Mark the holidays by making a life-impacting gift to a local nonprofit agency on Giving Tuesday, Nov. 28.
At the Hinsdale Humane Society, funds donated as part of #GivingTuesday2023 will help save animals’ lives by enabling the organization to offer the programs and services people and pets in more than a dozen area communities rely on. Contributions will be used to shelter strays, adopt out hundreds of homeless pets and provide veterinary care for animals in need. Visit http://www.hinsdalehumanesociety.org/donate.
Gifts to Wellness House made before Dec. 31 will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $100,000, by the Greer Foundation. Nearly 48,000 individuals and families affected by cancer have walked through the agency’s doors since it opened in 1991 to find support at the main location in Hinsdale and partner locations all around Chicagoland — all at no cost thanks for generous donors. Visit http://www.wellnesshouse.org/give.
Or perhaps you want to commemorate Hinsdale’s 150th anniversary by donating to the village’s Memorial Building historic plaza and railing campaign to help fund the upgrade and enhancement of this cherished landmark, which was initially funded almost solely on donations from Hinsdaleans. Visit http://www.villageofhinsdale.org.
This sesquicentennial year also is a great time to make a gift to the Hinsdale Historical Society in support of the group’s efforts to preserve local history. Maintaining architectural and educational treasures like the Hinsdale History Museum, Immanuel Hall and the R. Harold Zook Home and Studio, along with the work of the Roger and Ruth Anderson Architecture Center, ensures that the village’s rich legacy will live on for generations to come. Visit http://www.hinsdalehistory.org/give.
Other nonprofits in town that would benefit from your support include HCS Family Services (www.hcsfamilyservices.org), Candor Health Education (www.candorhealthed.org) and The Community House (www.thecommunityhouse.org).
In addition there are specific opportunities available for people to show their charitable side. The Spirit of Giving listing on Page 34 has all the details, but here are a few of the outreach invitations close to home sure to have a far-reaching impact:
• New or used blankets will help keep the homeless warm on Christmas Eve. Donate them to Hinsdale Covenant Church through Nov. 26. They also are accepting lap throws, baby blankets, spreads, sheets and towels.
• Get a great picture for your Christmas card and support the Hinsdale Humane Society’s Pet Rescue and Resource Center by scheduling a photo session during Photos with Paws Dec. 2.
• Help Hinsdale Junior Woman’s Club support local nonprofits by racing in the Junior Jingle Dash at 8 a.m. Dec. 10 in Robbins Park.
• Herb Melin is once again collecting unwrapped toys the weekend after Thanksgiving for kids ages 1-14 to be donated to a local Marine Reserve’s Toys for Tots program.
• Remember a loved one while supporting AdventHealth St. Thomas Hospice by making a donation to its Tree of Remembrance, which will stand outside BMO Harris Bank from Thanksgiving through the new year. The names of those honored or remembered will be listed on boards beside the tree.
As we’ve learned researching the history of Hinsdale over the course of this sesquicentennial year, philanthropy was in our community’s lifeblood from the beginning. Let’s keep that tradition going strong at this most wonderful time of year.
