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Giving Tuesday: An Invitation to Service

Giving Tuesday was first created in 2012 to encourage people to do good as part of the beginning of the holiday season. While “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday” emphasize a commercial focus, Giving Tuesday highlights the many opportunities to meet essential needs in our communities, inviting both charitable giving and service. Always the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, the date this year for Giving Tuesday is November 29.

Making a contribution to your favorite charity or finding a way to serve others are great ways to commemorate Giving Tuesday. Many of our Keenan associates generously give back to their communities, on Giving Tuesday and throughout the year.

We’d like to highlight one of our employee-led initiatives to reach out to serve others. Keenan’s Volunteer Squad was initiated a about a year and half ago, as a way for our staff members to get together virtually and work on some community service projects. Led by Jeannine Morgan and assisted by various employees, the Volunteer Squad meets on a quarterly basis to conduct small projects that are then donated to support the work of specific nonprofits.

Since its inception, the “Vol Squad,” as it is known, has sponsored the following projects for service organizations in our area:

• SOS Meals on Wheels & Jessie Rees Foundation
  • Small origami boxes with handwritten notes of encouragement inside

• SOS Meals on Wheels
  • Turkey Magnets to help brighten up their Thanksgiving holiday!

• San Pedro Meals on Wheels
  • Valentine Yarn Hearts to let them know that someone is thinking of them

• Jessie Rees Foundation
  • Paracord bracelets to be part of the Joy Jars that the organization sends to kids fighting cancer

• Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles
  • Beaded keychains with heart charms, to be sold at the DSALA Walk as part of a fundraiser

The smiling faces you see on these Zoom screenshots demonstrate just how much these associates get out of giving back! It’s a great feeling and the good spreads to all who are served by the generosity. Keenan wishes all of you a warm and safe holiday season.