Giving Back In Crystal Lake, Cary On GivingTuesday

CRYSTAL LAKE AND CARY, IL — After a days-long stretch of shopping and checking holiday gifts off your list, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving offers a moment to pause. It’s a day set aside for Crystal Lake and Cary residents to focus on gratitude and giving back.

GivingTuesday, observed this year on Nov. 30, is a global movement to inspire hundreds of millions of people to not only give, but to recognize and celebrate the generosity of others.

GivingTuesday and its mission also falls effortlessly in with "30 Days Of Gratitude," a Patch series exploring the intentionality of gratitude and how it enriches our lives.

Living with gratitude goes beyond merely being thankful. It doesn't mean pretending bad things don't happen, but rather savoring the goodness, according to experts on the topic, including Robert Emmons, a University of California - Davis psychology professor who is known as the "father of gratitude."

In short, living with gratitude is "an affirmation of goodness" and a recognition of the good in the world as the source of our individual gifts, benefits and blessings.

Gratitude is not singularly focused, Emmons said in a YouTube video for the Greater Good Science Center, but rather recognizes that the sources of goodness are other people who "gave us many gifts, big and small, to help us achieve the goodness in our lives."

What Is GivingTuesday?

GivingTuesday was created in New York City in 2012 with a simple goal: to encourage people to do good. Over the past nine years, the idea has grown into the global movement it is today.

The goal of GivingTuesday is “radical generosity” — the concept that the suffering of others should be as intolerable to us as our own suffering, according to the movement’s website.

And people are eager to give. Recent data shows that people are highly motivated to give in 2021 and are giving more in response to needs in their community and to causes they care about.

• Related: Opera Singer ‘Died’ But Lives On As Pianist: 30 Days Of Gratitude

A broad range of people and organizations participate in GivingTuesday, including families, nonprofits, schools, religious organizations, small businesses and corporations.

“Whether it’s making someone smile, helping a neighbor or stranger out, showing up for an issue or people we care about, or giving some of what we have to those who need our help, every act of generosity counts,” GivingTuesday’s website reads, “and everyone has something to give.”

Supporting A Local Organization

While GivingTuesday has gained momentum worldwide, there are plenty of organizations and causes to support right here in Crystal Lake and Cary.

Use this space to highlight 2-3 organizations who will participate in GivingTuesday this year. Why do they do it? What is so special about this day compared to others? Etc.

Prefer to give to another cause? Here are a few other organizations you can support this GivingTuesday:

Crystal Lake Food Pantry, 42 East Street, Crystal Lake

Cary-Grove Food Pantry, 8901 Cary-Algonuin Road, Cary

Habitat for Humanity McHenry County, 5141 Bull Valley Road, McHenry

It's All About Kids, P. O. Box 2373, Crystal Lake

GiGi's Playhouse McHenry County, 5404 W. Elm Street, Suite A, McHenry

United Way of Greater McHenry County, 4508 Prime Parkway, McHenry

Pioneer Center for Human Services, 4031 W. Dayton St., McHenry

The Community Foundation for McHenry County, 33 E Woodstock Street, Crystal Lake

Home of the Sparrow, Inc., 4209 W. Shamrock Lane, Unit B, McHenry

CASA of McHenry County, 630 N. State Route 31, Unit #101, Crystal Lake

Youth and Family Center of McHenry County, 3430 W Elm St., McHenry

The Salvation Army - Crystal Lake Corp., 290 W. Crystal Lake Avenue, Crystal Lake

How You Can Give

You can participate in a number of ways on GivingTuesday, according to the movement’s website. Here are a few ideas:

Give time: Volunteer virtually from your home. Give your voice to help raise awareness for a local issue, lend your talents to a nonprofit who needs your expertise, or take an hour to call a senior who may be lonely. See more opportunities online.

Give support: GivingTuesday is locally led in more than 240 U.S. communities, networks and coalitions. Find organizations to support through your local GivingTuesday community movement.

Give gratitude: Thank your postal carrier, delivery driver and other essential workers. Write thank-you cards, post on social media, and share your appreciation for the people and organizations who are helping your community.