Giving Tuesday 2021: 5 Ways You Can Make an Impact

Happy Giving Tuesday everybody! November 30 marks the annual global celebration of generosity and one of our favorite days of the year. Fueled by compassion, this special Tuesday allows for people everywhere to come together through acts of kindness. Whether it’s donating unused toys or volunteering your time — Giving Tuesday is a fantastic reminder that we all have something to give & every act of generosity counts.

(Photo from GivingTuesday)

With that, let’s talk about how you can give back and make an impact. Giving Tuesday is an opportunity for you as a community leader to bring people together through generosity. Have a voice? Rally around a cause you support. Have time? Volunteer at your favorite nonprofit. There’s no shortage of ways you can spread kindness.

Here are a few to get you started:

Service Dog Giveaway – American Warrior Initiative (AWI)

Louise Thaxton, Director of the Military Mortgage Specialists at Fairway, and Sean Parnell, New York Times best-selling author of Man of War founded the American Warrior Initiative in 2015 to encourage, inspire, and support our nation's heroes. Today, they lead hundreds of give-back initiatives for our veterans — including grants, home upgrades, mortgage-free housing, and service dogs. 

Fairway Wholesale Lending, Fairway Independent Mortgage Company, and AWI have teamed up to deliver 65 service dogs to our deserving heroes (as of November 2021). With a goal of 100 service dogs — we are on track to provide 100 of our proud servicemembers with a sense of security and compassion all in the form of puppy dog eyes.

If you'd like to contribute to this growing initiative and serve those who served us:

DONATE HERE

The JED Foundation

Sprouted in 2000 within New York City, The Jed Foundation is a nonprofit that cherishes the emotional and mental health of our nation’s teens and young adults — giving them the skills and support they need to thrive in today’s world.

Over 4.8 million young adults attend schools that use JED programs and over 8 million people use JED programs to provide help for themselves or their loved ones. Whether it’s navigating emotional challenges or facing/managing anxiety and depression — The JED Foundation offers the tools, resources, and communities to build up our youngsters.

If you contribute to The JED Foundation on Giving Tuesday, they will double your donation!

DONATE HERE

Volunteer at Your Community Food Bank

Whether through your local food bank or through the Feeding America nationwide network of food banks — volunteering your time will greatly impact your community. With COVID-19 and the rise of unemployment, food insecurity soared. In 2020, over 60 million people turned to food banks to help them put food on the table. Volunteering your time or donating to this cause is a tremendous way to make an impact in your community.

If you’d like to find your nearest food bank, click here.

If you’d like to contribute to Feeding America, donate here.

Toys for Tots

With Christmas around the corner, what better day to gift our less fortunate children than on Giving Tuesday? Toys for Tots offers virtual toy giving, literacy programs, and plenty of youth-inspired programs. Children all over the country are needing a little hope right now — why not be the one to give it to them?

To find your local Toys for Tots campaign, click here.  

To contribute to Toys for Tots, donate here.

To donate a Virtual toybox, click here.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital  

St.  Jude Children’s Research Hospital has helped push the childhood cancer survival rate from 20% (when they opened) to more than 80% today! Donating to St. Jude’s can make an enormous impact not only on the children but the world. St. Jude Children’s Hospital shares every breakthrough in cancer research they make — meaning doctors and scientists around the world can use that knowledge to save thousands more. Whether you’d like to donate, send a card, or create a fund — you can make an impact.

To contribute to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital:

DONATE HERE