Tomorrow, many of you will sit down to a huge meal with the company of your family and friends. This time of year, is a favorite for many and I think a lot of it has to do with togetherness and the heightened awareness of being kind to others. That is, until you watch the news on Black Friday only to see some pretty bitchin’ retail fights. Fortunately, the world decided to piggy back off Black Friday and Cyber Monday with Giving Tuesday.
Giving Tuesday is a day where non-profits and charitable organizations call on you to donate. For many, it’s a major part of their fundraising for the year. Since I started my Contribute to Change blog, I’ve been giving on a monthly basis. I haven’t always blogged about it, so I wanted to share my experience ahead of this upcoming mass day of giving.
First, decide what you can give. No matter your budget, if you feel the urge to give, you can. Take some time to figure out your expenses and see what you have left. If it’s nothing, volunteer your time rather than money or donate the next time you have extra funds. If you do have extra cash, make a decision on how much of this “fun money” you want to put toward charity. Every little bit helps.
Second, decide what cause or causes are important to you. There are thousands of places you can do good with a donation. You can give to a local food bank, help a friend pay their medical bills, donate to a veteran organization or one that helps educate kids about agriculture. 
Third, make sure the organization is legit. There are several websites that do this for you. They include Give Well, BBB Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Watch, Giving Tuesday.
Finally, share what you did with your family, friends and followers. While it may seem like you’re bragging about a good deed, you’re not. Since starting this blog, I’ve had the same reservations, but the only way to spread more kindness is to let people see your kindness. By sharing your generosity on Giving Tuesday you’ll spread the “if you can do it, I can do it” mentality and that is a form of giving as well.
Happy Giving Everyone!
An article by Dr. Shirley Gracias, a consultant psychiatrist, shares how the Harry Potter series exemplifies the way institutions shape the development of a child’s resilience and personality. Harry and Voldemort had similar childhoods in that they both lost their parents as babies and grew up around people who didn’t care for them. Still, the two characters have differing personalities. Dr. Gracias points to Harry’s parents being able to care and love him for the first few months of his life. Meanwhile, Voldemort never knew the love of his mother and spent his childhood in an institution. Voldemort’s early social relationships and the care he received shaped his personality. This is what Lumos hopes to prevent by bringing children out of the shadows and into the light.
While I didn’t join a charity partner for my race, my former colleague and good friend, Casey Geraldo is raising money as part of Take Steps for Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA). Take Steps is CCFA’s national walk, the nation’s largest event dedicated to finding cures for digestive diseases. Over 1.6 million American adults and children are affected by these digestive diseases, including Casey’s fiancé and my friend, Drew. You can learn more about why Casey is walking and help her reach her fundraising goal 
Second, my roommate and friend, Jenna Daley is a long time Make-A-Wish supporter and will walk in Middle Tennessee Walk for Wishes this Saturday here in Nashville. She is just one of tens of thousands of volunteers, donors and supporters working to grant one wish to every child diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition. Jenna has raised $500 for the organization with the help of friends and family. She says she enjoys volunteering because she’s able to be “a small part of something that is so life changing for a child and his or her family.” You can help her raise even more money by donating 
This week is Children’s Hospitals Week. The goal is to share how donations can help children get the treatment they need to live healthy lives into adulthood. I decided to research Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals because they are the most well-known and wide-spread group of pediatric health facilities. CMN reports its 170 member hospitals provide 32 million treatments each year to kids across the U.S. and Canada.
the period between planting and harvest. Unfortunately, that’s not the case in many regions of the world. A 2016 Yale University study finds seasonal hunger affects 300 million of the world’s rural poor.
Yale University says they’ve seen a 30-35% increase in food and non-food expenditures for households who accepted the incentive and sent a migrant to the city. In addition, 550-700 more calories are consumed per person per day under the program. This is the equivalent to an extra meal per person.
Let Girls Learn leverages public-private partnerships to provide safe access to schools, to help rebuild education systems, and to create alternative learning programs. The organization also trains thousands of volunteers and tens of thousands of community leaders to advance education and work with leaders on solutions to overcome these barriers.
myslantonlife 