Giving Tuesday: Give During Holiday Season

Atlanta-based CARE, Habitat for Humanity and Project GRAD Atlanta are among the nonprofits trying to encourage people to pause in their shopping and find a way to help others.

  Will donating to charity ever be as popular as shopping during the holiday season? A partnership of nonprofits hopes so. For many people, the holiday shopping marathon began on Thanksgiving day, with some national chains opening their doors just hours after the traditional turkey dinner. Then comes Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday, which has morphed into Cyber Week. Now, there's a new campaign asking you to open your wallet _ Giving Tuesday. The Giving Tuesday website says the effort, coming on the heels of days devoted to consumerism, is designed "to create a national day of giving at the start of the annual holiday season. It celebrates and encourages charitable activities that support nonprofit organizations." …

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Where Can I Donate Money?

Consider making a holiday gift to one of the many philanthropic causes in the Philadelphia area.

The holidays can be a great time to make a charitable donation to a worthwhile cause in the Delaware Valley. Below are some organizations to consider donating to this holiday season. Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation A donation to Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, based in Wynnewood, helps bring lifesaving treatments to children with cancer. To date, ALSF has funded more than 250 research projects at more than 70 institutions. Boy Scouts of America: Cradle of Liberty Council The Boy Scouts of America: Cradle of Liberty Council, headquartered in Wayne, serves more than 17,000 young people in Philadelphia, Montgomery, and Delaware Counties.  Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania GSEP is the largest girl-serving organization in Pennsylvania and…

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How Charitable is Greater Philadelphia?

A report from The Chronicle of Philanthropy looks at how much neighborhoods in the area give to charity.

"How America Gives," a study released by The Chronicle of Philanthropy, aims to “nationwide generosity” by analyzing tax documents and measuring how much money people claimed for charitable donations on their returns. So how charitable is the Greater Philadelphia Area? According to the report, the area’s Patch towns gave over $568,000,000 toward charitable measures in the 2008. “The study is based on exact dollar amounts released by the Internal Revenue Service showing the value of charitable deductions claimed by American taxpayers,” according to a release on the study’s website. The Chronicle obtained comprehensive tax records from the IRS for 2008, the most recent year for which such data are available, to examine income levels and the …

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Community Fund Raises Nearly $100K

CHCA's charitable arm supports quality of life on the Hill.

Community groups like Teens Inc. and programs like the Pastorius Park concert series were some of the recipients of almost $100,000 in grant money from the Chestnut Hill Community Fund this past year. The charitable arm of the Chestnut Hill Community Association (CHCA) allocated some $97,085 in 2010 to 22 groups on the Hill and in its environs, Fund president Jean Hemphill said. A charitable trust focused on improving the quality of life in the Chestnut Hill region, the Community Fund was established in 1972 to raise money for some of the CHCA’s programs, such as the Garden District and the parks along Germantown Avenue. Over time it has supported other community organizations, from the Chestnut Hill Center for Enrichment to the various …

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Holiday Kickoff Week

Nine Ways to Donate Locally This Holiday Season

Local businesses get into the holiday spirit by supporting charitable causes.

You don't have to stray far from home to help a good cause this holiday season. The following nine tales document ways Mt. Airy businesses are reaching out and opening their doors this winter to a number of causes. 1. At Walk a Crooked Mile Books at 7423 Devon St., owners Greg Williams and Cynthia Potter believe strongly in the power of "giftless gifts," and recommend that everyone who has too much stuff in their houses donate and give gifts in honor of others this holiday season. The bookstore is working with St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church in Chestnut Hill to collect used and new books for 10 to 17-year old youths who are living in court ordered placement. The drive ends Dec. 12, at which point church volunteers will deliver the books…

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