November has been given the title as “National Giving Month”, and for a good reason. With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it’s important for us to reflect on what we have and what we can provide to others. Give Miami Day was established specifically for this purpose. The Miami Foundation created this 24-period event to unite the greater Miami community to support non-profit organizations that make a difference in our beloved city.
Donors are encouraged to choose to give to one (or more) nonprofits, which oftentimes rely heavily on donations from members in the community. There are over 1,000 organizations that participate in various categories, allowing sponsors to give to organizations that best reflect their interests. One can choose to support 10 mission categories, including Education, Environment, Arts & Culture, Inclusion & Accessibility, and many more.
The Miami Foundation was formed in 1967 and has since raised over $650M for local charities with a mission to strengthen the Miami community and have leaders and donors to contribute to forming solutions for challenges faced by everyone who lives here. With different collaborative missions in effect, such as Biscayne Bay Recovery and The Racial Equity Fund, The Miami Foundation is able to effectively reach a diverse audience of need. One branch of the foundation, Give Miami Day, was started in 2012. By giving flexible dollars to charities across Miami, they’re more able to spend the money on things that will actually help them accomplish their mission. For example, with the pool of money from the community, shelters like the Humane Society of Greater Miami can now provide basic needs like vaccinations and chips to the pets that claim residence there.
This year, almost 40 million dollars were raised by over 100,000 donors. The leaderboards advertised on their website are subcategorized into organization size so that viewers see most dollars raised by donors. Our Lady of Lourdes Academy actually recruited 597 donors to give over $140,000, almost completing their goal of $160,000. Achieve Miami, Lehman Community Day School, The Greater Miami Jewish Foundation, and Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden all raised over $1,000,000.
On the same day, in order to congratulate and recognize an outstanding faculty member, The Orange Bowl Committee awarded Mrs. Mary Beth Pino, the faith and ministry director here at Lourdes, a $500 gift card. The Tag a Teacher awards 10 outstanding teachers across Miami-Dade County, and OLLA’s Mrs. Pino just happened to be one of them.
Give Miami Day was a success. It brought Miamians together to support causes important to them.
