How many people can say they’re lucky enough to work at a company that supports their ideas, values and passions – even if these are not directly related to the company’s mission? Well, I certainly can!

I joined Wise five years ago, and since the very beginning they have always been supportive of my charity initiatives since. The very first charity event I organised was back in 2019 in the Tallinn office, this was aimed at fundraising for Tallinna Laste Turvakeskus, a local Centre for Children at Risk. We had great feedback that everyone enjoyed the event, and so this inspired me to do something similar annually!

Over the years I grew more passionate about helping animals, cats in particular. Stray cats are one of the most overlooked issues in Estonia. Local charities do not get enough support and are facing challenges to help those who cannot aid themselves. My family has six cats which are adopted from different charitable organisations. This seems like a drop in the ocean compared to how many are still suffering in the streets, especially during cold months. 

Therefore, a couple of years ago I decided to dedicate these events to fundraising for our local cat charities. Luckily, both Wise and our amazing office team were supportive of this idea. I also met with fellow Wiser, Victoria Redfern, who felt very passionate about this project and has been running the events, helping to make them better and better every year. The events are organised every year and held at our Tallinn office.

Every year the event’s scale has been growing, attracting more and more participants. In December 2023, we organised our latest Charity Food Market at our Tallinn office. We’re proud to announce that we managed to raise €1120, our highest figure yet! 100+ Wisers participated in the event, donating their time and skills to make it happen.

Together, we supported the following charities:

MTÜ Cats Help (€720)
MTÜ LOTUS CAT (€200)
MTÜ NELI KÄPPA (€100)
MTÜ Kurrmäu (€100)

So many different cultures were represented, and Wisers were lucky enough to try authentic Filipino, Brazilian, Nigerian, Turkish, Colombian, Mexican and Canadian cuisines! For me, this is one of the best perks of working at a company as international as Wise with so many nationalities from different corners of the world.