Giving Tuesday has come and gone. A day is cool, but I'm not ready to check the box and move on.
Twenty-one months ago, I took a job heading up marketing at Legacy.com, the largest provider of online obituaries and Guest Books. Working here makes you really think about your life and how to spend it well. More than a million people visit our website every day, mostly looking to support people who have lost a loved one. Sometimes they do so by sharing the ways they loved the person, sometimes just by telling a story that perhaps the grandkids should know about their cool grandpa. Because our obituary pages are integrated with newspapers, you might have been on our site before without even realizing it, as you found an obituary or signed a Guest Book, bought flowers or donated to a charity. Generally, people are incredibly kind and just want to support family and friends by remembering the goodness and celebrating the lives of their deceased loved ones.
Which brings us to yesterday. We launched our first Give To Remember event, and we're taking the full month to remember the people we love by helping the causes they cared about so dearly. The charity stories and inspiration are amazing. They do so much good, every day of the year. And during December, we're helping out. Legacy.com is matching up to $50,000 for the event, so our charity partners can reach even more people and have more impact with the wonderful things they each do.
Some introductions may be in order. Both the Ty Louis Campbell Foundation and Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation were founded to remember two young children and honor their wishes to end childhood cancers. The American Heart Association, National Kidney Foundation and Conquer Cancer Foundation all help us focus on avoiding and managing those diseases. Remembering and supporting our veterans are Final Salute Inc. and Marines' Memorial Association. StoryCorps, like Legacy.com, helps capture our stories, and CharitySmith helps people build those memories into meaningful missions. The Funeral Service Foundation supports the people that support us in our grief while the Golden Apple Foundation recognizes and remembers our teachers. Mercy Home for Boys & Girls has been helping children in crisis for more than a century. These charities and their missions are just a start. Your list might be different, and it should be, but take the month and consider giving. Maybe even every single day in some small way.
I'll admit, I'm not an expert in this area, but I know some great givers. This guy I am completely in love with is my idol in giving. He started a scholarship for children from his high school in his early 20s when I was totally consumed with buying my first car and paying my student loans. By the time we started dating, he had offered another scholarship in honor of his fourth-grade teacher. Flash forward a lot of years: I married that awesome, giving guy, three children and many moons ago. And I've gotten better. I'm still not nearly as generous as he is, but I was extremely proud that he was giving via the Web page my team built yesterday.
One final thought before I sign off to do Day 2 of giving: During 2015, I've been conducting meaning of life interviews, and kindness and love have emerged as the common themes after more than 200 interviews. Most of us think that's what life is all about.
Let's give more!
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