I got the email.  The one in October from The Mission List asking me to join their efforts as Ambassador for #GivingTuesday.  I never responded.  As they say these days, "My bad."

I promised myself that after I turned 50, my Second Chapter would be dedicated to paying it forward to those in need.

#GivingTuesday fit perfectly into my plan.

My life was terribly busy when I received the notice from The Mission List, and their notice blended in with all of my other emails.  I should have stopped whatever I was doing to read it, because I know that ANY email from The Mission List is an important one.

I may not be an Ambassador for The Mission List, per se, but I wholeheartedly believe in their mission of #GivingTuesday.

I give because I care about the people I love. I give because I want to make the world a better place. I give to, among others, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, The American Cancer Society, The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and our local police and firemen.

All I know is I want to give back, and spread that message, on the same day that thousands of others are giving back worldwide.

Tomorrow is THE day.  Tuesday, December 3 - #GivingTuesday.

Tomorrow is a call to action to "celebrate giving and encouraging more, better and smarter giving during the Holiday Season.  It's an organizing principle to encourage creativity and energy of people all over the world to work together for good."

Max, Newton, Whitey and Smokey are my reasons to give to stop animal abuse, and to help find warm and loving homes for all of our furry friends. My newest charity is where Heaven is being cared for after being brutally abused - NJ SPCA (www.njspca.org) They are doing G-d's work and are in need of donations.

For me, giving back has always been a very personal experience.  The organizations I donate my time and effort to are organizations that have touched my life in some way.  There are also organizations whose work and dedication for a cause has touched my heart.

Let's all put philanthropy back into the giving season.  The whole idea is about ordinary people doing extraordinary things, one person at a time. United, we can make the world a better place.  We can make a difference.

FYI: In case you are interested, this is how the idea of #GivingTuesday began:

• New York's 92nd Street Y was the catalyst and incubator for Giving Tuesday, with the United Nations Foundation providing their stragetic and communications expertise.
• A team of advisors, including Adam Hirsch (Edelman), Rob Reich (Stanford) Sharon Feder (Mashable advisor) and Mathew Bishop (The Economist) played a critical role in shaping GivingTuesday's strategy.
• Facebook, Groupon, the Case Foundation, Variety, the William Morris Agency and Mashable brought together leaders in the social good world for a series of influencer meetings nationwide.

What will you do on #GivingTuesday? Leave a comment here, or spread the word through social media.  Let's take a step forward by giving something wonderful to one another.

American Cancer Society (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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