Impact Communications celebrates #GivingTuesday every year by making donations to social impact causes selected by our employees. Please read about this year’s picks and click on the links to learn more about these outstanding organizations.

Kathy: This year, I’m making my #GivingTuesday donation to the Southern Center for Human Rights. I have been a monthly donor to the Center for many years and want to spotlight them. The Center was founded in 1976 in response to the Supreme Court’s reinstatement of the death penalty and to address horrendous conditions in Southern prisons and jails. The Center provides direct representation to people facing the death penalty in Georgia and Alabama and fights for equality, dignity, and justice for people impacted by the criminal legal system in the Deep South.

Jacqui – As a Howard University alum, I know how special The Mecca was for me and continues to be for thousands of others.  The supportive atmosphere, learning about African American and African history and accomplishments, and the incredible educational foundation I received have contributed to my success as a professional and as a person.  I also understand how much of a financial struggle it can be for some, which is why I donate to HU.  Giving to Howard University helps transforms lives and generations.  HU, You KNOW!

Jamie – DC has one of the highest poverty rates in the country with over 5,000 men, women and children currently experiencing homelessness. This #GivingTuesday, I am choosing to support So Others Might Eat (SOME), a non-profit that has been helping to break the cycle of poverty in the District for more than 50 years. SOME provides housing, emergency and social services, healthcare, education and workforce development, compassion, and so much more to those in need. If you have not had the opportunity to volunteer with SOME, I highly recommend it!

Heather -I love books! A perfect hour is picking up a book and finding a quiet corner… Whether a picture book, non-fiction, or poetry, books transport us to magical worlds or challenge us to take action. I am so grateful for my hometown library as well as their amazing programs for all ages. Thank you Alexandria Library – Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Central – for all your do for our community. 

Kim – I picked St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, because I’m passionate about organizations that help children with life-threatening illnesses. I like that they have a research facility to figure out how to tackle those diseases and find cures. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to more than 80% since they opened more than 50 years ago.

Jen – The Black Seed is a first-ever national strategic plan to create impact and thrivability for Black theater institutions, unprecedentedly conceptualized and led by the Black theater field. The Black Seed is a force for systemic change in the arts and culture world.  Black Theater institutions shape our national narrative and public discourse. Yet, inequities persist. Of the $4 billion in philanthropic support from foundations to arts organizations, 58% of that goes to the largest 2% of organizations — all white-led. The other 98% of organizations split the last 42%, and arts organizations serving communities of color shared only 4% of that pie. This Giving Tuesday donation is made to further the parity in the arts that the Black Seed fund is striving to accomplish. 

Raeann – I am deciding to support the Black Women’s Health Imperative. I had the misfortune to suffer Health setbacks and experience the neglect that black women feel in the health care system. The organization provides education and support for black women and helps Black women amplify their voices when advocating for their health.