A Season of Giving at Richcroft
November is a busy month for all with Thanksgiving and Giving Tuesday making notable appearances toward the end of the month. As we prepare for both events, we at Richcroft would also like to reiterate our gratitude for all who support us and for those we support. We hope this penultimate month of the year continues to be special and encourages all communities to come together and celebrate our strength and unity.
Thanksgiving is well-known throughout the United States for being a day-long celebration of families, communities, and friendships. Our parks and recreation department were particularly strong at organizing events around this day and were a great success among our supported individuals, especially with their dinner and dance soirees. This year, like the last, Thanksgiving may look a little different for some, with many continuing to meet up virtually, while others are anxiously awaiting to gather in public or indoors with loved ones, once again.
According to Disability Action Center, a good tip when hosting is to find out beforehand what others’ mobility issues are. Is there enough space, for example, around the table for a wheelchair to pass through? They also suggest talking about the schedule of the day, “Prepare your family member for the day’s events. Go over a rough schedule, of the day and your family’s traditions that can be expected. Talk about how many people may be present at the family get-together.” As simple as that sounds, ensuring that everyone is aware of what the order of the day will be, will make it less stressful for the host and also create a pleasant experience for the guests. Our Personal Supports staff can help with this, as well as assisting with making plans, decorating, and coaching hosting skills. Thanksgiving has always been a time of communal celebration and Richcroft will always support the efforts in maintaining this.
Giving Tuesday is a lesser-known day and is widely considered to be “a movement that unleashes the power of radical generosity around the world.” It takes place typically the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and is intended to celebrate the power of assembling communities in order to help out others, especially after the mass consumerism of Black Friday. According to the Giving Tuesday website, “ GivingTuesday has a global presence through 75 country movements spanning the world…in each country, a team of entrepreneurial leaders works with their own ecosystems of communities, nonprofits, platforms, religious institutions, families, schools, and private sector partners to drive increased giving, connection, and innovation.”
We at Richcroft have always been grateful for the people we are surrounded by and feel incredibly lucky to have the support from our own ‘ecosystem’ of donors, funders, and partners, as well as our incredible staff members. The pandemic hit all types of people and businesses and being in the disability space, our vulnerable supported individuals were vastly affected. This is why Giving Tuesday is an important day for us. Expanding our reach and finding new supporters will enable our team to do the amazing work that they do. This year, when considering who to support, why not consider Richcroft and help our wonderful organization continue to give those with disabilities a chance to live their best lives.