GivingTuesday 2021: Ways To Help Causes In Falls Church

FALLS CHURCH, VA — After a dayslong stretch of shopping and checking holiday gifts off your list, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving offers a moment for Americans to shift their focus to gratitude and giving back.

GivingTuesday, observed this year on Tuesday, Nov. 30, is a global movement to inspire hundreds of millions of people to not only give to their favorite charities and nonprofit groups, but also to recognize and celebrate the generosity of others.

GivingTuesday and its mission also falls effortlessly in with "30 Days Of Gratitude," a Patch series exploring the intentionality of gratitude and how it enriches our lives.

Living with gratitude goes beyond merely being thankful. It doesn't mean pretending bad things don't happen, but rather savoring the goodness, according to experts on the topic, including Robert Emmons, a University of California - Davis psychology professor who is known as the "father of gratitude."

In short, living with gratitude is "an affirmation of goodness" and a recognition of the good in the world as the source of our individual gifts, benefits and blessings.

Supporting A Local Organization

While GivingTuesday has gained momentum worldwide, there are plenty of organizations and causes to support right here in Falls Church. Here are a few organizations in Falls Church you can support this GivingTuesday:

• Northern Virginia Mental Health Foundation: Provide grants for goods or services for clients of the Fairfax Falls Church Community Services Board that are needed as part of the treatment plan when no other funds are available.
• Falls Church Homeless Shelter: The Friends of Falls Church Homeless Shelter is a nonprofit organization that began operations in January 1996. The organization was created to address the critical need for emergency housing in the community, especially during the winter months.
• VHC Medical Brigade: The humanitarian efforts of the VHC Medical Brigade address the immediate healthcare needs of the poor in Honduras, with a focus on creating sustainable change.
• Lions Club of Falls Church-Annandale: The Lions Club is one of the largest service organizations in the world.
• Falls Church McLean Children's Center: The Children's Center emphasizes the well-being of the whole child. The center helps children build the skills that they need for success in school and in life.
• Homestretch: The heart of HomeStretch's mission is helping homeless families get back on their feet and into permanent, sustainable housing.
• VFW Post 9274 - Falls Church: This VFW post's mission is to foster camaraderie among U. S. veterans of overseas conflicts, serve veterans and advocate on behalf of all veterans while supporting our local community.
• Lost Dog & Cat Rescue: Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation helps homeless pets find their way to loving homes through rescue and adoption.
• Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation: The Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation was founded in 1997 to preserve the early civil rights history of Falls Church and vicinity. The history of Tinner Hill is about civil rights, location, and a few brave people who defended the U.S Bill of Rights.
• Creative Cauldron: Creative Cauldron is a not-for-profit arts organization providing opportunities for learning and participation in the performing and visual arts for children and adults.

You can find suggestions of organizations to support from Great Nonprofits and the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce.

How You Can Give

You can participate in a number of ways on GivingTuesday, according to the movement's website.

Here are a few ideas:

Give time: Volunteer virtually from your home. Give your voice to help raise awareness for a local issue, lend your talents to a nonprofit who needs your expertise, or take an hour to call a senior who may be lonely. See more opportunities online.

Give support: GivingTuesday is locally led in more than 240 U.S. communities, networks and coalitions. Find organizations to support through your local GivingTuesday community movement.

Give gratitude: Thank your postal carrier, delivery driver and other essential workers. Write thank-you cards, post on social media, and share your appreciation for the people and organizations who are helping your community.

What Is GivingTuesday?

GivingTuesday was created in New York City in 2012 with a simple goal: to encourage people to do good. Over the past nine years, the idea has grown into the global movement it is today.

The goal of GivingTuesday is "radical generosity" — the concept that the suffering of others should be as intolerable to us as our own suffering, according to the movement's website.

And people are eager to give. Recent data shows that people are highly motivated to give in 2021 and are giving more in response to needs in their community and to causes they care about.

• Related: Opera Singer 'Died' But Lives On As Pianist: 30 Days Of Gratitude

A broad range of people and organizations participate in GivingTuesday, including families, nonprofits, schools, religious organizations, small businesses and corporations.

"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," GivingTuesday's website reads, "and everyone has something to give."