As Christmas is approaching and the year draws to a close, many use this season as an opportunity to invest back into the community through financial contributions and volunteering time. With such a wide variety of community organizations and non-profits that promote worthy causes, it can sometimes be difficult to choose where to invest your time and resources.
To help you decide where you would like to contribute, first consider causes that have impacted you personally or cause that has always tugged at your heart. For some additional options to consider, we asked the local Edward Jones financial advisors to share some insight into a handful of organizations.
Several Edward Jones advisors say they give to Hillcrest Transitional Housing, which offers a program designed to help individuals, youth and families become self-reliant in 90 days. They are known for their efforts to provide a "hand up" rather than a "hand out" in order to empower individuals to increase their stability for the future.
Supporting children is another area where you can make an investment, and another advisor mentioned their support of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and yet another noted the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Foundation. Coldwater, a faith-based non-profit group provides food and clothing to children in the Lee's Summit area through the program, No Hungry Kids! No Hungry Kids! currently consists of these facets: the Harvesters BackSnack Program, Preschool Backpacks, Middle & High School Pantry Support, Summer Lunches, and Summer BBQs.
The Truman Heartland Community Foundation was also mentioned for its work in supporting nonprofits in the Eastern Jackson County area and engaging future community leaders. With an emphasis on improving health, education, and the environment as well as alleviating poverty.
The Stephanie Vest Foundation and its mission of helping local families with a "support bridge" to meet cancer patients' financial needs, provide stability for children, emotional support during treatment to the entire family.
Rounding out the list, additional worthy causes to consider were; Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault, Lee's Summit Social Services, Lee’s Summit Educational Foundation, and The Rotary Foundation.
Each year, Edward Jones as a company supports many charitable walks/runs, including the Alzheimer's Association, the Parkinson's Foundation, and JDRF. Many Edward Jones offices support these three health-related organizations as a sign of support for their colleagues as they hope to create change for the future generations that may face these diseases.
Supporting the Alzheimer’s Association is one of the company’s core causes as Alzheimer’s Disease impacts more than 300,000 Edward Jones clients and is a devastating disease with no known cure. More than 5 million Americans are living with it today, but this number is certainly higher as the disease is severely undiagnosed. As the company checks in on their clients and each other this holiday season, they believe one gift they can give is to connect them with the resources available through the Alzheimer’s Association.
Additionally, many of the company’s family members, friends, and clients are currently living with type 1 diabetes or Parkinson’s Disease. Both related organizations are supported in the community because of the individuals in the Kansas City area that are personally affected. These individuals have spread the word about the need for continued research and development to bring an end to these challenging conditions.
We hope these suggestions have helped you reflect on how you can make a difference this season. May you be inspired to use your resources to improve the lives of others and enrich the community.