Local non-profit organizations are reaching out through social media in order to raise awareness and funds on #GivingTuesday, a modern take on the charity drive.

Turn to Us, a local non-profit organization that reaches out to help those who have experienced long-term and major illnesses, will be participating in their second year of the movement.“We participated in #GivingTuesday last year, and in about a 12 hour span, we raised about $1,500 through Facebook,” Alicia Kline, a Turn To Us board member, said. “We had Facebook posts and videos, and people went on to our website to donate, or they stopped into the office.”#GivingTuesday was started in 2012 by New York City’s Belfor Center for Innovation and Social Impact as a nation-wide project with a focus on local community charity. The mission unites non-profit groups, businesses, families, and more through social media in order to connect with and inspire each other, building a strong network out of small acts of kindness. In 2015 alone, the national totals for the campaign saw over a million donations throughout 71 countries, totaling $116.7 million for a wide variety of projects.“One of the things with #GivingTuesday is #Unselfie,” Kline said. “So, when people donate, the thing is to hold a piece of paper saying why you donated over your face — ‘I donated to Turn To Us because I wanted to help people in Carbon County,’ or ‘I donated to Turn To Us because I, myself, battled a major chronic illness.’ So, last year, people came into the office, we took those photos, and posted them. Even if people donate from their home or their office, they can snap an #Unselfie and post it to our Facebook page.”Family Promise of Carbon County will be working alongside the Carbon Chamber and Economic Development to live-stream video on Facebook, aiming to build up more funding to help the homeless families of the area.“It’s a day to think about other people,” Family Promise director Natalie Bojko said, pointing out that this time of year often sees people more wrapped up in door-buster deals than donations. “Homelessness is all year ‘round, so this is raising awareness.”Contributions to Turn To Us will allow for the organization to help those with long-term illnesses pay bills, get to treatment sessions, and even fund social events to lift the spirits of those who are going through a difficult time. With such a strong community-oriented focus, even national organizations like the American Cancer Society direct those in need to Turn To Us for help, resulting in a hefty burden. The group greatly appreciates the much-needed funding, and aims to pass the kindness forward with their own unique brand of thanks.“It’s giving back time, money, your talents,” Kline said. “Because we want to give back, for every $5 that’s donated on #GivingTueday, we’ll donate a Christmas card to the hospitals in our area, St. Luke’s and the two Blue Mountain campuses. Last year, we donated 300 cards. This year, we want to raise $3,000 and double it to 600 cards.”Family Promise, which exists solely on charitable contributions from the community, relies on this kind of effort to help alleviate homelessness. With Facebook and Twitter posts, they hope to attract enough attention to their group in order to provide even more for those who may not have a place to sleep, whether it is over the holidays or any other time of the year.“This will ensure that we can continue providing services to our families,” Bojko said.In order to make the mark, Turn To Us will be posting videos on their social media sites all day, and inviting people to their office at 404 Center St. in Jim Thorpe, where they can use provided materials to craft hand-made Christmas and birthday cards for the hospitals to distribute to patients.“The cards are like our signature thing,” Kline said. “So when we go to community events throughout the year, we have construction paper, crayons, and markers, and everyone who visits our table makes cards. We’ve probably handed out a thousand cards to the hospitals. It’s a nice way to give back to the community.”So, this Tuesday, take a moment to check out the social media sites of some local charity organizations, and see how contributing just a bit can go a long way to helping a neighbor in need.“It’s just nice to know that you can put a smile on somebody’s face,” Kline said.