Retro trivia night raises funds for immigrant services in Ottawa

Algonquin College students from the public relations program hosted a charity trivia event on April 7 in support of the Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization (OCISO).

The fundraiser was at Cassette Listening Bar at 2557 Baseline Rd. Over 100 people attended the lively event.

Simon Delgaty, one of the PR students, was impressed by the huge turnout.

“We’re super thankful to our sponsors and super thankful to everybody who participated,” Simon said.

Erin Chappel is another PR student who helped conduct the event.

Chappel said the PR program does a charity campaign in each Level 2. This term’s Culture2Culture campaign is helping OCISO.

The Culture2Culture campaign is a student-led charity and awareness campaign in which PR students design, manage and execute a real-world public relations campaign for a community cause. The name Culture2Culture reflects the campaign’s core values, which are respect, inclusion, equity and openness.

OCISO, the beneficiary of this event, is a non-profit, community-based organization in Ottawa supporting immigrants and refugees as they settle into life in Canada. It was founded in 1978 and serves about 10,000 newcomers each year in over 50 languages. OCISO provides a wide range of services, settlement services (such as housing, healthcare and education), language instruction, mental health counselling, job searching, youth programs and community connections.

In its 48 years of existence, OCISO has proven to be invaluable to newcomers navigating the challenges of their new life in Canada.

The event was so packed people had to gather chairs from neighbouring establishments. The spirit was one of pure joy and excitement. The elegant use of coloured dim lighting enhanced the atmosphere’s charm.

At one point, the excitement of the crowd erupted into a loud and cheerful sing-along of one of the many retro songs that were featured throughout the night. The event generated so much enthusiasm and energy that many participants stayed beyond the closing time of 10 p.m.

“The vibe tonight has been really electric. Everyone’s having a lot of fun, people are getting really into it. The MC is doing really well, he’s properly getting people revved up,” said Milly Hogan, another public relations student.

Chappel said the event raised over $600 for OCISO.