By Paul Thompson
Northeast News

Organizations in and around the Northeast area are hoping that #GivingTuesday campaigns can support their charitable efforts.

Largely due to the power of the internet, #GivingTuesday has caught on as a new global day of giving on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving. Though organizations from throughout the world are seeking charitable donations, that doesn’t mean local organizations should be overlooked.

Here’s a look at some local organizations Northeast residents can donate to for #GivingTuesday:

– Mattie Rhodes Center (148 N. Topping) is once again conducting a campaign to collect new toys for families in the area. The idea is to collect 400 toys for 400 kids in the community, and distribute them during the center’s annual holiday breakfast, which will be held on Saturday, December 9, from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m.

The holiday breakfast is open to anybody in the community, though Mattie Rhodes Center asks those who wish to participate to register in advance. Anyone interested in attending the free holiday breakfast needs only to stop by the Mattie Rhodes Center’s Northeast location before December 7 to pick up a complimentary ticket for each attendee.

Those who wish to donate can do so at the Mattie Rhodes Center web site at www.mattierhodes.org.

– The Don Bosco Centers will be participating in #GivingTuesday fundraising for the first time in 2017. The organization has pledged that every dollar raised on #GivingTuesday will go directly to vital services for its clients during the holiday season.

“The center has a couple of new employees, including myself,” said Anna Marie Munoz, Development Director at Don Bosco Centers. “We’re just trying to reach a bigger demographic in Kansas City. We thought this would be a fun new day to donate to the center.”

A donation of $2.50 will buy one meal at the center for a senior; $10 will cover socks and hat for a client in need; $25 buys two weeks of meals for a Don Bosco client; a donation of $50 will go towards the “adoption” of one senior, immigrant, or refugee; and a $100 donation will cover transportation for 20 people to and from the Senior Center for two weeks.

With the adoption of a senior, immigrant or refugee, donors can ensure that the needs of specific clients are met this holiday season.

“What that will go towards is anything that they’re in need of: whether that’s clothes, laundry detergent, or if they need a new coat,” said Munoz.

In addition to cash donations, Don Bosco Centers is always seeking volunteers and holiday helpers. For more information, call (816) 691-2807 or visits the Don Bosco Centers Facebook page.

-The American Jazz Museum is hoping to raise $9,519.97 for #GivingTuesday this year, in honor the day 20 years ago when the museum opened its doors. Every year, the American Jazz Museum engages over 32,000 kids through hands-on performances, jam sessions, storytelling, clinics, poetry, tours and outreach. The museum hopes that its #GivingTuesday fundraising efforts can help ensure that 20 years from now, kids in the area are still reaping the benefits of its programming efforts.

“Today’s goal is really to get $9.5 thousand dollars to make sure the stories that we tell here at the Jazz Museum are told for another 20 years,” said Marisa Baum, Interim Director of Development and Communication for the American Jazz Museum.

The American Jazz Museum supports music education through the American Jazz Academy, live jazz music at the Blue Room, the Jazz Storytelling series, and much much. For more information, visit americanjazzmuseum.org today. To donate to the American Jazz Museum, visit americanjazzmuseum.org/support.

– Sheffield Place, a treatment and transitional living center designed specifically for homeless mothers, is asking supporters to consider making a donation on behalf of someone they love on #GivingTuesday.

If a gift is donated before December 15, Sheffield Place will inform the honoree of your thoughtful donation before December 25. Just provide the name and address of the honoree in the memo line of the online gift form, which can be found at http://sheffieldplace.org/give-online.

– The Kansas City Museum is collecting online donations for #GivingTuesday, which will be put towards innovate programming. Go to kansascitymuseum.org and scroll down to the #GivingTuesday link on the homepage for donations details.

“What will happen is, when you go onto the contributions page, you can become a member, which is for education programming, or you can designate your gift specifically for the Making a Museum KC campaign,” said Anna Marie Tutera, the museum’s Executive Director.

The Making a Museum KC campaign aims to raise awareness, funding, and community support for the renovation and restoration of Corinthian Hall, which is underway now.

– Though Della Lamb Community Services hasn’t initiated an online #GivingTuesday campaign, the non-profit organization will be accepting donations towards its 43rd annual Operation Santa Claus event from now through the month of December.

In addition to financial contributions, the organization is seeking new toys, new children’s clothing, new story books, Christmas groceries, gift wrap and much more. In addition to its upcoming Operation Santa Claus event, Della Lamb gave away more than 1,300 Thanksgiving meals during its Operation Thanksgiving event on Tuesday, November 21.

“We just served 1,311 families for Operation Thanksgiving,” said Judy McGonigle Akers, Della Lamb Executive Director. “That comprises 2,105 children and 4,373 individuals.”

For Operation Santa Claus, Akers confirmed that Della Lamb verifies that its clients aren’t being simultaneously served by other agencies. The goal is to ensure that all donation dollars are stretched to their fullest extent.

To donate to Della Lamb ahead of Operation Santa Claus, visit dellalamb.org, visit the organization’s Facebook page, or call the organization directly at (816) 842-8040.