As we drift slowly into fall, with the Words Alive programs in full swing in over 130 classrooms across San Diego County, we begin to turn our attention to the holidays. The United States' ability to shop and spend has given significant attention to the “shopping” days immediately following Thanksgiving: Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. We would like to introduce you to one more day after the Thanksgiving holiday that helps our communities – #GivingTuesday.
Defined with social media’s ever-present hashtag, #GivingTuesday is a global giving movement that has been built by individuals, families, organizations, businesses, and communities in all 50 states and around the world. This year, #GivingTuesday falls on November 28th and harnesses the collective power of a unique blend of partners to transform how people think about, talk about, and participate in the giving season. It inspires people to take collective action to improve their communities, give back to the charities and causes they believe in, and help create a better world. #GivingTuesday demonstrates how every act of generosity counts, and that these acts mean even more when we give together.
Words Alive works together with more than 500 volunteers, donors, teachers, administrators, and families, who know what collaborating and coming together means to make reading matter for thousands of children and young people every day. It is in this spirit of collaboration that #GivingTuesday was born. #GivingTuesday is a new way of linking individuals and causes to strengthen communities.
Words Alive is close to completing its initial 1,000-day Read for Life campaign, with a little more than $100,000 left to raise, and we’d like to do that by the end of the year. This fall, we encourage our community, in the spirit of #GivingTuesday and the entire giving season, to consider joining together to make a contribution, to consider becoming a volunteer, and to consider becoming a partner with Words Alive to ensure that every child has the opportunity to live and thrive in a literacy-rich environment.
We hope you keep an eye out for the growing presence of #GivingTuesday and heed the call to action that will change the way we spend around the holidays. Let’s all take a moment to celebrate a time dedicated to giving back.
Share your #UNselfie with us using this template. Take a selfie and tell us why you are supporting Words Alive this #GivingTuesday. Don't forget to tag @WordsAlive (Facebook) and @WordsAliveSD (Twitter, Instagram).