You’ve heard of Black Friday, but have you heard of Giving Tuesday? It’s a time when charities and individuals show up in their communities to make change. In 2019, three military spouses created Giving Tuesday Military (GTM) to infuse even more radical kindness into that Tuesday and every day after that within our military community.
How it started
Maria, Jessica, and Samantha met at the Military Spouse of the Year Town Hall in 2019. They came up with the idea as all of them had unique ways of looking at the world and thought it would be potent to come together with their platforms and skills to spread this idea, and it took off like wildfire. In its first year, the campaign reached 2.5 million people, which has grown yearly since 2019.
How you can get involved
GTM is on December 3rd this year, so there is plenty of time to participate! Whether it’s you and your kids passing out kind notes, leaving painted kindness rocks around the base, or volunteering at a food bank, all counts towards the goal of 1 million acts of kindness. There are three levels to get involved with to have your acts of kindness count: ambassador, joining a team, or participant!
You can be an ambassador and lead the way for your community, State, or base. Being an ambassador keeps you in close contact with the organization in reporting the results and inspiring your community to action for GTM.
Joining an ambassador’s team makes it easy to pitch in towards an already created goal without too much planning on your plate. The third way is to participate and develop your idea or come up with one alongside a few friends. Seeing the different acts of kindness and the wide variety of support shows how deep the heart of our military community is to help each other and the world at large.
Ideas for this year’s #GivingTuesdayMilitary
Still trying to figure out what to do? On their website, there is a list of different ideas to inspire you in your acts of kindness. If you have an idea for a team or your organization to be involved, you can sign up today and join the Facebook Group to see how others are showing up!
They are also always looking for businesses to partner with to create a more significant impact. Even if you only have an hour, there is a way you can give back to your community and be a part of something special that reaches across the world on this Giving Tuesday Military.
Author
Aj Smit is the author of the book Red Thread: Weaving an Embodied Life of Joy, speaker, glitter enthusiast, and professional weaver of Joy. She is a military spouse in S. Korea with a pup and houseplants galore. Aj has led various Red Tents, retreats, and workshops internationally over the last ten years to help others discover how to weave creativity and curiosity into their lives. You can find her on Facebook and Instagram at @TheJoyWeaver and TheJoyWeaver.com