In this country, we have many holidays. We celebrate historic moments, the feats of our great leaders, the passing of years, and lives of our religious guides. Unfortunately, some of these festivities have lost their sheen; the stress of expensive travel, ornate meals, and consumerism detracts from the true purpose of these events. Instead of celebrating the simple miracles that bring family and friends together, we unwrap presents, give out candy, and line up at 1am for the newest gadgets.
Black Friday is at the pinnacle of all consumer-driven, pseudo holidays. The thought that people wait in lines that literally wrap around a Big Box store twice so they can save $20 on a video game makes me nauseous. This year Americans spent $11.2 billion and made 307 million visits to stores on Black Friday. The sheer waste of human time that exists on that day is astronomical. A conservative estimate of 20 minutes per visit means that Americans spent the equivalent of 2.5 million work weeks...shopping...on a single day.
Don't get me wrong. I love buying things for myself and others. But imagine that instead of shopping on Black Friday, people took those same 20 minutes and did something to give back to the world. Envision the impact that 2.5 million work weeks worth of good could have on our communities!
That's what we're trying to do with #GivingTuesday. GiveForward is one of 2000 organizations across the U.S. participating in a holiday that we hope will inspire citizens to make one small, generous act. Of course, we think that one of the easiest things to give is money. So, GiveForward has partnered with 19 other Chicago companies to make this process super simple. All 20 of our companies are matching 10% of donations made to these fundraisers between now and December 31st. To contribute, simply visit the Tech the Halls site.
Even if you don't choose to donate on GiveForward, I hope that you will take just 10 minutes out of your day to give to someone or something you care about.
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