Why My 2019 Will Center Around Giving

As Rod & I get ready to kick-off 2019, we've been having a lot of conversations about what our intentions will be in the New Year. While we don't have all of our intentions ironed out just yet, we have decided on one very important action we will be taking -- GIVING. Giving our time, talents and our money to charitable causes/organizations that are meaningful to us. So instead of spending a typical Friday night going out to dinner, we stayed in and outlined the organizations we'll be supporting on a monthly basis in 2019. Below you'll find each of the three causes we deeply care about and hope it inspires you to give to causes that matter to you. It's the small actions of many that equal big change.

Cause #1 - Cleveland Animal Protective League. As most of our friends & family know, almost three years ago we adopted Sampson (our fur-child) from the Cleveland APL. Having him in our lives has been one of the greatest joys. We are continually blown away by the amazing work this organization does to provide our furry friends with homes and healthcare. We're honored to be supporting them in 2019.

Cause #2 - charity: water. A few months ago, I picked up Scott Harrison's book Thirst -- detailing his journey of self-discovery and the creation of his organization Charity Water. I was baffled to find out that over 600M+ people in the world are drinking/bathing/cooking with dirty water. This dirty water in turn leads to crippling health problems and even death. I now have a new appreciation for access to clean water and can't wait to be a member of Charity Water's The Spring, where we'll be giving monthly to help aid in clean water projects around the world.

Cause #3 - The Salvation Army Northeast Ohio Division. In our charity research, Rod and I have learned about the HUGE local impact that the Salvation Army has on its communities. From helping families get back on their feet after unemployment to being a safe haven for those who have experienced the unimaginable , the Salvation Army has resources and programs to help. We will be giving monthly to our local Salvation Army through Rod's work. We also plan on actively volunteering throughout the year.