With the holidays just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to spread the giving spirit. Donating to charity is a great way to help people from all over the place. Here are five organizations to donate to during the holiday season.
If you’re a person who is into sports this is the charity for you. Hopey’s Heart was founded by WNBA player and UConn alum Tina Charles in 2013 after her aunt Maureen “Hopey” Vaz died of multiple organ failure. According to their website, “the foundation will host an AED Grant Program which will supply eligible schools or recreational centers with lifesaving AED equipment. The Hopey’s Heart Foundation was founded to prevent Sudden Cardiac Arrest from claiming the lives of promising student athletes like Wes Leonard.” Wes Leonard was a high school basketball player who died of sudden cardiac arrest after a game. If an AED had been on site, it would have saved his life. Donating to this charity allows children and athletes to have life-saving equipment on site and also teach them about CPR. These are important things that could help prevent many untimely deaths.
2.) Catch The Stars
This is a great charity to support if you love kids! Founded by former WNBA player Tamika Catchings, Catch the Stars’ mission is to “empower youth to achieve their dreams by providing goal-setting programs that promote literacy, fitness, and mentoring.” The charity has programs that include distributing backpacks and school supplies to school children and providing books to public schools. This is an excellent charity to donate to if you want to help children in need empower and motivate themselves.
If you are a person who loves pets this the perfect charity to donate to. According to their website, North Shore Animal League America is “the largest, most comprehensive no-kill rescue and adoption organization in the world, with more than 2,000 shelter partners across the country and around the globe.” Their mission is “Resue. Nurture. Adopt. Educate,” and they have been doing just that since their inception. They “adopt nearly 18,000 pets annually into responsible loving homes.” Donating to this charity helps homeless animals find wonderful forever homes.
4.) American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
If you are someone who believes strongly in education about mental health and suicide prevention then this is the charity for you. According to their website, AFSP is “finding better ways to prevent suicide, creating a culture that’s smart about mental health, and bringing hope to those affected by suicide.” AFSP also has cool merch that you can buy to help support their cause.
5.) Be The Match
If you are looking for a charity to donate to that is health related this is the one. According to their website, Be the Match “manages the largest and most diverse marrow registry in the world.” They raise funds to help people to afford a transplant (even if they have insurance), find a matching marrow donor for transplant, and combat developing complications that can keep a transplant out of reach. This helps fight so many different diseases at once – it’s incredible!