A Day of Giving

by Amy Kessner, The Groundwater Foundation

#GivingTuesday is less than one week away. While many are preparing Thanksgiving dinners and shopping lists, we are busy reaching out and spreading the word about #GivingTuesday and our new program - Groundwater Restoration through Education.

I don't know about you, but I could already use a break from the crazy of the season. Christmas music is already playing in stores. Black Friday is slowly becoming Black Thursday. My house is a disaster with only 24 hours to go until family arrives. My mind is going a million miles a minute. So, I propose we take a moment to pause and reflect on this season. A season of thanks. A season of joy. A season of giving.

A season of thanks.

Today, I am thankful for the water I drink. I am thankful for the water that makes my coffee and gets me going in the morning. I am thankful that as I am moving boxes and organizing our storage room in preparation for the Foundation's move, I have cool, refreshing, clean water to clench my thirst. I am thankful for the people I work with who have devoted their careers to educating others about the importance of protecting and conserving our groundwater. So many things to be thankful for on this ordinary day. What a blessing.

A season of joy.

For those of you who may not know, I began working at the Foundation in August. Thus, today I can rejoice in the fact that I have a job I love. Working with Girl Scouts, Science Olympiad, and other youth programs educating students of all ages and backgrounds about groundwater has brought such joy to my life.

A season of giving.

In a season full of consuming - Black Fridays and Cyber Mondays - it is refreshing to have a day to focus on giving. This season is not just about the hustle and bustle and checking items off of our to-do lists. It's about giving our time to those who need it most. Finding that perfect gift that will make your mother cry. Spending countless hours over a hot stove cooking dinners for our family. Traveling hundreds of miles to see faces not seen since last year. It's about doing something special for a person you love just because you can. It's about giving.

"It's about doing something larger than yourself. It's about serving this world, helping others." Let's make #GivingTuesday a true day of giving. Giving of our time. Giving of our kind words. Giving of our money. Giving of our hearts. Giving of our skills. Anything you may have to offer. #GivingTuesday doesn't have to be just for the nonprofits and charities of the world, it can be a state of mind for all of us.

Join us, The Groundwater Foundation, on December 3rd in celebrating a day dedicated to giving. A day to serve this world. A day to help others.

3 Weeks Until #GivingTuesday: Help Us Reach Our Goal!

#GivingTuesday is only three weeks away! We would like to begin the countdown to #GivingTuesday by announcing our goal for December 3rd:

The Goal: Raise $10,000 for the Groundwater Restoration through Education project!

$10,000 = Groundwater Education to 40 Title I Schools in Nebraska! Help us reach this goal by spreading the word and donating on December 3rd.

What is Groundwater Restoration through Education? Groundwater Restoration through Education is a new project at The Groundwater Foundation that seeks to educate underprivileged youth at Title I schools on the importance of groundwater, sources of pollution, and the importance of prevention versus remediation. It also seeks to empower youth by giving them the knowledge to make a difference in their community through protecting and restoring groundwater.

Check out our infographic below for more information about Groundwater Restoration through Education and how you can get involved with the project!

Black Friday... Cyber Monday... #GivingTuesday

By Amy Kessner, The Groundwater Foundation

"#GivingTuesday is a campaign to create a national day of giving at the start of the annual holiday season. It celebrates and encourages charitable activities that support nonprofit organizations."  

- Mission Statement of #GivingTuesday

The Groundwater Foundation is partnering with #GivingTuesday to raise funds to support motivational and inspirational education and community-based action programs that creatively involve individuals, communities, public and private entities in groundwater conservation and protection. Check out The Groundwater Foundation's partner page here.

How can you be involved?

1) Give on December 3rd!

Your donation will provide groundwater education and activities throughout the nation!

A Donation of $25... brings an Awesome Aquifer groundwater modeling kit to a classroom, allowing students to learn about how groundwater moves and becomes contaminated in a hands-on way.

A Donation of $50... helps a green space manager adopt groundwater-friendly turf management practices on their site, thereby improving water quality and benefiting the environment.




A Donation of $250... provides support, motivation, resources, and recognition to communities of all types working to educate people about groundwater and protect local drinking water supplies.

All Gifts... benefit The Groundwater Foundation's programs and projects that provide tools, knowledge, and inspiration to help protect and conserve our precious groundwater supplies.



2) Spread the word!

Tell your friends, family, and coworkers about #GivingTuesday and The Groundwater Foundation through social media outlets. Remember to add the #hashtag #GivingTuesday to your posts!

3) Get informed and take action!

Groundwater is a vital resource, and everyone benefits from a sustainable supply of clean groundwater. Learn the facts about how you can conserve water in your own life and share them with others!

Google is out, GoodSearch is in.

Give to The Groundwater Foundation Just by Searching the Internet!

Here's a new easy way to raise money for The Groundwater Foundation – just start using Yahoo! powered GoodSearch.com as your search engine and they'll donate a penny to The Groundwater Foundation every time you do a search! In addition, do your shopping through their online shopping mall, GoodShop.com, where you can shop at more than 900 top online retailers and a percentage of your purchases will go to The Groundwater Foundation. You pay the same price as you normally would, but a donation goes to help support The Groundwater Foundation!

GoodSearch for The Groundwater Foundation here: http://www.goodsearch.com/?charityid=896792 and GoodShop here: http://www.goodshop.com/?charityid=896792. Be sure to enter The Groundwater Foundation as your charity of choice.

You can also read about GoodSearch in the NY Times, Oprah Magazine, CNN, ABC News and the Wall Street Journal at http://www.goodsearch.com/Press.aspx.