By Winkie Motley with Contributer Lizzie Rives
Giving Tuesday kicked off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving. Between the holiday party frenzy and the nonstop shopping, it feels good to give back during the holiday season. You don’t have to donate money in order to help; there are organizations that are willing to take new items, homemade ones, and just about every one of your no-longer-used objects lying around the house. With locations around the country, these charities work hard to help those in need not only at Christmas, but all year round. Please consider kicking off your holiday giving season with a gift to a one of the local charities listed below or a special charity of your choice.
Considering a donation to The Piedmont Environmental Council. Your contribution will help sustain the organization and help keep the Piedmont a wonderful place to live and work. With a donation of $35 or more you will also become a PEC member or renew your existing membership. Please contact Karen Hunsberger Adam at [email protected] or 540-347-2334 x7001 with any questions related to your donation or if you would like to target your gift towards a particular program.
Caring and generosity make it possible for the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA to continue its life-saving work. Thanks to friends like you, since 2005, they have maintained one of the few No Kill communities in the entire nation. But their job is far from over. There are still pets in need. Some are simply lost, others can no longer be kept by their owners, many have been abandoned, and a few need life-saving medical attention. No gift is too small or too big. Some choices for donating money include a one-time gift, a monthly recurring gift, a gift in memory/honor of a pet or person, a legacy gift, sponsor-a-pet, adopt-a-kennel or purchasing a memorial brick. For further information contact www.caspca.org.
There are many ways to give to Habitat for Humanity of Charlottesville, and one of those is to provide financial support. Your gifts in support of their local mission are a critical part of enabling them to address the local affordable housing crisis and support hard-working local families. The money you invest in assisting a Partner Family today keeps giving year after year. That is because Habitat has a unique funding model, the Fund for Humanity, which combines a wide variety of sources of support to pursue their core mission of building homes and community. Their successful Partner Families become homeowners who make monthly payments, generating funds that go directly toward building additional homes. For further information: [email protected] or call 434-293-9066.
Your gift to the Monticello Annual Fund will significantly aid in the enhancement and stewardship of Jefferson’s Monticello—the only home in America recognized by the United Nations as a World Heritage Site—one of the world’s greatest cultural treasures. By giving to the Monticello Annual Fund, you will help them share Jefferson’s ideas and ideals with people around the world and support the continued preservation of one of the world’s most recognizable and admired buildings. For further information: https://www.monticello.org/.
Charitable gifts from generous donors allow Montpelier to open the doors every day to visitors, students, scholars, and international leaders from emerging democracies. As a partner in their mission, support from donors like you helps Montpelier bring to life the character of one of our most indispensable founders. Your gift honors James and Dolley Madison and shares their legacy with the nation and the world. Like most of our suggestions, the Montpelier Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and your charitable gift is fully eligible for tax deductions. If you have a question about making a gift to Montpelier, please contact [email protected] or call (540) 661-0253.
The Little Keswick Foundation for Special Education has several methods of making contributions to the Foundation that will enable the donor to enjoy personal financial benefits while supporting the Little Keswick Foundation’s mission to support children who experience learning disabilities and/or emotional behavior issues. Gifts may be in the form of cash, appreciated securities, life insurance, real estate, or deferred. For further information contact the Little Keswick Foundation for Special Education — www.lkfse.org.
Like all Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation facilities, Montpelier Farm receives absolutely no public funding. Every bale of hay, quart of grain, halter, horseshoe, and vaccination is made possible by generous donors. Your tax-deductible contribution of any size will go toward helping retired all TRF horses, including those living at Montpelier Farm. They happily accept donations of supplies and services.Sponsoring a permanent resident at Montpelier makes a wonderful gift for someone special. Please call the TRF Montpelier Development office with any questions.
College Mentors for Kids
By Lizzie Rives
Keswickians as we come upon the giving season I want to tell you a little bit about my current involvement in a nonprofit as a third year at the University of Virginia. When I’m not studying biology in the stacks of Alderman Library, I am a mentor for the University of Virginia Chapter of College Mentors for Kids. This is the first year I have been involved with College Mentors and I am so happy I joined.
College Mentors for Kids is an innovative nonprofit that matches the talents and resources of college students with children in the community. Twenty times throughout the school year, over 2,000 children are brought to 38 college campuses across the country to participate in one-on-one mentoring activities led by 2,300 college student mentors and volunteers. Through the mentoring program, we accomplish our mission to connect college students with the most to give to kids who need it most. Most children in the program are below the poverty level or would be the first within their families to attend college. Mentors are paired with the same child (little buddy) each week to foster a strong relationship throughout the school year.
The child I mentor is in fifth grade. She likes to play games with her friends and she wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up. Her favorite part of College Mentors for Kids is writing in her journal at the end of the day and participating in the activities with her friends.
Here at the UVA chapter of College Mentors for Kids, we serve 120 kids within Clark and Johnson Elementary and Walker Upper Elementary School. To connect with our little buddy, we conduct activities on grounds, which provide opportunities for the kids to learn about higher education and careers, community service, and culture and diversity. Our vision is to help all kids look forward sooner and be able to give back later. At College Mentors for Kids, we motivate kids and college students to reach their full potential to positively impact the community.
Mentoring relationships are not only beneficial for the children, but the college students, as well. Mentors learn about the resources their campus offers, leadership skills that they may have never thought they had, and the need for positive role models in their communities.
Last year, our UVa Chapter was awarded “Chapter of the Year 2015-2016” from College Mentors for Kids Nationals. Our Chapter is quickly growing as we have over 140 members in our organization, doubling our membership from last year. This year we have added a third elementary school to our mentorship program.
Working with my little buddy and the rest of the chapter has been a great experience, one that that would not be possible without support from individuals like you. This year our Chapter needs to raise $20,000 to keep this nonprofit running. The best part of my week is being able to help my little buddy and other kids in this program, and I would really appreciate your donation.
If you are interested in donating to College Mentors for Kids you can either donate by check or online. If you prefer to write a check please write: College Mentors for Kids: University of Virginia in the subject line and Lizzie Rives in the memo line.
All checks should be addressed to:
College Mentors for Kids: University of Virginia,212 West 10th Street, Suite B260 ,Indianapolis, IN 46202
To donate online proceed to the overall UVa College Mentors for Kids page, and on the right side there is a red button that says “Give”.
Thank you for your support! I hope you have a wonderful holiday season.