AHWF joins #GivingTuesday movement

American Heritage Wildlife Foundation has joined #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations to encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide.

A fundraising campaign has been started online at LoveAnimals.org. Additional ways to financially give and support local wildlife rehabilitation efforts are on its website ahwf.org. There is a membership drive currently underway — forms are found online or can be sent directly. AHWF officials encourages community members to review the website (or call) and discover all the ways you can help and become a volunteer.

Occurring this year on Nov. 28, #GivingTuesday is held annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving (in the United States) and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday to kick off the holiday giving season and inspire people to collaborate in improving their local communities and to give back in impactful ways to the charities and causes they support.

AHWF decided to join the #GivingTuesday movement to gain national exposure for the cause of wildlife rehabilitation in North Idaho. The wildlife rehabilitation center only exists with a great deal of community support.

A New York City cultural center called 92Y has for over 100 years been bringing people together around its core values of community service and giving back — conceptualized #GivingTuesday as a new way of linking individuals and causes to strengthen communities and encourage giving. In 2016, the fifth year of #GivingTuesday, millions of people in 98 countries came together to give back and support the causes they believe in. Over $177 million was raised online to benefit a tremendously broad range of organizations, and much more was given in volunteer hours, donations of food and clothing, and acts of kindness.

Those who are interested in joining American Heritage Wildlife Foundation’s #GivingTuesday initiative can visit the foundation’s facebook page @localwildliferehab to review a list of ways to give.

For more details about the #GivingTuesday movement, visit the #GivingTuesday website (givingtuesday.org), Facebook page (facebook.com/GivingTuesday) or follow @GivingTues and the #GivingTuesday hashtag on social media. For more information about American Heritage Wildlife Foundation (ahwf.org), (facebook.com/localwildliferehab), twitter (@wwwahwforg), and others — all links can be found on AHWF’s website.

Community members can also post their story why they have given to American Heritage Wildlife Foundation at mygivingstory.givingtuesday.org. (Post your story on Twitter or Instagram using #mygivingstory.) By sharing your stories, you can inspire others to give. Every act of giving has a story. What is yours?

You can also win up to $10,000 for your favorite non-profit organization. Once you have submitted your story, you’ll be able to share it online and invite your friends and family to vote for it. The top vote-getters (15 videos and 15 essays) will go to a panel of judges to select the winners. Additional prizes will be awarded randomly throughout the month. By giving, you will help AHWF keep North Idaho wild.