Giving Tuesday 2019, Where We Gave

Giving Tuesday is one of my favorite days, not because our clients are so successful (they rocked it this year, we’re seeing double digit year-over-year growth) but because I get to make the Jackson River annual company match, where our staff are encouraged to donate to a cause near and dear to them (not necessarily one of our clients) and I’ll match it. Here is a sampling of where we gave this year, and of course it’s never to late to contribute if you too are moved by one of these groups.
— Alice Hendricks, CEO

I donated to the Lilith Fund for Reproductive Equity because they help people in Texas gain access to abortion when they are not able to afford the associated costs. Since Texas has managed to close most abortion clinics, those costs can include travel, lodging, childcare, loss of wages or employment, and the added expense of an ultrasound required by the state. Lilith Fund provides access to the health care that is everyone's right.
— Jenn Olivia, VP of Professional Services

Today I am donating to United Way of Dane County; Along with their broader mission of building stability for local families, they are experts at helping individuals navigate and connect with a broad range of services - their work helps keep people from getting lost when they need a boost.
— Laura Zimmerman, Developer

I chose to give to www.joincampaignzero.org this year on Giving Tuesday to help reduce unnecessary police violence and deaths. Around one thousand deaths occur each year by police force and about 60% of them occur with unarmed citizens and should be preventable. Education, legislation, and community are key in moving towards less police-involved incidents and Campaign Zero is doing a great job in leading action and helping to push reform at the legislative level.
— Cameron Kingsett, developer

I've donated to the Prison Books Collective, a non-profit "anti-prison group that sends hundreds of books to people in prisons and jails in North Carolina and Alabama each month, maintains an extensive radical ‘zine (small political booklets) catalog (which we will send to any state), and publishes a zine of art and writing by people in prison." Our prison system is a great monument to injustice and these people are doing good work to fight that.
— Matt Thomas, Developer

This year I donated to an organization called OIT Works. OIT stands for Oral Immunotherapy - a not-so-new but little-known treatment for food allergies that we have been doing for my son's severe peanut allergy since March. This organization, their research site and their parent support groups have been a constant source of information and encouragement throughout the process and have made a huge difference in our lives this year. In a couple of weeks my son will enter the "maintenance" phase of his treatment - and while he will probably always be allergic, but we no longer live in fear of life-threatening reactions from accidental exposure, and we no longer have to avoid foods that "may contain" peanuts - bring on the Kit Kats!
— Kara Cruoglio, Product Manager

I chose amplifying Indigenous voices with Seeding Sovereignty for Giving Tuesday! They are an Indigenous womxn-led collective working to create radical social and environmental change on behalf of the global community. Indigenous people are at the forefront of the fight for our environment and resisting climate change and I believe strongly in supporting their work to decolonize and focus on Indigenous led solutions for our environment and our culture.
— Meli Trumbo, Developer

I chose IRC because I love their mission and the work they do across the world to help people who are most in need. I have served a refugee community in the past through my church and I have seen some of the needs that are there, so I appreciate the work that IRC does in helping refugees rebuild their lives. I also chose IRC because it's nice to support a client.
— Esther Wagneci, QA Specialist

Destiny Rescue is an organization that works tirelessly to rescue young girls, and sometimes boys, from the sex trafficking industry. Operatives perform both covert rescues and raids supported by local law enforcement. Once free, girls enter Destiny Rescue's aftercare program, where they are given the education, support, and resources needed to be successful on their own. Girls have gone on to get jobs they love and even start their own businesses after support from Destiny Rescue."
— Dan Ruscoe, Developer

Grow Pittsburgh promotes access to local, healthy food by supporting urban gardening. I love that they center community voices and prioritize social justice and equity in their work. On a personal note, tending the school garden with Farmer Ian from Grow Pittsburgh was one of the highlights of second grade for my son.
— Megan Farrington, Product Manager

I personally donated to Girls Who Code, as did one of our top developers who said “I saw firsthand from experiences in undergrad how poorly women were treated in STEM programs, particularly the computer science classes—by both their peers and instructors. It’s hard enough to handle the technical side of work/class-work without the additional burden of discrimination.”
— Anonymous