Have you heard about GivingTuesday? It’s a global movement that encourages people to give with a generous spirit every Tuesday of the year. This month in particular, Americans are asked to move from giving thanks to giving money to nonprofits on Tuesday, Nov. 30.
We’re celebrating GivingTuesday sharing how we give funds and opportunities to employees who want to make a difference in their communities.
What good could you do with $1,000? We asked our colleagues that very question, and many of them submitted proposals for our 1K Your Way program. These $1,000 grants have aided important causes across the Domtar network.
“We’re honored to see the many ways colleagues contribute to the life of their hometowns and to join them in this work,” says Paige Goff, vice president for sustainability at Domtar. “This aligns so well with our value of caring and our desire to be a good neighbor in all of the communities where we operate.”
Giving in Meaningful Ways
Our 1K Your Way grants are offered in addition to the millions of dollars and thousands of volunteer hours that Domtar has given corporately to improve literacy and learning, health and wellness, and sustainability.
Some of these efforts are focused on nutrition, education, civic events or environmental initiatives. Here are just a few of the places where Domtar has invested alongside our employees for GivingTuesday and throughout the year:
- At our Hawesville Mill in Kentucky, Robert Roberts led an effort to support the South Hancock Family Resource Center at an elementary school. With his help and a $1,000 grant, the resource center was able to fill shelves with basic necessities of food and supplies for families. “This is a true blessing,” Roberts wrote, “for this will help so many families in our area, especially with the current times we are living in. Thank you all for your generous support.”
- In York County, South Carolina, Carla Harrison proposed a donation to assist teens through the local library system. The York County Library Young Adult Department serves teens by providing reading materials, educational media and an array of engaging programs, including game events, craft programs, instructional programs (robotics, cooking, sewing, etc.) poetry slams, movie events and more. Because of limited in-person activities during the pandemic, the library decided to offer weekly Grab ‘n’ Go activity kits for students. These kits featured an educational element, instructions, materials needed for the craft or activity, and an advertisement for library resources and a snack. With Domtar’s gift, the library offered more than 1,200 kits during the summer.“They were so popular with our students,” wrote Abbie Townson, manager of young adult services for the library. “I am especially proud of these kits, because we used quality materials and gave students [a chance] to learn about the world around them (Boba tea kits, upcycling record albums to create mandalas). I cannot thank you enough for the impact you made on the lives of these teens.”
- Dave Erich and colleagues at the West Carrollton plant used a 1K Your Way grant to support the Springboro Optimist Club’s annual flag program. For an annual fee, the club puts out and takes down American flags at homes and business in the community for each of the five major flag holidays: Memorial Day, Flag Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day and Veterans Day. The group also replaces flags as needed due to wear and damage. In 2021, the program extended the Labor Day flag display through Patriot Day to recognize the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The program has grown to more than 1,000 flags, and the renewal process had become challenging to manage with manual invoices and checks. The 1K Your Way funds have allowed the club to begin moving to an online renewal and ordering system, which will be fully implemented for 2022.
- Karen Franch, an employee at the Addison, Illinois, converting center, received a grant to support the DuPage Forest Preserve’s initiative to conserve the Blanding’s turtle. The Blanding’s turtle is a state-endangered species in Illinois, and since 1996, the Forest Preserve District has been working to revitalize the country’s dwindling population. The district has successfully hatched 2,336 Blanding’s turtles since the program started.
How Will You Celebrate GivingTuesday?
With so many good causes to support, it’s not hard to go from Thanksgiving to GivingTuesday. Find a great cause to support with a small (or big) donation on Nov. 30, and look for ways to give back all year long. Use the hashtag #GivingTuesday to share your story online.
For more highlights of Domtar’s giving activities throughout the year, follow us on Facebook @DomtarEveryday.
