Today is Giving Tuesday, it’s a day to recognize there are many unmet needs in the world and I hope you’ll join me in finding ways to give back today and help support others. I also wanted to share with you how my family has been giving back in 2020.
While I love that there’s a large movement encouraging everyone to get together and give back on this day, I urge you to look at ways you can give back more than just once a year. I also discuss this in my 2020 Hanukkah Guide – The eighth night’s activity suggestion is to discuss as a family the importance of giving back and helping others. Then decide together on a charity or cause to donate to for the holiday season – and create a plan for giving regularly in the new year.
A few months ago I decided to start doing a weekly donation on Fridays to honor Shabbat and to acknowledge the Jewish values of Tzedakah and Tikkun Olam. Tzedakah is a Hebrew word meaning “righteousness” but is often used to signify charity as a moral obligation. Tikkun Olam is a concept of committing acts of kindness in order to repair the world.
More on Tzedakah and Tikkun Olam at these links:
Tikkun Olam: Repairing the World
In Sunday School, we would make Tzedakah boxes to keep at home and fill with any leftover change we’d find throughout the week and then bring them in on Sundays to give to our Synagogue to then donate to various local charities. This tradition has stuck with me and helped me remember that no matter what, I can always find some way to give. Maybe I can’t always give money, but I can call a friend and offer to help them with something in their home – or I can donate canned goods to a local shelter. I can give blood, I can donate my time. There are so many ways to give back, I wanted to commit to finding a way to do something every week.
My goal was not only to give back, but to inspire others to do something to give as well. I truly believe the more we all give the better our world will be.
In hopes that you will be inspired to either make a donation or find another way to give, I’ve included a list (with links) of a majority of the organizations I’ve made donations to in some form this year.
I want to note a few organizations listed here are very personal to me, and some were suggested by friends and family. I’m always looking for more suggestions so please comment below with any organizations that are important to you and I will add them to my donation list!
Adult Congenital Heart Association (ACHA)
“The mission of the Adult Congenital Heart Association is to improve and extend the lives of the millions born with heart defects through education, advocacy and research.”
The ACHA is very personal to me, every year they host a heart Walk for 1 in 100 – referring to the fact that 1 in every 100 people is born with a congenital heart defect.
I walk and support the ACHA for my father who was born with a congenital heart defect – He just had surgery in January for Mitral valve prolapse repair and to repair a hole between his heart chambers.
I also walk and support the ACHA in loving memory of my good friend Andrew, who passed away after losing a life-long battle with his congenital heart defect. He was only 30 years old. Andrew went through 7 open heart surgeries during the course of his short life, but every year he was a team leader for the Heart Walk. His friends and family work with the ACHA to spread awareness and raise funds for research each year.
National Perinatal Association
“Our shared purpose is to give voice to the needs of pregnant people, infants, their families, and their healthcare providers so that collectively we can have the greatest positive impact on perinatal care in the United States. NPA seeks to promote evidence-based practices in perinatal care.”
Postpartum Support International
“The mission of Postpartum Support International is to promote awareness, prevention and treatment of mental health issues related to childbearing in every country worldwide.”
The National Perinatal Association and Postpartum Support International are both personal to me as I’ve struggled with postpartum depression and anxiety, PTSD from birth trauma and subsequent NICU and medical trauma.
These organizations help parents through perinatal mood & anxiety disorders and work to improve perinatal care for babies and parents. They work to help parents like me – and give those parents the support they need.
Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC)
“The mission of RMHC is to create, find, and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children and their families.”
RMHC’s work really touched me. During my daughter’s NICU stay we kept running into another NICU dad who was usually coming and going or taking breaks at the same time as us. He was always so friendly and would greet us happily every time we ran into each other. His son was born with many challenges and they were going to be in the NICU for quite a while. He mentioned that he and his wife live more than an hour and a half away from the hospital, but that the Ronald McDonald house was putting them up to stay close by and help them with some of the cost burden of their NICU stay. I thought about how lucky we were to live close enough to the hospital that it wasn’t so difficult to drive there every day. I thought about how lucky we were to have good health insurance through Mark’s work that covered Maeve’s NICU stay. I had no idea that the RMHC did these things to help parents in our situation who were not as lucky.
“Since our founding in 1913, ADL has worked tirelessly to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.”
“We The Protesters is a national organization focused on ending racism and police violence in the United States. Since 2015, we’ve built the most comprehensive database of police violence in the nation, used the data to identify effective policy solutions and supported movement organizers to enact these policies at every level of government.”
“NYC Together places youth at the center of its work and leverages their strengths to reimagine solutions to community based problems, lessening the need for traditional law enforcement interventions.”
“The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25.”
“Our mission is to provide lifesaving medical care to those most in need. All MSF members agree to honor the following principles: MSF provides assistance to populations in distress, to victims of natural or man-made disasters, and to victims of armed conflict.”
“The mission of The Women’s Center is to significantly improve the mental health and well-being of all members of the community through counseling, education, support, and advocacy.”
“The American Cancer Society’s mission is to save lives, celebrate lives, and lead the fight for a world without cancer”
“Our mission is to end needless euthanasia by having our cats & dogs spayed and neutered … to find suitable lifetime homes for our cats & dogs with loving adopters … to educate potential adopters on issues such as sterilization, declawing, and behavioral problems.”
“The Black Trans Travel Fund is a grassroots, Black Trans led Collective, providing Black transgender women with financial and material resources needed to remove barriers to self-determining and accessing safer travel options.”
Loudoun Abused Women’s Shelter
“The mission of Loudoun Citizens for Social Justice/ Loudoun Abused Women’s Shelter (LAWS) is to provide victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse with safety, hope and empowerment services to live as survivors free from the effects of violence. LAWS’ vision statement is as follows: We envision a community that is free of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse.”
Friends of Loudoun County Animal Shelter
“Our mission is to provide support, and funding for the programs and animals at Loudoun County Animal Shelter. Our work provides supplemental funds in order to support programs and treatments that would otherwise be out of reach for our shelter under budgetary constraints. In partnership with our shelter, Loudoun County Animal Services, FLCAS is dedicated to providing a high standard of care for the animals in the shelter’s care.”
“Our mission is to feed America’s hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger.”
“United World Schools’ mission is to improve, through education, life opportunities for some of the world’s poorest children living in remote and marginalized communities.”
Other ways to give
Mark and I gave blood a few weeks ago, it’s a simple and easy way to give back and help others. Search online to find a local blood drive/donor center near you!
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
As huge supporters and patrons of the arts, my husband and I are members of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Our membership supports their artistic and educational programming while giving us a few member benefits.
Another easy way to give is supporting the PBS Foundation. We set up a simple donation schedule with them to make sure we support their educational initiatives and projects.
You can also support businesses and brands that give back regularly or donate a portion of their profits to charity or meaningful causes. There are SO MANY OPTIONS out there, it just takes a little research and the willingness to do it.
Remember, there are many ways to give back. Find what works for you and try to give however you can. Together we can repair the world.
xoxo
Miss Mariss
MissMariss 