charities nominated by Collegians. Recipients to date include the National Breast Cancer Foundation, the Jodi Lee Foundation, and the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Additionally, many of the funds raised have gone back into creating more opportunities for students to volunteer – opportunities that no doubt feed the roots of each student’s life-long commitment to service.

The desire to give time in service of others is alive and strong at St Mark’s, and it will remain a firmly embedded part of our culture. After all, it is in giving that we receive.