GivingTuesday- Family Violence Prevention Month 2022
“Funders, donors, volunteers, influencers, government officials, community leaders, decision-makers, community members, service providers, educational and healthcare providers, the neighbour across the street, family, friends, and the person in the mirror are all part of the journey towards better days for someone who is in danger, in need, alone, and scared. Each of us plays a role in the outcome.”
On Tuesday, November 29 we celebrated GivingTuesday.
GivingTuesday is a global movement utilizing the generosity of others to spark change in our communities. Beginning in 2012 (10 YEARS of GivingTuesday) as a day encouraging people to do good, the idea caught on, spreading across the world and inspiring millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. As it is today, GivingTuesday has collaborations and active movements in 80 different countries, working year-round to inspire thoughtful giving.
Here are a few quick facts about GivingTuesday:
47 local community movements across Canada
600 lbs of donated food to help the hungry
24 turkeys donated to families in need
800 ducks sponsored in wetland conservation
464 scouts who’ve participated in acts of kindness
over $43.6 million donated online in Canada in 2021
51 puppies/dogs rescued
7 new prosthetic limbs for amputees in need
1.2 billion media impressions in Canada
Your Impact
At The Today Centre, your generosity this GivingTuesday has allowed us to continue to provide hope to those in hopeless situations. Your gift truly means the world to us and we appreciate your kindness in thinking of us as a local non-profit in your community. Because of you we can continue to help those experiencing family violence and grant them a safe place to share their story, be directed towards further help, be listened to and believed, and also to start the process towards keeping themselves safe (remember, tiny acts of resistance are still resistance!).
The Today Centre exists because of people and organizations like you who want to help others live a safe and healthy life free from family violence. The support you provide gives us the ability to empower our clients and provide them with what they require, based on their own unique needs.
GivingTuesday isn’t also just a day. The inspiration for helping others continues worldwide all year round, encouraging people to do good in their communities. Because of this, we also recognize those who think of us all year, donating to our Christmas baskets, volunteering for an event, financially giving, and more. Your kindness inspires us to keep doing the work we do.
Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.
Ways to give
There are so many ways to give beyond monetary funds. At The Today Centre, we appreciate and value any kind of giving and there are a variety of ways to do that.
Some of the ways you can take action for the well-being of victims of family violence include:
Donate new and/or unused gift cards to local services like grocery stores, restaurants, transportation (Uber, LRT, taxi, bus), or recreational activities. Our clients are always in need of gift cards that allow them some financial freedom in choosing food for themselves, getting somewhere, or entertaining themselves. With gift cards our clients are able to exercise some level of independence and relief from abuse.
Donating unused and unopened goods like hygiene items (combs, shampoo, soap), diapers, undergarments (socks/underwear for men, women, tweens, and children), or sanitary products (pads, tampons, wipes). Often clients have little to no access to desperately needed personal items or have left their homes with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Donating goods can help provide dignity to a client who may not have anything.
Hosting a fundraiser/awareness event for The Today Centre. We love to collaborate with businesses on events that either utilize educational workshops to raise awareness or are fundraisers for The Today Centre. Seeing your creativity is always a blessing!
Offering gifts of product and service items (and the labour to install) to help clients in need of safety, home repairs, etc. (ex. moving assistance, home repairs, security systems, etc.)
Donating in-kind goods to events/fundraisers. We often utilize raffles or auction items at events and appreciate donations for those. Or you can also donate items we can use as thank yous for our event volunteers and planning committee.
Volunteer your time at an event. We have a variety of events over the year that we always need volunteers for. Whether that is being a part of our events committee, sitting at a booth, helping us set up, connecting us with potential partners, or more! Nothing beats a volunteer giving up their time and resources to love on their community. P.S check out our events page for some ways you could volunteer with us in the future and keep your eye on December 5th which is international volunteer day!
Monetary donations are always appreciated and help us keep the lights on for what we do. We offer clients emotional counselling, risk assessments, safety planning, and resource connection. Because of you we are able to continue providing these services (and more) to those experiencing family violence in our Edmonton (and area) community.
Giving is also tax deductible! Not only do you support a good cause, you also receive a secondary benefit yourself.
“At the end of the day, we are all in this together and connected in one way or another. By helping one, we help us all. Making an impact does not have to be doing something huge…it just has to have a positive effect on those that need to feel its weight most of all. In this line of work, impacts occur every single day. Some you see and feel and others you do not, but they are always there making a difference and changing lives.”
resources:
GivingTuesday Website
The Today Centre Ways To Give webpage
Canada Helps.org our donor database