Black Friday and Cyber Monday were probably on your radar over the Thanksgiving weekend. Today, Giving Tuesday should be on your radar as well.
Giving Tuesday started in 2012 as an international day of charitable giving at the start of the Christmas season. It's intended, if just for a day, to take the focus off commercialism (you'll live without the latest iPhone) and put it on communities.
The nonprofit Mary-Arrchie Theater Company and then producing director Carlo Lorenzo Garcia came up with the idea, which has been gaining traction ever since.
Facebook and many other online entities are making it easy to donate, but there are also many worthy charities right here in Jefferson City.
Giving Tuesday isn't just about giving money; it's just as much about giving your time to worthwhile organizations. Again, there are many local organizations worthy of your time and would love for you to help them.
With the dual natural disasters that afflicted us earlier this year, you shouldn't have to look far to find agencies worthy of your time and/or money.
However, if you need a start, visit givingtuesday.org. You'll find a wealth of resources about the day and how you can participate.
Giving Tuesday is a simple idea that's transformed communities throughout the world. In 2018, more than $400 million was raised online through the event and residents of more than 150 countries participated. The average online gift was about $105.
Giving Tuesday can be as simple as helping your neighbor, or helping to serve meals at The Salvation Army.
Now that we're in the Christmas season, let's focus on more than checking our family and friends off the gift list. Let's continue to transform our community.
News Tribune