#GivingTuesday is a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations to encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide.
Following Thanksgiving and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, this year’s #GivingTuesday will take place on November 27th and will kick off the giving season by inspiring people to collaborate and give back.
VeDA participates in #GivingTuesday by celebrating our volunteer Ambassadors, board members, support group leaders and donors. Without their gifts of time and dollars, VeDA could not accomplish its mission to support and empower vestibular patients on their journey back to balance.
Stacy Harpold is the perfect example of giving back. Stacy experienced her first BPPV attack when she was in her 20's. These continued on and off for the next decade but were always able to be corrected with the Epley manuever. Then, one day Stacy's world just kept on spinning. Her first diagnosis was vestibular neuritis, then Meniere's disease, vestibular migraine, and binocular vision dysfunction. Stacy found the VeDA website and educated herself about what was happening to her. Today, she is a VeDA Ambassador and faciliates a Facebook support group called, “Vestibular Hope.”
“It's dedicated volunteers like Stacy that are the heart of VeDA's grassroots advocacy efforts,” says Cynthia Ryan, executive director of VeDA. “Using their social networks, Ambassadors like Stacy are raising awareness about the debilitating impacts vestibular disorders have on patients' daily lives.”
Founded in 2012 by the 92nd Street Y – a community and cultural center in New York City − #GivingTuesday inspired millions of people to give back and support the causes they believe in. Over $300 million was raised online to benefit a tremendously broad range of organizations, and much more was given in volunteer hours, donations of food and clothing, and acts of kindness.
“We are incredibly inspired by the way the #GivingTuesday community has embraced this concept for a worldwide movement,” said Henry Timms, founder of #GivingTuesday and Executive Director of 92Y. “As we prepare for November 27, we’re energized and encouraged by the community’s generosity. The levels of creativity, effort and the quality of the new ideas people have contributed and shared are phenomenal.”
Those who are interested in joining VeDA's #GivingTuesday initiative can visit vestibular.org/givingtuesday. For more details about the #GivingTuesday movement, visit the #GivingTuesday website, Facebook page or follow @GivingTues and the #GivingTuesday hashtag on Twitter.