The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, November 26, 2015 | 16 GivingTuesday a reminder to share time, talent or treasure by Julia Le Oakville Beaver Staff GivingTuesday is more than just a day dedicated to giving and volunteering -- it's a nationwide movement to mobilize people for the betterment of our communities. On the heels of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which marks the unofficial start of the shopping season, charity groups are collectively banding together to establish GivingTuesday -- Dec. 1 -- as the opening day of the giving holiday season. It's a reminder to think of others and our communities, said Sarah McPherson, a member of the Charity Communications Roundtable, which is spearheading the campaign in Oakville. The group, comprised of communications and fundraising staff from a number of Oakville organizations, including Acclaim Health, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton, Children's Aid Foundation of Halton, Home Suite Hope, Oakville Community Foundation (OCF), Oakville Hospital Foundation, United Way of Oakville and YMCA of Oakville, formed earlier this year to put their expertise and skills to work by finding meaningful ways to create a dialogue with its supporters. According to McPherson, the communications and development director at OCF , GivingTuesday provides the perfect opportunity to draw attention to a lot of local charities doing great things while also celebrating those who give their time, talent and hard-earned money to the community. The Charity Communications Roundtable is encouraging the Oakville community to challenge friends, family, neighbours and colleagues to take part on Dec. 1 by making a donation of $20 (or how much you can afford) to their favourite charity. If you take part, you're encouraged to share your giving on social media with the hashtag #OakvilleGives and pass on the challenge to another person in your social circle, in hopes of creating a ripple effect of giving. "We want to celebrate those who give their time, their talent or their treasure," said McPherson, noting donors are an integral part of making Oakville such a great place in which to live, work and play. She added the charitable sector is growing rapidly in Canada to respond to the demand and need in our communities. Canada's charitable and non-profit sector is the second-largest in the world with an estimated 170,000 non-profit organizations and charities in Canada, half (54 per cent) of which are entirely run by volunteers, according to Imagine Canada, a national charitable organization that supports charities and nonprofits. GivingTuesday was started in Canada in 2013 by a group of organizations including GIV3 and CanadaHelps.org, and has grown to include more than 3,000 partners. It was originally started in the United States in 2012 by the UN Foundation, the NYC 92Y and several other community organizations. Resources on how to increase donations, get more volunteers, raise awareness for your cause and highlight just how you can make a difference for organizations, individuals and families can be found on the GivingTuesday website, www. GivingTuesday.ca. For more information about Giving Tuesday in Oakville, visit http://bit.ly/1QEbJjv. If you take part, you're encouraged to download and print the 8x11 poster, which is available at www. theocf.org/giving-tuesdayoakville-gives. In the blank space, write the amount you are donating and the charity you are giving the money to, and then take a selfie holding the sign. Share the photo on social media with the hashtag #OakvilleGives and pass on the challenge to another person in your social circle, in hopes of creating a ripple effect of giving. RESERVE YOUR CHRISTMAS PARTY TODAY OAKVILLE 146 Lakeshore Rd. W. 905.338.6333 MONDAY TO SUNDAY 7AM TO 3PM THE BIG $ SALE! Christie Snacking Crackers 100-454 g, selected varieties Beatrice Sour Cream 500 mL, selected varieties $ al Traf eth Rd Av e d la n Flyer prices effective from Friday, November 27 to Thursday, December 3, 2015 liz ab 3 1 Campbell's Ready To Enjoy Soup 540 mL, selected varieties Clementines product of Morocco or Spain 5 l b box 3 97 THIRD LINE T Qu e 403 Oakville Amtrak 3 Co rn wa ll R 1011 Upper Middle Road East, Oakville · 289-291-0147 · www.walkerschocolates.ca Tra Rd falga Michael's NoFrills Van Spall's NoFrills 125 Cross 1395 Abbeywood Avenue Drive en E ig h Co r nw all R gar d ABBEYWOOD DR. Le d r 403 OAkVille NORTH SERVICE RD. W.