Lydia Birk
By Lydia Birk
United Way of Anderson County 2014 Campaign Chair
You might recognize them, four special days that have grown up around Thanksgiving.
Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, “Cyber” Monday, and Giving Tuesday all start with Thanksgiving, a day when all Americans reflect on family and give thanks for their many blessings.
On Black Friday, Americans turn their attention to shop for great deals to stretch out those blessings; Small Business Saturday, we are all asked to support our locally owned small business; and Cyber Monday, Americans are all clicking away online for that Christmas bargain.
#Giving Tuesday is new, only three years old now. Americans everywhere are asked to consider sharing a little of their blessings with organizations that can turn their small gift into large rewards.
For 57 years, the United Way of Anderson County has been the premier organization for taking a multitude of small gifts and turning them into fortunes for our community, so we all benefit. On #Giving Tuesday, those who choose to support their charity got the reward of knowing the world is a little better off because they gave. The United Way of Anderson County can multiply that same rewarding feeling from one to 365 days per year. Pretty good return on investment, huh?
When you choose to have a few dollars taken from each paycheck and planted in United Way, you earn that same reward every day of the year. The reward of knowing Anderson County Community Action Coalition’s Green Thumb program invests $4,000 from all your individual gifts and grows that into more than $67,000 of fresh, healthy produce for our community. And when UWAC combines your gifts, the Norwood Boys and Girls Club ensures 40-50 children have a safe, supervised place to be after school each day; the Emory Valley Dental Clinic treats more than 300 patients who otherwise would suffer from their broken tooth.
Let’s start one more special hashtag: #Give Everyday through United Way of Anderson County. If you don’t have a United Way Campaign at your workplace, ask for one. Or give directly with PayPal at our website at www.uwayac.org or call us at (865) 483-8431.
Together, our small gifts can grow and multiply into big positive impacts for our community.
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