GREENFIELD — After Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday comes Giving Tuesday, and Franklin County nonprofits are ready to participate.
In the spirit of the holiday season, Giving Tuesday, also known by its hashtag of #GivingTuesday, is an international contribution platform founded in 2012 by New York’s 92nd Street Y together with the United Nations Foundation.
“Whether it’s making someone smile, helping a neighbor or stranger out, showing up for an issue or people we care about or giving some of what we have to those who need our help, every act of generosity counts and everyone has something to give,” according to the Giving Tuesday website.
In Franklin County, groups such as the Brick House Community Resource Center, 24 3rd St., in Montague and Piti Theatre Co., 432 Legate Hill Road, in Charlemont are participating in this year’s Giving Tuesday.
Treasurer of the board of directors for the Brick House, Deborah Frenkle, said the small community center “run by an army of volunteers” not only receives monetary donations, but donations of people’s time.
Although it is located in Turners Falls, the Brick House serves all five villages of Montague and Gill.
“We don’t get some of the funding of other groups in the area, but donations would help us to be able to expand local programs for families and allow us to do special events at the teen center,” Frenkle said.
In the past, the center has been rented out for activities such as dance classes, and provided peer support groups and a teen drop-in space.
“There are a lot of ways to get involved. Donations are one way, but volunteering to help with teens, upkeep of the building — there are many ways to volunteer,” she said. “We rely on those who are involved at a variety of different levels.”
Jonathan Mirin, founder of Piti Theatre Co., said donations from this year’s Giving Tuesday will go toward “To Bee or Not to Bee” which is a performance about pollinators, and to the playwright mentoring programs, which help teens create performances based on their own stories.
There are still spots available for the playwright mentorship program at Mohawk Trail Regional School, which meets after school on Thursdays, and in Greenfield at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Franklin County, 16 Court Square. The group in Greenfield meets on Tuesdays. Teens ages 13 and up can join until Dec. 17.
“I think, in general, to have a day to remember the local nonprofits in the area that are doing great work year-round is a boost that helps keep a lot of us going,” Mirin said of Giving Tuesday. “It helps to continue programming and it’s nice to have that support from our community at-large.”
To find other local groups participating in Giving Tuesday, go to givingtuesday.org/whats-happening-near-me.
Reach Melina Bourdeau at 413-772-0261, ext. 263 or mbourdeau@recorder.com.