A new chair has been appointed to head up RGU: RAG (Raising and Giving), the fundraising arm of Robert Gordon University’s (RGU) Students’ Union.
Second year nursing student, Marty McGouran, (29), has taken over the reins of RGU: RAG which organises a whole calendar of events for RGU students to help raise money for local, national and international charities.
Marty first got involved with fundraising when he relocated from Belfast to study for a degree in nursing at RGU in Aberdeen and has since taken on all manner of charitable work including two skydives, an abseil, two Belfast Marathons and two Santa Fun Runs.
He has also spent a lot of time volunteering, including back home in Belfast at his local hospital, and during his first year at RGU he was the fundraising and PR officer for RGU:Nightline, a student-led peer to peer helpline, an athletics coach for Volunteer for Sport, and a member of RGU:Union’s sustainability initiative as well as its student Mental Wellbeing Society.
Marty says: “From dressing up in a bear costume to running around campus in my underwear dressed as Maggie Simpson to parading through Aberdeen as Spiderman, you could definitely say I enjoy charitable work.
“I had heard some amazing stories about the work of RGU: RAG and all that it’s achieved over the years and so I wanted to be part of it, helping it to continue to make a difference to those who need it the most while inspiring others to get involved with volunteering and fundraising.”
In his role as chair, Marty will run and manage RGU: RAG which involves organising a raft of activities and events to raise money for various charities throughout the academic year, raise awareness of its work and encourage students to get involved.
Marty has spent the summer organising number of events which will begin during Freshers Week with a city-wide student hall BBQ tour and a Freshers Team auction to raise money for CLAN.
“We already have quite a few activities in the pipeline so there is a lot to get involved with including challenge style fundraising events where we hope to send students to Africa to teach first aid, send a group to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and get a team together to run in the Prague Marathon May 2016,” says Marty.
RGU: RAG will also be involved in Children in Need Week, street collections, Movember, Christmas food bank and toy drive, Santa fun run, bag packs, collections on campus, walking on hot coal for charity, as well as participating in the national RAG Week.
“It is important to remember that although we have this set calendar, a student or group can propose an event at any time and we will work to their needs and wishes,” continues Marty.
“We are always looking for new raggies to get involved and we are entirely student led which means students get to decide what happens.
“There are many benefits of working with RGU: RAG including supporting worthwhile causes, meeting new people, developing new skills, trying once in a lifetime opportunities and boosting CVs - so get involved.”
Marty has already signed up a range of charities for RGU: RAG to work with and support throughout the year including Breast Cancer Research, Childreach International, First Aid Africa, Kidney Research, Children's Society and Inspire.
Marty’s first fundraiser as RGU: RAG Chair is the Outrun September which is seeing him challenge himself by running further and faster for the whole of September to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. Marty has set himself a running target of 150 miles and can be supported at www.justgiving.com/MartyRAG/
For more information on the work of RGU: RAG and to keep up to date with its events and activities, visit its facebook page at www.facebook.com/rgurag
Students looking to get involved with RGU: RAG can contact Marty via ragchair@rguunion.co.uk