Skip the holiday shopping spree for a day next week and swap it for a ‘giving spree’ that can feel even better.
Giving Tuesday is celebrated the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, when charities, families, businesses, community centers, and students around the world will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give.
According to the folks at National Day Calendar, in 2012 the 92nd Street YMCA in New York City created Day of Giving to bring focus to the charitable season in the wake of the commercialized Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Now known as Giving Tuesday, National Day of Giving harnesses the power of social media to give back around the world and throughout the year.
GivingTuesday.org states that, while donations play a key role, it is about much more than fundraising.
“It’s a movement centered on generosity in all forms—volunteering, advocacy, acts of kindness, and community-building. Each year, millions of people participate by donating goods, sharing their skills, or using their voices to uplift causes they care about.
“It’s a simple idea: whether it’s making someone smile, helping a neighbor or stranger out, showing up for an issue or people we care about, or giving some of what we have to those who need our help, every act of generosity counts and everyone has something to contribute toward building the better world we all want to live in.”
It’s also looked at as a way to make final tax-deductible charitable donations before the end of the year. The amount raised worldwide has grown in a decade from $20 million to nearly $3 billion in 2024.
Here’s a short but non-comprehensive list of local organizations that impact lives throughout Osceola County — who could use your support — include: Help Now of Osceola; Hope Partnership; The Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida (including clubs in Kissimmee, Buenaventura Lakes and St. Cloud); The Salvation Army (as it looks to replace its firedestroyed Osceola center); Give Kids the World Village; Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida (reach out to Pantry Planters to be a local pantry and source for food for families); Ronald McDonald House.
Tuesday represents a chance to “Give the gift to keep on giving.”
