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Opinion: Save the holiday season with giving

Truth Be Told

Posted online

This holiday season will look and feel foreign in many ways. The traditional gatherings are on hold and, for many, the joy typically felt this time of year is weighed down with the challenges of the past nine months.

But let’s not write off the season too fast.

The lessons reinforced for me in 2020 – gratitude for the basics of health, family, friends, a home and a steady paycheck – are what will carry me through. And one of the basics of the holiday season is giving, to the ones we love and the causes we care about. That part of the season is not gone, and in many ways, our community needs us this year more than ever.

So, yes, please cancel the in-person company Christmas party and keep your employees safe. But don’t sacrifice culture. This year, use those funds you would have spent to rally together around a cause. If you don’t have a preferred charity to support or are looking for something extra, here are five gift ideas:

1. Gift of Warmth

As I’ve learned through The Mystery Hour’s “The Great Warm-A-Thon” campaign, hand warmers can literally be a lifesaver to our neighbors who are homeless. The GoFundMe fundraiser is collecting money for The Connecting Grounds. The goal of $25,000 would allow the ministry to provide six to eight HotHands to each person, per night at a wholesale cost. As the fundraiser explains, cold weather shelters only open when it is 32 degrees or colder, and with COVID-19 restrictions, there is simply not enough room in shelters to house everyone who needs it.

On the GoFundMe campaign website, The Connecting Grounds Pastor Christie Love explains: “Having the ability to give out six to eight pairs (of HotHands) per person, per night is crucial to help vulnerable individuals maintain their core body temperature.”

Everyone deserves to be warm.

2. Gift of Tech

On Giving Tuesday, The Geek Foundation and the Drew Lewis Foundation announced campaigns to expand technology offerings to the communities they serve.

Drew Lewis Foundation is raising funds to open a computer lab at The Fairbanks in northwest Springfield. According to the Facebook fundraiser, “Providing children and adults in need with a safe environment to be productive and get the online resources they need that might not be available at home is our top priority.”

The Geek Foundation is also collecting funds on Facebook. These funds will go to “train more geeks,” which is awesome. “Every donation helps to help us start our new training programs in areas of graphic design, web development, video game development, 3D printing and video production.”

That’s a gift that keeps on giving, as an investment in people and skills.

3. Gift of Learning

Local nonprofit Ujima Language & Literacy’s vision is to build “literacy skills and social capital based on a unique community-based model that leverages the rich legacy of our culturally diverse community.”

It was started by Shurita Thomas-Tate, a Missouri State University professor and Springfield Public Schools board member. I interviewed her for Springfield Business Journal’s podcast, No Ceiling, and I loved the visual she gave about the nonprofit’s work: Building libraries across the community.

Kids are spending more time at home than ever before, and reading is one way kids can explore the world from the comfort of their couch. A donation to Ujima pays for literacy programing and purchasing diverse children’s books.

4. Gift of Thanks

Both Springfield hospitals are accepting meal donations for employees. It’s an easy and tangible way to say thank you to these literal heroes in our community, while also supporting a local restaurant. Health system officials say the donations are a big morale boost for employees.

There are restrictions on packaging and food cannot be homemade, so contact Kelley at CoxHealth, 417-269-3103, and Marci at Mercy, 417-820-9855, to learn more.

5. Gift of Time

If your business was hit hard this year, a monetary donation is not the only way to make an impact. There are countless great organizations that would love your donation of time.

One COVID-friendly (outdoors!) idea is to Adopt-A-Street. The city program began in 1989 and requires individuals or groups to adopt a minimum half-mile of street and pick up litter at least three times a year. There are more than 75 stretches of road available to be sponsored, according to the city website. It’s a simple way to keep our city beautiful while team building.

No matter how you chose to distribute your resources, let’s make giving a priority this season.

Springfield Business Journal Features Editor Christine Temple can be reached at ctemple@sbj.net.

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