Join us in Celebrating National Philanthropy Day!
National Philanthropy Day is celebrated on November 15 each year. On this day, we recognize the great contributions of philanthropy to the enrichment of our world and highlight the importance of working together for the common good. We celebrate the contributions made by individuals and organizations around the world to countless causes and missions. In addition, National Philanthropy Day provides an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of giving and all that it has made possible.
Philanthropy is the desire to promote the welfare of others. As long as humankind exists, there will always be a need to help one another. People have a responsibility to help those in need or those less fortunate than them in order to better the world as a whole.
Kind acts and good deeds work in a ripple effect. By doing a good deed, or highlighting a charitable act of someone else, another person may be inspired to help their community and contribute to the world in their own way. This can also aid in bringing awareness to charitable opportunities that exist. It is important to shine a light on the good that is being done in the world and on those who are making a positive impact on it. There is no good deed too small or one that goes unnoticed.
Some ways that you can participate in National Philanthropy Day are volunteering, spreading the word on social media, and donating to charity. You can visit sick patients in the hospital, pack boxes for a food pantry, garden at your local park, or find any volunteer opportunity that interests you. You can help bring awareness to this day by sharing it on social media accounts. This includes not only the importance of the day, but also causes that you care strongly about. Simply bringing awareness and sharing a cause with others can go a long way. You can also donate to charities. Donating can mean both time and money. Even if you are unable to give money, you can always find a way to make a difference by giving your time.
You can help support LtN today by sharing us on your social media, donating, or applying to volunteer with us! You can find long and short term volunteer opportunities with Lacrosse the Nations here.
Celebrate World Kindness Day!
World Kindness Day is an annual celebration that takes place on November 13th. The holiday was created by the World Kindness Movement - a group made up of various humanitarian groups across several countries. Its members pledged to “join together to build a kinder and more compassionate world” - inspiring people to commit acts of kindness.
The World Kindness Movement hopes to attain official recognition status as a day of observance by the United Nations. A large step forward was taken to this end when the UN tweeted about the day last year. In a year where the world needed kindness perhaps more than ever, the UN gave a nod to the day by tweeting about its importance, sharing its hashtag, and encouraging people to participate. In an effort to continue the important movement this year, here are some different ways that you can take action on World Kindness Day.
There is truly no act of kindness that is too small. Keep your impact local: you can give someone a compliment, go out of your way to help someone at the store with their bags or with the door, pay for the person behind you in the drive thru, or donate books, clothes, or food to your community.
Think about the amount of good you can do by simply being kind intentionally. Was there a time you received a compliment at the start of your day? Or when someone held the door for you at the coffee shop or picked up something that you dropped? These little acts of kindness can often kick start our day in a positive direction and allow us to brighten the days of those around us.
OR take your impact internationally: Connect with someone you wouldn’t normally in your video game chat, share your knowledge with others by answering a yahoo post, or support a new charity or organization in the business of helping others! Kindness works in a ripple effect. Go out of your way today to be kind to others and encourage them to pay it forward and do the same. Simple compassion has the power to bring us together and contribute to a more positive society.
You can celebrate World Kindness Day with LtN by joining us in our Giving Tuesday Campaign. In the end of the month, we and those that have joined our campaign will be honoring mentors in our life through social media, so that we can in turn provide mentors to our student athletes. Even if you can’t donate yourself, you can share a post that can spread the word and encourage others to donate. And if you are able to give, consider donating even as little as your daily coffee. Your donation alone can go a long way, and imagine the impact if everyone chose this small act of kindness today.
Let's Celebrate Make a Difference Day!
October 23, 2021
CNU Men’s Lacrosse volunteer, Will C. participating in LtN’s Beach clean-up in Panama.
This Saturday, October 23rd, is Make a Difference Day. It is celebrated on the fourth Saturday of October each year. On this day, people come together in a common mission to improve society. Make a Difference Day was founded in 1992 when USA Weekend, the second-largest national newspaper at the time, suggested to their readers that they should do something good for their communities and for those in need. Their reasoning and selling point was that since that year was a leap year, and therefore had an extra day, that the day should be put to good use by helping others. Today, the holiday places emphasis on volunteerism and community service by encouraging everyone to take action in their community
There are endless examples of how one may choose to observe Make A Difference Day. It can be organizing a food drive, blood drive or recycling event, cleaning up a local park or school grounds, volunteering at an animal shelter or senior home, or helping raise money for a local charity or donating yourself. It can even be as simple as writing a Thank You card or saying some kind words to someone who is struggling. There is no shortage of ways that you can help your community or those in need and there is no gesture too big or too small! This day is the perfect way for people to give something back to the communities in which they live, work, or play. You can choose any area of need that exists within your community and find a way to help.
If you have your own great idea for making a difference in your community, you can plan your own service project for Make A Difference Day! Planning a service project gives you the chance to be a leader in your community and allows others to come together for a good cause - which is yet another way to make a difference by deepening relationships between neighbors and creating a fun day for your community! Project leaders who register a project at the Make A Difference Day website are also eligible for the Make A Difference Day awards. Each year, 14 winners each receive a $10,000 grant to donate to the charity served by their project! Be sure to check out the Make A Difference Day Website if you wish to register your own project, find inspiration for ways you can make a difference, join a service project that interests you, or read some incredible stories about how some people have helped make a difference in their community!
LtN student-athletes Denis and Adolfo help clean their community beach.
Are you still looking for a service project to take on for the big day? Join LtN’s mission to make a difference in the lives of children around the world, using lacrosse! You can donate, become an ltn champion, or even volunteer to coach lacrosse in your local area! Need tips on a youth lacrosse clinic? LtN provides all the tools and tips to get started - just shoot us a message!
Do something, anything, on Make A Difference Day this year that will help better your community and our society, and encourage others to do the same! Anyone, no matter their age or background can take action, big or small, to make the world a better place.
- Panama Program Director, Caleigh DeCaprio
#MakeADifferenceDay #NationalMakeADifferenceDay