Christine Leach distributes funds raised by ACS employees

2014 sees $77,000 donation to good causes from Air Charter Service

Air Charter Service raised a total of $77,000 for charity in 2014. Its charity committee organised a variety of events including the 'Mini Nuts Challenge', a pie-eating contest and an outrageous suits competition at the Christmas party. All of this was in addition to fund-raising by employees who took part in activities such as sponsored bungee jumps and running in the New York Marathon.

The main beneficiary of ACS fund-raising is HEAL, a UK-registered charity formed in 1992 and committed to providing shelter, support, education and healthcare to well over 1,000 children in India. Over the past four years, ACS's donations have paid for a new IT classroom and library for the HEAL orphanage and school in Andhra Pradesh. Christine Leach, company secretary, treasurer and head of the charity committee, says: “I was fortunate enough to visit the village in Andhra Pradesh to witness first-hand what our fund-raising was helping to build. I was so touched to see what a difference we could make.”

Each year ACS staff vote for an additional three charities to raise money for: one local, one UK-based and one international.

The local charity for 2014 was the Dysart School for children with learning disabilities, situated opposite ACS's London HQ. The national charity is Carers Trust, an organisation that supports unpaid carers and raises their profile in the community. The third recipient and international charity is Médicins Sans Frontières, an organisation that helps people worldwide where the need is greatest, delivering emergency medical aid to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters or exclusion from healthcare.