Today is #GivingTuesday! Here’s a great description of #GivingTuesday:
We have a day for giving thanks. We have two for getting deals. Now, we have #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back. On Tuesday, December 2, 2014, charities, families, businesses, community centers, and students around the world will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give.
It’s a simple idea. Just find a way for your family, your community, your company or your organization to come together to give something more. Then tell everyone you can about how you are giving. Join us and be a part of a global celebration of a new tradition of generosity.
I love, love, love the idea that Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which are about consumerism and competition, are now followed by a day that refocuses our attention on generosity, kindness, and community.
Our new picture book Lend a Hand: Poems About Giving is a collection of poems about different ways to help others, so in honor of #GivingTuesday, here’s a list of our favorite ways to lend a hand:
10 Ways to Lend a Hand (click for full-size image)
You can:
- Share Your Snack
- Visit a Senior Center or Nursing Home
- Grow Your Hair Out to Donate
- Teach a Skill
- Clean Things Up
- Share the Music
- Plant a Tree
- Offer Your Seat
- Write a Letter to a Soldier
- Start the Pay-It-Forward Chain
There are many different nonprofit organizations that have #GivingTuesday programs where your donation will be matched, and many more organizing volunteering outings tomorrow. Visit the #GivingTuesday website for lots of ways to participate. For more ideas about giving, check out Lend a Hand by John Frank, illustrated by London Ladd:
What’s your favorite way to lend a hand, on #GivingTuesday and every day?
