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Charity WHIRL

By Leslie Hoffman


We are so inspired by the generosity that we see demonstrated at the charitable events and non-profit fundraisers that we cover all year long. This month, giving back is the theme of the season: Giving gifts, giving to charity, giving our time. With 31 Days of Giving, we want to show you something that you can do every day in the month of December to give back to charitable organizations in our community. Plus, we take a look at what corporations in our region are doing to make it easy for their employees to give this season.


31 Days of Giving
Give or volunteer every day of December!

 

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1
Wear red for World AIDS Day and make a donation to Pittsburgh’s AIDS awareness organizations, the Delta Foundation and the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force. persadcenter.org, patf.org.

Give to Variety: The Children’s Charity of Pittsburgh by calling into the Q92.9 “Cares for Kids” Radiothon. 412.747.2680. varietypittsburgh.org.

 

 

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2
Hear Larry Gatlin’s story of recovery at the Gateway Rehab Hope has a Home Gala at the Westin Convention Center Hotel, Pittsburgh, which benefits Gateway Rehab. 412.766.8700 x1234. gatewayrehab.org.

Give to Variety: The Children’s Charity of Pittsburgh by calling into the Q92.9 “Cares for Kids” Radiothon. 412.747.2680. varietypittsburgh.org.


THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3
Help Carnegie Mellon University engineering undergraduate students “Have a Heart,” and collect more than 1,000 toys for needy children this season. Drop off brand-new, unwrapped toys by December 4 at CMU’s Scaife Hall, room 118. cmu.edu.
 

 

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4
Every Friday in the month of December, purchase a pair of glasses at 40 percent off on “Red Fridays” at Eyetique stores and they will donate 5 percent of the purchase to Gilda’s Club Pittsburgh. 800.422.5320. Eyetique.com.
 

 

 

 

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5
Follow the lead of Robert Morris University students who volunteer the first Saturday of every month at Helping Hands Food Pantry in Aliquippa, and give your time to help at this local food bank. 724.495.3330.

Help local families get “off the floor” with Off the Floor Pittsburgh, a non profit that provides beds, tables, and chairs to needy families in the Pittsburgh area, with the benefit luncheon at the Pittsburgh Athletic Association. 412.271.4808. offthefloorpittsburgh.org.

Create special holiday crafts for your pet at Holidays with Heart, benefiting Animal Friends. Plus, shop gifts for people from vendors such as Party Light and Mary Kay, 412.847.7000. thinkingoutsidethecage.org.

Give to the YMCA with the Season of Giving Gala at the Oakmont Country Club. 412.227.5315. ymcaofpittsburgh.org.

 

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6
Tackle hunger in our community by voting for the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Sideline Hunger Web page: Vote for the Steelers every day in Campbell’s Chunky Soup’s “Click for Cans,” and help them win thousands of cans of soup for the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank. pittsburghfoodbank.org/sidelinehunger.

 

MONDAY, DECEMBER 7
Have “A Winter Blast” at the Flo-rida concert, sponsored by B-94; proceeds benefit the Glimmer of Hope under 40 breast cancer study. symbolofthecure.com/events.


 

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8
Shop for the holidays at Designer Days Boutique, benefiting the National Council of Jewish Women, which works to improve the lives of women and children. 412.441.0330. ncjwpgh.org.
 

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9
 Donate a pet bed to the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society; if you donate in someone else’s name, the WPHS will send them an acknowledgment. wpahumane.org.
 

 

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10
Drop off clothing at PNC Park to help the Pittsburgh Pirates with their clothing drive for children at the Madre Laura Education Center in the Dominican Republic. 
 

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11
Tune in to WTAE-TV and its annual Project Bundle Up telethon to benefit the Salvation Army. projectbundleup.com.

Hanukkah Begins at Sundown

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12
Run or walk to benefit the Arthritis Foundation with the Jingle Bell Run/Walk 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on the North Shore. 412.566.1645. arthritis.org/chapters/western-pennsylvania.
 

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13
Volunteer your time to help a child at Auberle shop, wrap, and select gifts for their loved ones at Santa’s Workshop. 412.673.5856 x1257, auberle.org/volunteer_auberle.html.
 

