Giving Back On GivingTuesday In Oak Lawn: 30 Days Of Gratitude

OAK LAWN, 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 Oak Lawn 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.

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 Oak Lawn.

Park Lawn
10833 S. LaPorte Ave.
5040 W. 111th St. (vocational services)

Christmas Without Cancer
PO Box 628, Oak Lawn
How to help

The COURAGE Programs
Our Lady At St. Germaine
9711 S. Kolin Ave., Oak Lawn
How to help

Live Like Abby
John McNicholas Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation
9007 S Leavitt St., Chicago

Project Fire Buddies Oak Lawn Chapter
15811 Central Ave, Oak Forest
How to help

Society of St. Vincent de Paul Chicago
12731 S. Wood St., Blue Island
How to help