By now we are all familiar with Giving Tuesday, but many people have not heard about #MyGivingStory as it is only in its second year. It is a nationwide campaign and social media storytelling contest that fosters public discussion about the reasons people give. Much of U.S. based philanthropy, particularly smaller donations, is made by "everyday givers" and occurs outside the public spotlight.
Working in collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Facebook, "everyday givers" were asked to reflect upon why they give to a certain nonprofit organization and share their personal stories on social media. From November 29 (Giving Tuesday) through December 31, 2016, individuals posted short, 150 word essays on #GivingTuesday's Facebook page indicating why they give to their favorite nonprofit. The top twenty stories with the most "likes" were reviewed by a committee.
Felicity saw this as an opportunity to share her story about why she gives and also remind those around her about how precious life is. We should all take advantage of every opportunity to be with those we love and remind them of how important they are in our lives. She posted her story in mid-December and received 1,000 likes on the first day! By the end of December, she had 7,500 likes. Thanks to family and friends sharing her story, Felicity's entry became one of twenty out of 600 submissions to be reviewed by the committee.
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| Felicity and Scout Cantrell |
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Felicity's essay spoke about why she started the For Scout Foundation. You can read her story by clicking here. "When I found out that we had won, I had a discussion with the awards committee and decided to grant all of the $5,000 prize money to the American Asthma Foundation on behalf of Scout and the For Scout Foundation," Felicity said. "I felt in my heart that they could have the most far-reaching benefits with the money and affect the most people."
After hearing this news, William E Seaman, MD, Research Director for the American Asthma Foundation, reached out to Felicity. He told her that he is introducing the keynote speaker at the AAF national research meeting this May as the Scout Cantrell Invited Speaker!
Felicity established the For Scout Foundation within the Community Foundation to honor the life of her daughter, Scout, and to support organizations that carry on her legacy. "We had the absolute worst thing happen to us as a family," Felicity said. "But we decided together that you can either let life define you, or you can define your life. So we started For Scout Foundation to, in Scout's words, 'make the world a little bit better place.'"
The Community Foundation is honored to administer the For Scout Foundation. "It is such a privilege to administer this fund, and all of our funds, and see the impact that they have on our world. Every day, people in our community are making the world a better place," said Julie Christman, Director of Community Involvement and Partnerships at the Community Foundation.
About the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley
The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley is a non-profit, tax-exempt, philanthropic organization that administers individual charitable funds from which grants and scholarships are distributed to benefit the citizens of the Greater Aurora Area, the TriCities and Kendall County, Illinois.
Founded in 1948, the Foundation provides a simple and powerful approach to charitable giving. Individuals, families, businesses and organizations have the opportunity to custom design their own named funds that reflect their charitable goals and interests. Since its inception, the Community Foundation has grown to nearly $79 million in assets and has awarded more than $60 million in grants and scholarships.
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