Walnut Creek Mayor Proclaims November 29, 2016 #GivingTuesday, Walnut Creek’s Day of Giving

Walnut Creek Mayor, Loella Haskew, has proclaimed November 29, 2016 #GivingTuesday in the city of Walnut Creek, encouraging all citizens to join together to give back to the community on the official Day of Giving. At a recent city council meeting, The Gardens at Heather Farm’s Board President, Joan Lucchese was in attendance to receive the proclamation from the mayor. The Gardens at Heather Farm, a Walnut Creek-based nonprofit, is participating in #GivingTuesday 2016 to raise funds to help engage our local youth with nature and bring science education to students in the community.

#GivingTuesday is a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of a unique blend of partners—charities, families, businesses, and individuals—to encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide. #GivingTuesday is held annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, this year—November 29, 2016, to kick-off the holiday giving season and to inspire people to take collaborative action to improve their local communities and to give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they support. Currently, more than 45,000 corporate and nonprofit organizations in over 71 countries have participated in the initiative.

Seeing an opportunity to channel the generous spirit of the holiday season and to inspire action around charitable giving, a group of friends and partners, led by the 92nd Street Y (92Y), came together to find ways to promote and celebrate the great American tradition of giving. Thought leaders in philanthropy, social media, and grassroots organizations joined with 92Y to explore what is working in modern philanthropy and how to expand these innovations throughout the philanthropic sector. “It’s been a privilege to work with remarkable leaders all over the country building a movement around #GivingTuesday,” said Henry Timms, 92Y’s Executive Director and founder of #GivingTuesday. “This initiative has truly been crowd-sourced by some of the smartest and most connected minds among the next generation of philanthropists and entrepreneurs.”

Based in Walnut Creek, The Gardens at Heather Farm operates a garden and education center designed to encourage children to spend quality time outdoors engaged with nature. In the past 25 years, the nonprofit organization has brought natural and environmental science programs to over 250,000 students, teachers and families pursuing its mission to inspire kids to explore the world around them through natural science classes and outdoor garden spaces.

Those who are interested in joining The Gardens at Heather Farm’s #GivingTuesday initiative can visit www.gardenshf.org or the Facebook page www.facebook.com/gardenshf. For more details about the #GivingTuesday movement, visit the #GivingTuesday website (www.givingtuesday.org), Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/GivingTuesday) or follow @GivingTues and the #GivingTuesday hashtag on social media.

About #GivingTuesday
#GivingTuesday is a movement to celebrate and provide incentives to give—the 2016 iteration will be held on November 29, 2016. This effort harnesses the collective power of a unique blend of partners—nonprofits, businesses and corporations as well as families and individuals—to transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season. #GivingTuesday inspires people to take collaborative action to improve their local communities, give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they celebrate and help create a better world. #GivingTuesday harnesses the power of social media to create a global movement dedicated to giving around the world. To learn more about #GivingTuesday participants and activities or to join the celebration of giving, please visit: Website: www.givingtuesday.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/GivingTuesday Twitter: twitter.com/GivingTues

About The Gardens at Heather Farm
The Gardens at Heather Farm (GHF) is an independent nonprofit organization which operates a six-acre public garden, education center and special event venue. A Certified Wildlife Habitat and Certified Green Business, GHF is self-supporting through memberships, fundraisers, grants, private donations, facility rentals and program fees. The mission is to enrich the community through the beauty and environmental stewardship of our gardens while providing educational programs and a variety of venues for social and cultural events.

Website: www.gardenshf.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/gardenshf
Twitter: www.twitter.com/gardenshf
Instagram: www.instagram.com/gardenshf