MONDAY, DECEMBER 14
Be a part of creating something new at the Mattress Factory. The annual campaign, “It’s All About YOU,” celebrates the museum’s success this year, largely because of its community of supporters. mattress.org. On December 14, click here to donate to the Mattress Factory, and with a donation of $25, receive two complimentary admissions to the museum (a $20 value!) PLUS a one-year subscription to WHIRL!
 

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15
Style and profile like Charlize Theron, and give to her charity, Charlize Theron Outreach Africa, by purchasing a Give & Take T-shirt that the Oscar-winning actress designed with Pittsburgh girl Shea Mullen, available online or locally at hip’tique. giveandtaketees.com.
 

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16
Order holiday place settings from Plates With Purpose by Riverside Design Group. Each of the 11 different designs benefits a different non-profit organization; 15 percent of the purchase goes to charities such as the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. The Square Café in Regent Square uses the POWER Plates, pictured here. plateswithpurpose.com.
 

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17
Make a deposit in the red kettles for Salvation Army ... now you can do it with the click of a mouse! onlineredkettle.com.
 

 

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18
Tune into KDKA-TV for the annual telethon benefiting the Free Care Fund at Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh UPMC.
kdka.com.

Rock someone’s world with the Rock a Wish Show, benefiting Make A Wish Foundation of Greater Pennsylvania and Southern Virginia, at Altar Bar in the Strip District, $10. wishgreaterpa.org.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19
Bring in a gently used handbag for the Power Project to Pursuits in Shadyside, and receive 20 percent off the handbag of your choice. 412.688.8822.

Make a difference in the lives of every Kiski boy and support The Kiski Fund. Click “Giving” at kiski.org.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20
Pick up last-minute Christmas gifts at Ambiance Boutique, in Oakmont, Regent Square, or Lawrenceville, and your designer purchases help give the women and children of Bethlehem Haven happy holidays, too. Ambianceboutique.org.

 

 

 

 

 


MONDAY, DECEMBER 21
Volunteer to wrap gifts in the Ladies Hospital Aid Society gift shop in Montefiore Hospital; LHAS validates parking and provides a free lunch voucher. 412.648.6106.  lhas.net/volunteer.asp.

 


 

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22
Last-minute shopping at Dick’s Sporting Goods? Make your purchase give doubly when you make a donation to St. Jude’s Thanks and Giving Campaign, at the register. dickssportinggoods.com.
 

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23
Extra tickets to The Nutcracker? Donate them to Tickets for Kids Charities, to allow underprivileged children the opportunity to attend cultural events. 412.781.KIDS. ticketsforkids.org.
 

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24
Last-minute Christmas shopping at Pittsburgh Mills? Stop by the Village of Hope to support Habitat for Humanity Allegheny Valley. habitatav.org.

Christmas Eve

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25
Lend a hand with the United Jewish Federation and participate in “Mitzvah Day,” where members of Pittsburgh’s Jewish community volunteer their time to service organizations so that people celebrating Christmas can stay home with their families. 412.681.8000. ujf.org.

Christmas Day

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26
Join our neighbors to the north to celebrate Boxing Day: Package up clothes, housewares, and other items you no longer need, and take them to Goodwill. goodwill.org.

Kwanzaa begins
 

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 27
Give a glass of water to a child in Africa. Just a $13 donation to The Samburu Project, Kristen Kosinski’s foundation, can bring water for life to a person in Kenya. thesamburuproject.org.
 

MONDAY, DECEMBER 28
Make a contribution to Family House to help families who are staying in Pittsburgh for medical treatment defray their costs. 412.647.5811. familyhouse.org.
 

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29
Take an early winter walk in one of Pittsburgh’s great parks, and buy a commemorative brick for $250, to benefit the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. 412.682.7275. pittsburghparks.org/support.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30
Get the new year off in the right direction by cleaning out your closet of pieces that you no longer need. Donate professional clothing to Dress for Success Pittsburgh, to help women get back into the work force. 412.201.4204. dressforsuccesspgh.org.
 

