Magic Bus Singapore held its seventh annual fundraiser on May 6, 2017 at the Four Seasons Hotel. It appealed for contributions from friends and supporters for the cause of moving India’s children out of poverty, by nurturing them on a journey from childhood to livelihood. This year, the Gala raised a record $750,000 through an auction of sponsored experiences as well as individual pledges to support Magic Bus communities.

The primary sponsor was RB Capital, and Nomura Bank supported the Gala for the second year in a row. In addition, Harrys has been a long-term sponsor of the Magic Bus along with loyal supporters such as Gautam Rampuria, who has been a consistent help sponsoring the gala. Gala is also supported by Anita Kapoor and has a strong committee of four ladies Dipika Bedi, Suzana Adahar, Avantika Malhotra and Bina Rampuria.

The Magic Bus Annual Gala is renowned for its warm and convivial atmosphere, which promotes authentic friendships and networking amongst various Singapore communities.  It brings together very influential people who have achieved much in their lives and are happy to give back to society, most generously.

There were about 270 guests, purely by invitation. The ballroom was decorated very elegantly. The crowd dressed to the theme of 50 shades of gold and looked beautiful! Anita Kapoor was the host for the evening. There was high energy in the room as Salha and Joel, the singing sensation from Dubai provided the entertainment.

The evening was kicked off by a welcome address by Magic Bus Singapore CEO, Patricia Mathias. As she thanked the sponsors and the donors, she called on the Gala committee  made up of Avantika Malhotra, Bina Rampuria, Dipika Bedi and Suzanna Adahar, and credited them for putting the magic into the magic bus gala. Andy Martin and Neha Dhupia, Bollywood actress and beauty queen, conducted a lively auction.

The highlight of the evening was the presentation by the Magic Bus founder, Matthew Spacie. He explained how Magic Bus was not just taking the youth from poverty to subsistence but instead, after working with the same child for six to seven years, gets them employment, thus ensuring they move from poverty to prosperity.

This was brought to life by the video of a driver of an Uber cab that Matthew chanced to take in Mumbai. The driver recognized Matthew, which is not unusual for Matthew Spacie! Except this time it was because he was part of a Magic Bus program for 7 years while he was growing up in one of the most dire slums of Mumbai. Magic Bus stood by him as he finished school. He gained the confidence and life skills through the program. As a  result, he currently not only owns a car and has started a career with Uber, but in parallel is also finishing his college education!

Since the year it began, the Singapore Gala has rewritten as many as 16,000 futures in India.  For entire neighbourhoods in many of India’s slums, the generous gifts made by the Singapore-based patrons are helping create a supportive community that invests in children’s education and protects their rights, so that by the time they grow up, these children can find dignified livelihood options, pulling their entire family out of poverty.

Every child supported by the Singapore Gala will go to school and complete up to 10th standard at the very least, will not get married before 18, and will either go to university or get a job.