'Tis the season to Give Back
Betsy J. Walker
SVP of Marketing @Cranium - Securing the AI Revolution | Team and Pipeline Builder | Board Member
It’s the season for decorated trees, twinkling lights, larger-than-normal credit card bills (yikes!), and spending time with friends and family to celebrate the joy of the holidays. I look forward to it all (minus the credit card bill), but I also look forward to giving – of charitable donations, of my time, and of my heart during this special time of the year.
One of the charities that I support throughout the year is the Gary Sinise Foundation , who just hosted over 1,800 family members of fallen military heroes for five days of healing and pure joy at their annual Disney in December event. It’s a wonderful organization who does so much for veterans, first-responders, and their families... but giving back is not only about giving financially; there are so many other ways you can give. You can volunteer your time at your local homeless shelter, food bank or other local nonprofit, which are wonderful ways to give back, but have you thought about other ways, more Human-to-Human (#h2h) ways, that you could give back?
For example, maybe you stop by an elderly neighbor’s house with a holiday card or bag of sweets just to say hello… or call an old friend or relative, someone that you haven’t spoken to or see in a long time, just to tell them you are thinking of them… perhaps send handwritten cards to your employees and/or co-workers, letting them know you appreciate them. I still handwrite my Christmas cards every year, with added personalized notes (sometimes even writing in cursive!), to mail to friends and relatives, many that I have not seen or spoken with in (too) many years. Sure, it takes time and would be much easier to order cards online and have them automatically shipped to anyone and everyone on my list, but where’s the personal connection in that? Maybe I’m a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas cards. :)
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What other ways do you give back during the holidays, or all throughout the year? Would love to hear your stories as they help inspire me, and others who may read this, to give back more.
Happy Holidays & wishing you the BEST year ahead in 2023!
Strategic Full Spectrum Marketer | Demand Gen Creator | External Comms and Social Media Strategist| DEI Ambassador | Employer Branding Project Leader | Digital & Analytics Geek | Excel Pivot Table Lover
2 年I love this Betsy - a lovely way to give back. In the UK we have lots of giving trees in supermarkets or local shopping places that have a tag on them and you can pick one and buy a disadvantaged child a present. I usually do this to give back to the local community. Also in the past I have brought my Niece's and Nephew sponsorships for the WWF for an animal and I just pay each month to help with keeping them in existence and the kids get a information pack and a toy quarterly which is always nice to receive in the post. We sponsor Giraffes, Orangutangs, Tigers, Elephant. lol. Happy Holidays.
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2 年This is so important Betsy and something I try to do with my kids every season to refocus them on what is really important. As a family we once collected over 700 pairs of socks as part of Socks for Santa, another year we collected over 170 bottles of sunscreen & 140 bottled waters as part of a Code Red for Phoenix Rescue Mission during the hot Summer months here in Arizona. It's amazing how excited my kids get to help others. Also, thanks for keeping cursive alive. :) HAPPY HOLIDAYS.