November 29, 2022

As many of you may know, today is GivingTuesday. GivingTuesday was created in 2012 with the goal of encouraging people to do good. This could mean making a donation, volunteering for an organization, or advocating for a cause you care about. 

This year Disaster Tech asked their employees what causes and organizations they support and why they are important to them, with the hope of highlighting some great causes this GivingTuesday. We hope you'll learn about a new cause and learn more about the impressive work they are doing. 

Tuesday's Children

Mission: Tuesday's Children provides a lifetime of healing for families who have been forever changed by terrorism, military conflict, or mass violence.

Areas of Focus: Grief Support, Youth Mentorship, Support Networks, Mental Health & Wellness, Career Resource Center

Learn More: www.tuesdayschildren.org

"During September 11th, 2001, I was four blocks away from the World Trade Center in my office. Our entire building buzzed as each tower was hit. By the grace of God, I was able to make it home after the second plane had hit the South Tower. I was also Fire Chief at the time of the 8th Battalion, so once I got home, I headed to the fire station where we were called in to assist at Ground Zero. Tuesday's Children was built in the aftermath of 9/11. In the coming days, we began to receive total counts of lives who were lost in my neighborhood. Mothers and fathers didn't come home to their children. We came together and knew we needed to do more for these families, and we needed to provide programs for these families. That's when Tuesday's Children was born, out of sheer necessity to help those affected by terrorism. It is our passion to help those in need using professional services."  - Roger Coleman, President

Save The Children

Mission: Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. Save the Children works in the United States and around the world to give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm.

Areas of Focus: Hunger & Famine, Ukraine Conflict, Climate Crisis, Poverty in America, Health, Education, Policy & Advocacy, Emergency Response

Learn More: www.savethechildren.org

I support Save The Children because they help to protect vulnerable children around the world by giving them food, shelter, and warmth. This helps to enable a better future for them and the planet." - Jason Shafer, Chief Science Officer

Team Rubicon

Mission: Team Rubicon's mission is providing relief to those affected by disaster or crises, no matter when or where they strike. By pairing the skills and experiences of military veterans with first responders, medical professionals, and technology solutions, Team Rubicon aims to provide the greatest service and impact possible.

Areas of Focus: Disaster Relief, Humanitarian Crises, Veteran Fellowship Program

Link: www.teamrubiconusa.org

 "Team Rubicon is a veteran-led humanitarian organization that serves global communities before, during, and after disasters and crises. I'm proud to be a part of this outstanding group of volunteers who make a difference in communities who have had their 'worst day' and are in need. I have especially liked working on the Afghan Resettlement mission here in the Denver Metro area. I served two tours in Afghanistan as a US Army Soldier, so it's important to me that we work to give these families a good start in my community." - Brandon Newton, Vice President of Business Execution

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Mission: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment.

Areas of Focus: Care & Treatment, Cancer Research, Medical Training

Link: www.stjude.org 

"I think St. Jude makes such a difficult time so much easier on a family. When your child is sick, you shouldn't have to worry about whether you can afford their care or not. They serve children and families regardless of their ability to pay. Saving someone's life shouldn't be about money." - Dashia Yandell, Proposal Manager

Rotary International

Mission: We provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through our fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.

Areas of Focus: Rotary is dedicated to causes that build international relationships, improve lives, and create a better world to support our peace efforts and end polio forever.

Link: www.rotary.org 

 "Locally, we support a number of terrific charities but my favorite is 'Lift Me UP', a therapeutic riding center for children with disabilities, veterans and first responders. It is truly amazing to see the confidence come alive in a child's face or the First Responders who literally 'get back on the proverbial horse'. Often, I am more impacted by the pride exhibited in a parent's face than that of their son or daughter." - Stephen Clark, Senior Advisor

That Others May Live Foundation

Mission: TOMLF provides support to the U.S. Air Force Rescue community and their families. They provide full post-secondary education funding to surviving children of fallen Rescue Heroes and merit-based scholarships for children of current and past warriors. In addition, they deliver immediate tragedy assistance funds to aid families and provide visible & invisible wound support to our active duty, veteran warriors, and their families.

Areas of Focus: Tragedy Assistance, Scholarship Program, Warfighter Support, Visible & Invisible Wounds Support

Link: www.thatothersmaylive.org 

"That Others May Live Foundation supports the families and children of U.S. Air Force Rescue Heroes who are killed or severely wounded in operational or training missions with scholarships, immediate tragedy assistance, and other critical support. It was founded in 2002 by several of my rescue community teammates and has grown significantly since that time.  It is impressive to see a foundation started to provide scholarship support to the children of our fallen warriors fill additional needs such as direct the annual Air Rescue Gala and Rescue Squadron of the Year awards as well as a visible and invisible wounds program." - Lee dePalo, Chief Operations Officer

Friends in Service of Heroes (F.I.S.H.)

