Reflections on Giving Tuesday & Community Service in 2020
Due to the challenges our world is currently facing with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are experiencing personal and professional hardships. As a result, it has become more important than ever to support each other and our community. This past year has led many of us to reflect on the value of a strong community, and to realize the ways in which we can connect with and make a difference in our own communities.
With the holiday season approaching, Giving Tuesday offers a gentle reminder that we can still give back to our community despite the COIVD-19 pandemic – though it might look different this year. At Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD, we encourage everyone that is able—employees, clients, and friends alike—to get involved. Whether you donate to a particular cause or Giving Tuesday initiative or spend some time volunteering for a local organization, every effort is meaningful and impactful.
What is Giving Tuesday?
Traditionally recognized as the Tuesday following Thanksgiving in the United States, Giving Tuesday is a global movement that both celebrates and encourages generosity. Giving Tuesday was initially created in 2012 by the 92nd Street Y in New York City and the United Nations Foundation to encourage charitable acts and donations in response to the consumer-centric attitude that typically follows the Thanksgiving holiday.
Since its inception, Giving Tuesday has grown into a worldwide phenomenon, with major companies like Facebook, Microsoft, and Google matching donations and news outlets such as USA Today promoting the movement.
CCK is Proud to Support our Providence Community
“Each year CCK makes an effort to give back to our community through both volunteering and charitable giving,” says CCK Founding Partner Robert Chisholm. “We value the work of our local businesses and organizations and want to show our appreciation however possible.”
Throughout the year, some of the organizations, foundations, and events CCK is proud to support include:
- Rhode Island Community Food Bank
- Amos House
- Hasbro Children’s Hospital
- Stages of Freedom
- Rhode Island Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund
- Dorcas International‘s #weR1 Rhode Island Relief Fund
- The Providence Center
- Sojourner House
- WaterFire Salute to Veterans
- The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program – Pro Bono Mission Partner
CCK 2020 Service Initiatives
Along with our charitable giving efforts, CCK encourages our team to participate in several community service initiatives. For this year’s holiday season, we are focusing on three projects in particular: letters to veterans, food pantry donations, and Wreaths Across America.
Our Letters to Veterans initiative encourages CCK team members to show our appreciation to the local veteran community. Especially due to COVID-19, veterans living in VA assisted living facilities or veterans’ homes may not be able to see friends or family this holiday season or may be feeling otherwise disconnected this year. CCK encourages each employee to get creative and send a letter, card, or drawing to a veteran currently residing at the Rhode Island Veterans Home. We have even challenged our entire firm to send one letter to a veteran every week, from now through the end of the year.
In years past, CCK has held in-office events such as food drives and Turkey Basket Decorating Contests to collect donations for a local food pantry. COVID-19 has exacerbated existing food insecurity. Although we cannot hold our usual in-office food drive events, CCK is encouraging team members to donate to a food pantry of their choosing if they are able.
Food pantries collect non-perishable and nutritious food items, gift cards to grocery stores, and other essential items and distribute them to those in need. Some of the most-requested food items include: olive or canola oil; whole grains such as pasta or brown rice; peanut butter and other nut butters; canned meat and fish; canned or dried beans; canned fruits and vegetables; canned soup, stew, chili, or similar meals; and whole, uncut produce. These items can be delivered (contact-free!) directly to the food pantry of your choosing or, in the case of gift cards, sent via mail.
CCK is also proud to participate in the Wreaths Across America program. Each December, the Wreaths Across America organization coordinates wreath-laying ceremonies on a designated day (i.e., Wreaths Across America Day) at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as at more than 1,600 additional locations across the United States, at sea, and abroad. During these ceremonies, remembrance wreaths are laid on the graves of our nation’s fallen heroes. The mission of these ceremonies is to remember those veterans we have lost, honor those who currently serve our country, and to teach children the value and importance of freedom.
CCK supports this initiative by sponsoring a Wreaths Across America Team and encouraging CCK employees to volunteer or attend our local Wreaths Across America Day ceremony at the Rhode Island Veterans Cemetery.
About CCK
Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD is a Rhode Island-based nationwide law firm practicing Veterans Law, ERISA & Long-Term Disability Insurance Litigation, and Bequest Management. For more information about CCK’s community service initiatives, please visit the CCK in Action page on our website or contact us at 401-331-6300. For a closer look at our day to day activities, you can find pictures and other behind-the-scenes glimpses of our firm’s community engagement on our social media channels.
