By CHRISTIAN MAITRE
Waltham Times Contributing Writer
Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, a day encouraging donations to local nonprofits to highlight the services they bring to their communities.
Multiple nonprofits in Waltham spoke to the annual event’s importance to their fundraising efforts.
One of them, the Waltham Boys & Girls Club, will hold its annual Giving Day Community Breakfast at its Exchange Street facility. The Dec. 3 breakfast will feature a speaking panel of current members in the club’s teen program.
“This is really just a celebration of our club and our mission, but also an opportunity for us to really touch base with the greater community, to let them know about our work, what we’re doing, [and] what we’re really proud of with their kids,” said Erin Donovan, the club’s resource development director.
“It is a chance to bond with like-minded, generous people, get to know and connect with the talented, caring staff and most importantly to hear directly from some of the kids about how the club influences their lives,” said board member and club alumnus Bob Marcou.
He continued, saying, “I leave the event emotionally lifted and with a breath of fresh hope and proud of how our community rallies to make a difference.”
According to Donovan, this year’s donation goal is $200,000..
That’s a significantly higher goal than the money raised when the breakfast started in its current form three years ago, Donovan explained. That first year the club raised $55,000. But it has been able to raise its donation goals each year due to increased involvement from the public and corporate sponsors.
Donations for Giving Day and the Community Breakfast will go toward the club’s general operating expenses, which fund summer camps, leadership and educational programs, after-school programs and transportation to the club for kids. The club needs to maintain a general operating expenses fund of $3 million to provide these programs, Donovan said.
Those interested can register for free but can choose to donate toward the event ahead of time.
More opportunities to give locally
Other Waltham-based nonprofits also see Giving Tuesday as a way to raise needed donations and awareness about their work.
That’s the case for Opportunities for Inclusion, a Waltham-based organization that serves individuals with intellectual, developmental and physical disabilities as well as frail elders and their families.
Dec. 3 is doubly important for this organization, as it is both Giving Tuesday and International Day of Persons with Disabilities, an annual observance to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities.
“We hope this connection will increase awareness among Waltham donors about the needs of individuals with developmental disabilities in our community, who may be our family members, friends and neighbors,” said Joanne Raymond, the organization’s director of marketing and development.
Raymond said donations help pay for adaptive equipment, job training and other programs for the more than 300 individuals the organization serves.
REACH Beyond Domestic Violence is able to provide services for victims of domestic abuse for no charge thanks to private donations, making Giving Tuesday an important part of its fundraising efforts.
“Giving days are great ways for communities to get behind organizations that are making a real impact in their town or city, and the support through Waltham’s Giving Day will allow us to continue to provide our services at no cost to survivors,” said Maria Duffy, director of development at REACH.
Other local nonprofits similarly tap into Giving Tuesday to help with their fundraising.
Among them is Waltham Partnership for Youth, which according to its website aimed to collect 150 donations by Giving Tuesday to unlock a $10,000 gift from The Village Bank to support its youth programming.
“It’s an opportunity for our neighbors to give back directly to those who are working every day to make Waltham a better place for everyone,” said Magali Garcia-Pletsch, executive director of Waltham Partnership for Youth.
Similarly, the Waltham Land Trust is appealing for donations. In an email to The Times, executive director Sonja Wadman expressed why GivingTuesday is important to the organization.
“Giving Tuesday is a perfect day to check ‘make year-end donations’ off your to-do list. At the Waltham Land Trust, it’s a big part of our year-end appeal, where every penny of your contribution goes directly toward preserving and restoring Waltham’s environment for current and future generations of people and wildlife,” she wrote. “We’re literally buying native plants and putting them in the ground, along with pursuing climate change resilient projects to implement on lands we own. You can’t ‘think globally, act locally’ in any better way!”
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