Mission: Friends in Service of Heroes (FISH)'s task and purpose is to serve both prior, and current military members and their families. They are committed to advocating for the support and awareness of the sacrifices our Armed Forces have made. This is done through creating ESPRIT DE CORPS through support, events, and activities that build lifelong relationships.

Areas of Focus:  Trained Service Dogs, Financial Assistance, Mobility Scooters, Holiday Assistance

Link: www.friendsinserviceofheroes.org 

"Friends in Service of Heroes began as an organization in which patriots from the food industry could advocate for and bring awareness to the unmet needs of current service members and veterans by providing trained service dogs, financial assistance, mobility scooters, and extra support through the holidays.  They continue to meet these needs along with a speaker series and various community events creating awareness of the sacrifices and needs of the service members." - Renessa Denney, Operations Manager

American Cancer Society

Mission: Improve the lives of people with cancer and their families through advocacy, research, and patient support, to ensure everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer.

Areas of Focus: Support Networks, Cancer Resources, Transportation & Lodging during Treatments, Cancer Research, Grant Gifting

Link: www.cancer.org

"Having multiple family members who have beaten cancer, I have a great appreciation to the American Cancer Society for the support, research, and resources they provide for cancer patients and their family members through an extremely difficult and scary time." - Jaclyn Silvestri, Marketing & Media Manager

Operation Second Chance

Mission: OSC is committed to serving our wounded, injured, and ill Veterans. They support Veterans and their families by building relationships and identifying and supporting immediate needs and interests. We are dedicated to promoting public awareness of the many sacrifices made by our Armed Forces.

Areas of Focus: Wounded Veteran Internships, Support and Assistance, Wounded Veteran Retreats, Morale, Hospital Visits, Scholarships, Wounded Veteran Resources

Link: www.operationsecondchance.org

"Operation Second Chance began as an organization identifying the immediate financial and material needs of the wounded, injured, and ill service members and their families upon arrival at Walter Reed following a life changing injury.  Now, OSC offers multiple programs to include internships, support and assistance, retreats throughout the US, hospital visits, and scholarships to name a few. OSC is recognized for their operational integrity and unwavering support of our extended military community." - Renessa Denney, Operations Manager

Warrior Outdoor Leadership for the Future (WOLF)

Mission: Their mission is to advance research and education equity in MARS Skills - Machine Learning, Automation, Robotics and Space - for Industry 4.0 readiness, actualized through intense, realistic first responder scenarios and measured through standardized performance indicators of both human and machine in gaming environments.

Areas of Focus: STEM Education for Gold Star Youth, Career Building, National Security

Link: www.sofwolf.org 

"We founded SOFWOLF in 2012 to educate the Gold Star-underserved youth in outdoor leadership and career building skills. We use the lessons learned - technology, mission planning/ mission rehearsal methods - from supporting the U.S. Special Operations community - in preparing our next generation for careers in this complex world." - Mike Vaughn, Senior Advisor

Jack and Jill Late Stage Cancer Foundation

Mission: Treating families to WOW! Experiences®, giving children who will lose their Mom and Dad to cancer a timeout to create indispensable memories as a family... while they can.

Areas of Focus: Experiences for Families dealing with Late Stage Cancer

Link: www.JAJF.org

 "JAJF is an exceptional four star charity supporting young families where one parent is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Through our partners, we provide them with a 'time out' from the disease and an opportunity to make lasting memories while they still can. The best part of memories is making them. I got involved at the request of the Founder of JAJF to help integrate military families who often depart one battlefield only to engage in a war for their lives at home." - Stephen Clark, Senior Advisor

Alzheimer's Association

Mission: The Alzheimer's Association leads the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia - by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support.

Areas of Focus: Helpline, Support Network, Resource Center, Educational Programs, Clinician tools for timely diagnosis, Advocacy Programs, Caregiver Resources, Financial Planning Resources

Link: www.alz.org

"Alzheimer's Disease is such a difficult disease for both the person who has it and their family. With no real cure currently, the Alzheimer's Association is able to provide research and resources for this disease and those affected by it." - Jaclyn Silvestri, Marketing & Media Manager

We encourage you to take today as a reminder to spread positivity throughout your community and to pay homage to the great work so many nonprofits are doing. We would love for you to comment below any of the causes that resonate with you or share a cause with us that was not included.

Interested in learning more about GivingTuesday? Visit www.givingtuesday.org.