Today is Black Friday, which is a busy day when it comes to giving to others. As a bit of a departure from our regular Friday Five, today we are going to encourage you to also think about those less fortunate during this season of giving. Here are five favorite charities to think about this year:
1.) Toys for Tots
Toys for Tots is almost 70 years old, having been founded in 1947 by a US Marine Corps reservist by the name of Major Bill Hendricks who was inspired to start up a way for people to give toys to children whose parents could not otherwise afford to buy presents.
The Toys for Tots campaign is still going strong. As of two years ago, the group had collected and distributed over 469 million toys to kids. Give a smile, and donate a toy to Toys for Tots.
2.) Got Your 6
US service veterans are uniquely qualified as leaders, team builders and problem solvers who can help strengthen their communities across the country. Got Your 6 brings together the nation’s leading veteran empowerment organizations to give veterans opportunities to serve in our communities.
Together with helping to change the common public perception of veterans as either heroic or broken, Got Your 6 can help our veterans to use their skills to improve our communities. You can help in a number of ways, many of which ask for a donation of your time rather than your money. OWC is a Presenting Sponsor of “Got Your 6” and has made Got Your 6 pins available for only $6 with 100 percent of the proceeds from sales going directly to GotYour6.org!
3.) The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus
OWC has a long-standing commitment to the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus. The Lennon Bus is a state-of-the-art mobile audio and HD video recording and production facility that provides young people with tours of the onboard studios and participation in free songwriting and multimedia production workshops.
With the assistance of three on-board engineers, students learn how to write, perform, record, and produce original songs, produce and shoot music videos and documentaries and complete a broadcast quality music video – all in one day!
Help keep the bus rolling, empowering kids to express themselves through music and video.
4.) Your Local Food Bank / Pantry
Although it is a wealthy country, the United States still has a number of people who are undernourished simply because they cannot afford the most basic staples of life — food. Wherever you may live, there is sure to be a food bank or public pantry where you can donate gifts of money, time and food so that nobody goes hungry.
You can find your local food bank through Feeding America, a network of food banks across the country.
5.) Whatever cause is most important to you
We’ve just listed a handful of organizations to think about for your holiday giving this year, but there are literally thousands of groups locally, nationally, and internationally that need your support to help others who aren’t as fortunate as you.
So while you’re busy spending money on gifts this year, remember to consider gifts that are going to have a long-lasting impact on making our world a better place!
