Keep #GivingTuesday Going

By Kate Hayden | khayden@charlescitypress.com

Giving Tuesday doesn’t get nearly the amount of credit that it deserves. I know this, because I personally had completely forgotten about it until I checked Twitter on Tuesday morning.

Thankfully, Twitter didn’t forget, and neither did the journalists and communicators swirling across my feed. I tend to find journalists are some of the more compassionate people clicking through the web. Maybe I’m biased (I am), but I also think it’s hard to cover stories about so many different people without learning how to tap into empathy for so many different struggles.

That being said, there are scores of examples of compassion right here in Floyd County, Iowa. I introduced you to a whole class of these fine people when I wrote on Nov. 17 about Vivian Soifer, 8, who asked her second-grade classmates to “do something kind” for someone else, instead of bringing birthday presents to her party. I’ve watched landscaping business employees fill up sandbags to protect their clients’ homes from floodwaters at no cost, and I’ve met parents who turned to adoption, changing the lives of their families for the better.

So I’m not here to guilt anyone into being compassionate. I’ve seen a lot of examples of love in this county through my job. Of course, I could just be an eternal optimist (I am). But I don’t believe Tuesday should be the only day we flood Twitter, or our community, with hashtags of kindness accompanied by physical sacrifice –– sending dollars or volunteer hours to support the organizations that change lives in our communities.

I’m not going to list every deserving organization in our county –– that could likely be it’s own story –– but I’d like to share a few local, statewide and international organizations that I believe deserve your attention. For your own records, ask for receipts of your donations for tax season.

If you know of someone doing great work you’d like to see recognized, send me an email at khayden@charlescitypress.com with the subject line “Floyd County Gives”. Or tweet me: @xkatehayden with the hashtag #FloydCoGives. Or tweet it to the void. Let’s keep it running through December –– I’d love to share these stories with you, in print and online.

Looking to give? Try these organizations.

For Art and Culture:

The Charles City Arts Center –– 641-228-6284

Floyd County Community Foundation –– cfneia.org; 319-287-9106

Iowa Arts Council –– iowaculture.gov/arts

For Need:

Messiahs Food Pantry –– call Pastor Debra Lincoln (641-257-1119)

The Salvation Army, Charles City –– call Susan Grant (228-2109) or Cathy Hall (228-7206)

Proud Parents Association (Hosts Back to School Bash, Charles City) –– proudparentassociation@yahoo.com

Ethnic Minorities of Burma Advocacy and Resource Center –– embarciowa.org; 319-382-0954 (Waterloo office)

For Education and Information:

The Charles City Community Excellence in Education Foundation –– 641-257-6510

The Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism –– iowawatch.org

Iowa Public Radio –– iowapublicradio.org

For Crisis Action:

Crisis Intervention Service –– cishelps.org; 641-423-0490 (Mason City office)

American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa –– aclu-iowa.org; 515-243-3576 (Des Moines)

Doctors Without Borders –– doctorswithoutborders.org