Now that those of us here in America have rested and digested after a food filled Thanksgiving its time to look forward. Coming up on December 3rd is Giving Tuesday, a generosity movement designed to encourage us to help a neighbor, a friend or working with a specific organization to help give back to the community. It doesn’t have to be about donating dollars, it can be about using your voice, donating goods, giving kindness, lending your talents to organizations that cannot afford paid staff or working on fundraising as a community.

As I get older I look back and wish that I had volunteered my time when I had more of it. Lets get real as a mother, who works with two children it can be hard to find the time to give back when you give so much of yourself in other areas of your life. However, I have come to realise if we spare just a fraction of our time and use our talents we can make a difference in our communties.

This year after a colleague shared a story of an abandoned dog they had found and couldn’t keep my family offered to take it in and help find it a home. Luckily this dog found a happy ending and the owner was found most are not so lucky. It opened my eyes as to how badly the animals of Houston need our help. Within the Houston area so many rescues will not take an animal on even if you offer to foster because they are at capacity and have limited resources and funds. Long story short I was so upset by this that now my family and I have decided to foster dogs. It is not for everyone but I know there is something out there however small that each and everyone one of us can do to contribute to the communities we live in.

This year as well as trying to support our canine friends we will also support the National Organisation of Albinism and Hypopigmentation (NOAH) to honor all they do for the albinism community.

For more information about Giving Tuesday and how you can contribute go to: https://www.givingtuesday.org/individuals