Charity Giving Day 2023
DOEL annual Charity Giving Day returned this September with 28 teams from across 13 global locations, battling it out to be crowned DOEL Champions 2023 in "The Big Row for Dom and Remco."
“The Big Row for Dom & Remco” saw more than 250 staff participate in a rowing challenge, with a dedicated focus to raising money for two very special charities close to our hearts. In the past 12 months we sadly lost two members of the DOEL family: Dominic Low and Remco Hemminga. Via The DOEL Foundation, we dedicated the event to raise money for Hospice in the Weald and Bowel Cancer UK, in their memory.
There were a number of ways that staff were able to take part and contribute to the event. From taking to the rowing machine, organising and score keeping, to cheering on team mates locally and virtually. With the help of The DOEL Foundation, an outstanding £85,206 will be donated to the two selected charities.
Individual teams were encouraged to fundraise through their own JustGiving pages and were provided the added incentive of earning extra points for their teams. Live video streams between the global offices and virtual rower trackers ensured everyone was involved in the fun and supported their colleagues, wherever they were.
The challenge was made up of three gruelling rounds.
- Round 1 “Endurance” saw teams of up to 10 row as far as they could in a 2-hour race. It didn’t take long to get sweaty and competitive!
- Round 2 “the relay” saw 5 members from each team go head-to-head in a 5x 1km relay race.
- The final round saw one member of each team complete a 500m sprint.
Speeds and distances contributed to a fiercely close leaderboard but “Rowing Thunder” from our Ghana office were crowned the winners, closely followed by our Texas office and S&P team from Guyana.
The volume raised by each team demonstrates the great sense of generosity and compassion shared by our staff.
Commenting on the day, event organiser Lily Bagshaw said: “We want to thank everyone for the incredible day we had. The event is a great example of how the values we share across our global businesses brings everyone together, meaning we can go even further to support the DOEL Foundation and their amazing causes and projects.”
Jeff Woyda, Chair of the DOEL Foundation:
"On behalf of the Board of Trustees I would like to thank everyone who participated and supported ‘The Big Row for Dom and Remco’. We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of DOEL staff who, year on year, continue to go the extra mile. I was humbled to share with staff the impact that the Foundation has had in the past year on so many people's lives.
The DOEL Foundation gives us the opportunity to contribute towards achieving positive impact in the world in which we live.
Together, we go further.
Find out more about The DOEL Foundation on its website.