Girl Scouts Rallies Community for Giving Tuesday 

By Kaylie Luedke 

Invest in Girls. Change the World

After its creation in 2012, Giving Tuesday has been celebrated each year on the first Tuesday following Thanksgiving as a day that encourages people to do good and spread kindness. Eight years later, it has transformed into a global movement of generosity that brings together charities, nonprofits, and the public to transform their communities and the world. 

Girl Scouts of California’s Central Coast is celebrating #GivingTuesday on December 1 , 2020. 

Our council focuses on building community and sisterhood, appreciating the unique value of all girls, and helping one another through tough times. It has been nothing short of a challenging year, but our girls have continued to band together to spread joy, lend a helping hand, and be leaders in their communities. This year, they have sewn handmade masks for doctors and nurses, organized food drives, and sent handwritten cards of encouragement. Girl Scouts know that there is strength in numbers, and our work would not be possible without the generous and unwavering support of our community. 

We encourage the community to get involved this #GivingTuesday by supporting the causes they believe in. Together, we can all be a part of the team that supports girls within our communities and the world beyond, helping them become girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place.

This year, we are doubling our efforts with the goal to raise $20,000 for our girls. The families we serve come from a variety of financial situations, and approximately 5,500 girls in our council come from low-income households. We are working to provide financial assistance so that every girl, regardless of their financial situation, can call Girl Scouts home, and you can help! By donating just $25, you can give a year of Girl Scout membership to an underserved girl in your community. Every donation, big or small, contributes to providing the best leadership program for girls and makes an impact on the lives of the girls and families we serve. 

Girl Scouts is the preeminent leadership development organization for girls, with a research- proven program that helps them cultivate important skills they need to take the lead in their own lives and the world. At Girl Scouts, girls learn and grow in a safe, all-girl environment, 

discovering who they are, connecting with others, and taking action to make a difference in their communities and beyond. Through the Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE), the foundation of the Girl Scout program, girls engage in a variety of fun, challenging, and engaging activities that empower girls as they develop five skills essential to effective leadership: a strong sense of self, positive values, challenge seeking, healthy relationships, and community problem- solving. 

Whether it be some of your time, a donation, or community support, there are so many ways that you can give back. Our council is fortunate to be included in numerous community giving campaigns this year, with a few options at no extra cost to you! If you plan on completing your holiday shopping online, you can make an impact with your purchases with AmazonSmile by designating Girl Scouts of California’s Central Coast as the charity you would like to support. Simply log on to smile.amazon.com, search for our council, and start shopping! Amazon will donate a portion of your eligible purchases to our council. 

Avid Target shoppers can earn votes every time they shop and help direct a portion of Target’s giving to us through Target Circle! Now through December 31, 2020, vote for our council to help determine how Target’s final donation will be divvied up. To see Girl Scouts of California’s Central Coast as an option for voting, set your preferred store location to one within Ventura County (completed through your Target account settings or on the mobile app). Find more information about Target Circle at www.target.com/circle.

Finally, you can stretch your dollar with Monterey County Gives!, where each donation is expanded with a matching gift. A collaboration between the Monterey County Weekly, the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, and the Community Foundation for Monterey County, MCGives! is a campaign in which local businesses, foundations, and individuals contribute to an overall match fund that spurs donations for participating organizations. Not only will our council receive 100% of our donations, but also an additional matching gift of the total funds raised! Donations can be made directly at www.montereycountygives.com/girlscouts.

This GivingTuesday, a generous donor will match all contributions made to our council up to $10,000. Give the gift of leadership, success, adventure, and innovation. With your help, we can offer the leadership experience of a lifetime to the girls and families that benefit most.