by Melanie O’Brien

As the holidays are upon us, talk turns easily to traditions. Everyone has fun stories of family gatherings, favorite recipes and favorite memories. The Thanksgiving tradition even includes whether or not you will participate in the sport known as “Black Friday” or you might test your shopping skills on “Cyber Monday” or both!  It is all part of the tradition….

But there is a movement underway that is enhancing Thanksgiving, and it’s surrounding days. It is quickly catching on as part of the tradition. It is called #GivingTuesday. Notice the hash tag is part of the name…it’s a social movement….with global impact. It’s pretty cool.

One of the great things about this effort is the amazing way nonprofits are working together. The competition for charitable dollars is big, but at our cores, we are all working to have a positive impact on our communities. So together, we are working to raise awareness of how communities can come together and have big impact. Many of us have a charity of choice (and hopefully if you are reading this, we are your charity of choice…or one them) and the purpose of #GivingTuesday is to encourage people to give back to their communities.

So after you have feasted with friends and family, and maybe saved big time, whether in stores or online, I hope you will consider making #GivingTuesday part of your tradition. And if you do, we would love to see your “unselfies” telling us why you give! You can find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram…we hope to see you there!