How Getting Hired is taking part in Giving Tuesday
In April, we highlighted how the Getting Hired team is passionate about giving back and supporting our local community and non-profit partners.
Service is one of our core values. Part of our mission is to positively impact the lives of others, not only through our work, but also through volunteerism, community service and civic engagement. “Getting Hired is committed to serving the community and making a positive impact for veterans and individuals with disabilities in their employment journey and beyond.” - Jill Stutzman-Deaner, Director of Getting Hired.
As our team is preparing for the holiday season, we are excited about how we are impacting others on Giving Tuesday in 2018.
What is Giving Tuesday?
Giving Tuesday is a global giving movement that has been celebrated on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving (in the United States) since 2012. Globally it’s recognized as the beginning of the charitable season when individuals, organizations, schools, churches etc. focus on their end-of-year giving to the community.
What organizations is Getting Hired supporting?
We support our local community and non-profit partners throughout the year and Giving Tuesday is another special day to celebrate and encourage giving! This year, Getting Hired is supporting five organizations that align to our mission of supporting individuals and veterans with disabilities.
1. Team Rubicon is a non-profit organization that leverages the skillsets of veterans with first responders to provide immediate relief during disasters and humanitarian crises for both local and international communities.
In addition to our donation for Giving Tuesday, earlier this year, our team supported Team Rubicon’s campaign with our inclusive employer partner T-Mobile called #HatsOff4Heroes. T-Mobile donated one dollar every time someone shared the hashtag on Twitter and our team was happy to post a team picture on all of our social channels to help increase the funding effort.
In addition, to the #HatsOff4Heroes campaign, T-Mobile donated every time a professional baseball player hit a home run. Collectively they raised over $5.1M since last MLB Postseason for Team Rubicon, way to go T-Mobile!
2. The 6th Branch (T6B) is a non-profit organization led by military veterans that partner with organizations and civilians to complete community service projects in Baltimore City. These efforts are anything from transforming vacant parking lots into a community green space to painting walls at Baltimore City schools (which our team participated in).
"At T6B, every shovel we carry, every lot we clear, every tree and flower we plant, every children’s play area we construct, and every school we support, is fueled by the support and commitment of our incredible partners. Getting Hired volunteers work hard and then go an extra step by donating to sustain our mission. That energy keeps us going and makes this work possible." - Scott Goldman, The 6th Branch, Executive Director
3. Equipment Connections for Children supports children with disabilities who need expensive adaptive equipment. This is done through donation of equipment that has been outgrown and financial donations to help families afford the equipment.
Since 2010 Equipment Connections for Children has donated over 1,300 pieces of equipment to children with disabilities. Getting Hired was excited about supporting their funding goal this year with our Giving Tuesday donation.
“For years, as a physical therapist working with children, I would see clients who were not getting better because their parents couldn’t afford the assistive equipment that they needed or were having to wait unreasonably long for insurance to kick in. I would also see clients who had equipment that they had outgrown sitting around unused. I saw a need and I saw a resource and just built a bridge between the two!” - Claire Wong, Founder and Program Director for Equipment Connections for Children
“Every week we see families from all around the region that have exhausted every other resource to get the equipment their child needs to keep developing, to be mobile, and just to be able to participate in routines of daily living. The look of relief and joy on their faces when we can supply that equipment to them free of charge is magical and knowing that we can do this thanks to the support that we receive from our kind and giving community makes it even more special. One act of kindness following another: it’s at the heart of what we do.” - Jason Herring, Executive Director for Equipment Connections for Children
4. Lollipop Kids Foundation (LKF) is a non-profit organization that was created to help children with disabilities live their lives to their fullest potential. The Lollipop Kids Foundation has several programs and events that combat social stigmas against individuals with disabilities and ease the financial burden on families.
“As a mother of a child with significant disabilities, I know what it’s like to feel alone in the journey. My initial goal with LKF was to help families feel connected to their communities by sharing my own successes and failures, and to give children with disabilities access to activities that every other kid their age had the opportunity to participate in. I started with a DME closet, which gives complimentary equipment to children in need. From there, I developed programs as I got to know families and learn about some of the voids they were experiencing. Inclusion and support are important components of all our programs, and I work to incorporate it throughout our practice.” - Debbie Sahlin, Founder and Executive Director of the Lollipop Kids
To learn more about why Debbie created the foundation, read her story about what happened to her son Ryan when he was just 11 months old that led him to have a permanent disability.
5. No Barriers provides life-changing programs for youth and veterans with disabilities to learn how to break barriers through adaptive activities.
"Co-founded by blind adventurer Erik Weihenmayer, No Barriers is based on the belief that we all face challenges in our lives. For some it's physical, others might be knocked back or held down by poverty or loss. We believe that it's not what these are but how we choose to respond that matters. At No Barriers we teach people how to navigate the path forward to overcome challenges and learn to live with purpose and passion despite the barriers they face. We serve 10,000 people a year from all walks of life including veterans with disabilities, students facing challenges and people with diverse abilities from across America. Through our groundbreaking curriculum, the No Barriers Life, we empower people through our experiential programming, connect them to a supportive community, and give them the tools we all need in life when faced with adversity. Each day I am fortunate to hear stories of impact. Today I spoke with a family who recently lost a son to suicide and another whose small child lost a leg in an accident. Both are reaching through the challenge and called to say how No Barriers made a difference in their lives, in fact 98% of our participants say their lives are forever changed. These cost-free programs cannot happen without the generosity of others. We are so grateful to Getting Hired for joining us in this important work!" - Cindy Bean, Chief Development Officer at No Barriers
Get involved on social media!
On November 27, 2018, follow the hashtag of #GivingTuesday on social media to see the strength of the movement. If you’re looking for tips on how to create your own campaign, you can learn more about #GivingTuesday here.