As the holiday season approaches, giving is on many people's minds. Here are some meaningful, local ways that you can give of your time, treasure, and expertise.
Time
McKamey Animal Center - Lending a hand to help the voiceless always goes a long way. McKamey Animal Center makes it easy to contribute as much of your time as you are able. Available opportunities can range “from on-site animal and physical plant care to off-site support fostering animals and preparing enrichment toys” says Executive Director Inga Fricke. Welcoming younger volunteers, McKamey’s Fetch-A-Book program provides children a unique opportunity to practice their reading skills alongside animal companions. If you are more interested in helping operationally, there are plenty of behind-the-scenes tasks from “laundry, to picking up supplies and helping maintain and improve the center property.” To learn more about the various opportunities and get involved, visit www.mckameyanimalcenter.org.
Treasure
Friends of the Troops - When Jessica Duke started “Friends of the Troops” she had a dream to directly offer support to Chattanooga veterans and their families. Now, four years later her local nonprofit has grown nationally and has received consecutive recognition as a ‘Top Rated Nonprofit’ with the ‘Seal of Transparency.’ The greatest contributing factor to the success of the organization comes directly from the generous financial donations received. Duke stresses that “because we are a special niche, we don’t qualify for federal grants and so 100% of funds received come from individual donors and corporate supporters.” There is a substantial need here in Chattanooga to help our service men and women directly. Of all the types of donations received, financial gifts have the greatest substantial impact. With a “98% operational efficiency donations go directly where they should, to help our local veterans” says Duke. For more information, visit www.friendsofthetroops.org.
The Austin Hatcher Foundation - The experience of childhood cancer goes beyond diagnosis and affects every individual family member differently. The Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer’s mission is to erase the effects of childhood cancer for entire families by providing essential specialized intervention beginning at the time off a child’s diagnosis and continuing through the survivorship of the whole family. Families of the foundation are provided with services such as Mental and Behavioral Health Therapy, Family and Grief Counseling, Occupational Therapy, NeuroPsych Testing, Family Programs and more at absolutely no cost to them. To learn more, volunteer, or donate and impact the life of a child with cancer, visit www.hatcherfoundation.org today!
Expertise
The Chattery - When Jennifer Holder and Shawanda Mason collaborated in 2014 to create The Chattery, they had a vision to build a platform that connects the community through a plethora of diverse learning experiences. Now, 8 years after its inception, this nonprofit organization has expanded its classroom space to include partnerships with local businesses and organizations and continues to grow in community support. What makes The Chattery so unique is the range of classes offered by its teachers. From cooking and art classes to bird watching and financial planning, The Chattery is continually accepting teaching submissions on whatever topic, hobby or expertise you want to teach or even co-teach. One thing is clear, The Chattery’s heartbeat is “for the community, by the community.” For more information on how you can participate, visit www.thechattery.org.
