Halton Gives paid Halton Hills Town Hall a visit today (Nov. 28) to commence the season of giving.
The Halton Region chapter of the Canada Gives movement, Mayor Ann Lawlor and fellow council colleagues braved the cold, donned red and white toques and raised the GivingTuesday flag on Tuesday afternoon.
The flag, and the occasion itself, is meant to be a signal reminding residents to think of others and give in the lead up to Christmas. It can be a big or small gesture to friends, family, strangers or charities.
"Small acts of kindness make a huge difference, and we encourage that today. All individuals can take part in GivingTuesday as they can," Chair of Halton Gives Kristen Curry told HaltonHillsToday.
For example, in one community in a previous year, someone drew nice messages in chalk everywhere.
GivingTuesday was started in New York in 2012. Since then, it has spanned six continents. Local chapters can be found in countries like Argentina, Bangladesh and Croatia, among many others. The movement arrived in Canada nine years ago.
"This is actually our first year to have all four municipalities in Halton raise a flag, which is really exciting for us," Curry said.
As the difficult economic times weigh on families and charities, the spirit of giving was highlighted even more at the event. The Darling Home for Kids - which had representatives present at the raising - is feeling the pinch in the cost of living crisis.
"If you think of your costs to operate your own home, charities all over have those costs too," said Nicole Walker, who oversees events and sponsorship at the Darling Home.
Marco Lopes, a development officer for the Darling Home, noted the local facility for medically-complex children is also seeing an increase in the number of families using its services.
Those looking to get into the spirit, but who also need help choosing a charity, can employ a search tool to find both local and other organizations at GivingTuesday.ca.