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31
Help the Animal Rescue League reach its 2009 goal of giving 5,000 animals a home, “Drive for Five,” and add a furry friend to your family before the year ends. 412.661.6452. animalrescue.org.
 

 

 

Corporate Giving
Companies in the Western Pennsylvania region provide opportunities for their employees to give back to the community, from organizing gift drives for children, to leave time to volunteer.


PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.: PNC Grow Up Great
The PNC Financial Services Group has a 10-year, $100 million initiative to help prepare children from birth through age 5 for a great life, PNC Grow Up Great. PNC provides up to 40 hours of paid time to each of its employees every year to allow them to volunteer for Grow Up Great activities, says Fred Solomon, vice president corporate communications, PNC Financial Services. Employees or groups of employees volunteer as appropriate at places such as Head Start Centers, where they volunteer to read to children, assist instructors, clean the centers, or lend their professional skills. Since the inception of the program five years ago, PNC employees have donated approximately 125,000 hours of their time. “One of Grow Up Great’s focuses is Grow Up Great With Science, which helps to introduce preschool children to science,” Solomon says. “Through the funding by the PNC Foundation, science centers and non-profit institutions are providing professional development for pre-school teachers and creating appropriate science activities for young children.” PNC Financial Services Group, One PNC Plaza, 249 Fifth Ave., Downtown. 412.762.7544. pnc.com.

PNC Chairman and CEO Jim Rohr reading to children
as part of the Grow Up Great program.

 

 

 

 

 

BNY Mellon: BNY Mellon’s: Community Partnership
BNY Mellon employees are eligible for two days of paid volunteer time year round, annually. “The program is extremely popular with our employees,” says Lane Cigna, in corporate communications at BNY Mellon. Employees create team volunteering or fundraising projects and the company will match their fundraising efforts or time spent volunteering, to thousands of nonprofit organizations around the world. This year, BNY Mellon’s Pittsburgh employees have logged 2,420 volunteer hours; they have completed 67 projects, with another 30 planned or underway through the end of the year; and they have raised more than $90,000 personally through these projects, with an additional $122,000 in company matches. “What I love most about BNY Mellon’s Community Partnership Program is that it’s exciting to see your employees get behind a cause that they care about. Through them we are powering the potential of our communities,” Cigna says. BNY Mellon, BNY Mellon Center, 500 Grant St., Downtown. 412.234.5000. bnymellon.com.

Highmark: Adopt-A-Family Program for the Salvation Army
More than 80 families from the Salvation Army, Three Rivers Youth, the Veterans Association, and the Highmark Caring Foundation will be recipients of the generosity of more than 1,400 Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield employees this holiday season, as Highmark partners with Salvation Army’s Adopt-A-Family Program. Throughout the month of November, Highmark employees raise funds and make donations to purchase gifts for local children and families who might not otherwise receive presents this holiday season. Employees drop off the gifts for the Salvation Army December 4. Highmark Inc., Fifth Avenue Place, 120 Fifth Ave., Downtown. 412.544.7000. highmark.com.

Highmark employees volunteering.

Bayer: Breakfast With Santa for the United Way
“Our primary giving partner is the United Way, so we do a series of fundraisers to raise money for the United Way on behalf of Bayer,” says Bryan Iams, head of strategic and external communications at Bayer. The most famous and long-standing tradition within the company is hosting Breakfast with Santa at the company’s U.S. headquarters in Robinson; Bayer employees bring their families. The cafeteria is decorated with a different theme each year (this year will be “A Christmas Carol,”) and a special closed-off section is known as “The North Pole,” with Santa and Mrs. Claus holding court. A basket raffle is a big part of the breakfast’s fundraising component, with all of the proceeds going to the United Way. The breakfast, on December 5, is so popular that it will require two seatings to be able to accommodate Bayer’s Pittsburgh employees. And, not only does Bayer give to the United Way, but there’s also an educational component. “We also hold science experiments for the kids, so it’s a learning opportunity, too,” Iams says. Bayer Corporation, 100 Bayer Road, Building 4, Robinson Twp., 412.777.2000. bayerus.com.
 
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