Trinity Anglican School (TAS), Media Release, 2 November 2023

Proving age is no barrier regarding charitable acts, one Year 6 Trinity Anglican School (TAS) student from the Kewarra Beach campus hosted a dinner and trivia event, raising $1255 for local charity COUCH.

The Dine for a Cause and Trivia Night was the fundraising initiative of student Lachlan Baker, who had spent many months in the lead-up securing a venue, sourcing prizes and promoting his event within TAS Kewarra Beach and wider Cairns communities.

TAS Kewarra Beach Head of Campus Mary Kershaw applauded Lachlan for his efforts, which she said formed part of the student’s participation in the innovative Round Square Program and National School Aid values.

According to Mrs Kershaw, Lachlan’s success results from hard work and shows maturity beyond his years of organisation and commitment to helping others.

“Lachlan epitomises the Round Square ideals of Service and Leadership,” Mrs Kershaw said.

Lachlan is one of seven Kewarra Beach campus students completing their Year 6 Gold Medal Round Square Project, supporting several worthy causes and charities.

“Well done to Lachlan and all our inspiring young philanthropists,” she said.

Interview with TAS fundraising student, Lachlan Baker

How did you come up with the idea to host a fundraising dinner and trivia night?

Lachlan Baker: I got my idea from a friend of my mum’s event. She was doing a fundraising dinner and trivia night at the Salthouse, for the Cardiac Challenge. This sparked an idea to do my Charity quiz night for COUCH, with it being so successful.

Why did you host this event?

Lachlan Baker: I hosted this event for COUCH, to support people in the Cairns community, who have been diagnosed with cancer, as this foundation resonates with me greatly. Another reason why I hosted this event was for a school initiative called ‘Round Square,’ encouraging school-aged children to create initiatives for their chosen cause, like raising money, awareness, or both, or doing anything to support the community.

Who or how many people came to your event?

Lachlan Baker: Around 50 people attended, from our school, and others in the Cairns community.

How did you promote your event?

Lachlan Baker: My event was promoted mainly on social media, as well as posters being placed around the school, and on our school’s newsletter.

How did you raise the money? Through a set event cost or raffles or both?

Lachlan Baker: Money was raised from an entry fee of $25, where $10 would be donated to COUCH. We also had a raffle, with a prize pool of over $1000 worth of prizes, courtesy of many Cairns tourist companies.

Were you happy with the fundraising total?

Lachlan Baker: I was extremely happy with our total of $1255. It’s amazing to see how much the community care about these wonderful charities like COUCH, and all this money is going straight to this local cause.

Did the event and fundraising success exceed your expectations?

Lachlan Baker: The amount of money raised blew my expectations away, I wasn’t expecting this much support for my event.

What did hosting this event teach you?

Lachlan Baker: From hosting this event, I learned that if you really put your mind to doing something, you can get it done if you try, regardless of any negativity or doubt that you may receive.

What advice would you give to any students planning to host this style of event in 2024?

Lachlan Baker: For any kids reading this, who want to make a difference, I would say that you’re never too young to make a difference. An event like this takes a lot of planning, time, and effort, but the feeling you get after the event, when you think “Wow, I just raised a whole lot of money for an amazing cause that helps people on their battle with cancer” far outweights this.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Lachlan Baker: I would like to thank a few people who helped to make this incredible event possible. Rebecca Dent (events and partnerships officer @ COUCH) who put a lot of effort into helping me and setting up the online raffle, securing the venue, and setting up. I would also like to thank my mum, who helped me approach businesses for prizes and venues, making some of the advertising and keeping in contact with Rebecca. I would like to thank all our sponsors: Great Adventures, Skyrail, Paronella Park, Bluewater, Rainforestation, Mamu tropical skywalk, Cairns Aquarium, Heartley’s Crocodile Adventures, Event Cinemas, for providing the raffle prizes, as well as Grill’d for providing the venue, and finally all the people who supported me on the night.

Click here to learn more about Round Square, the international network of 250 like-minded schools in 50 countries.
Click here to find out more about SchoolAid, which builds students’ wellbeing by empowering young philanthropists.
Click here to learn more about Cairns Organisation United for Cancer Health (COUCH).

About TAS

Since its foundation in 1983, TAS has built a reputation for exceptional academic achievement, service to the community, excellence in Music, Art and Drama and all-round leadership in education. TAS White Rock caters for students from kindergarten through to Year 12, and TAS Kewarra Beach serves students from Kindergarten to Year 6. Students strive for excellence and are encouraged to participate fully in all areas of school life to unlock and realise their full potential.

For more, www.tas.qld.edu.au.