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Tuesday, November 29 is #GivingTuesday. Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving. Since its inaugural year in 2012, #GivingTuesday has become a movement that celebrates and supports giving and philanthropy with events throughout the year and a growing catalog of resources. Last year alone more than 700,000 online donors in 71 countries gave more than $116 million to charity on #GivingTuesday, and the hashtag had more than 1.3 million mentions on social media.  

This year, we’d like for you to remember YOKE Youth Ministries on #GivingTuesday. We’d like to ask 1000 people to give $10 on Tuesday, for a total of $10,000. Here are three reasons why we believe you should consider giving to YOKE:

  1. Our commitment to middle school students. Everyone would agree that the middle school years are difficult – perhaps the most difficult time in a young person’s life. Literally everything is changing – physically, socially, emotionally, academically. Kids struggle to assert their independence while trying to find their place in the world around them. YOKE mentors come alongside middle school students when they need us the most, right where they are – at their schools.
  2. Our commitment to leadership development. Each year YOKE recruits, trains and mobilizes hundreds of college students and young adults in our after school clubs and camps. For some, it’s their first attempt at community service. For others, it’s the final phase of what we refer to as the YOKE pipeline. At our annual leadership retreat last year, nearly two-thirds of those in attendance had been YOKE kids themselves. Many of our leaders go on to serve in schools, in local churches, or with other nonprofit organizations.
  3. Our commitment to growth. YOKE is committed to growth in every way. Yes, we want more kids and more leaders involved in our programs. We’d love to be able to add more schools (in fact we’re growing to Oak Ridge in 2017) and serve more counties. We’re committed to accomplishing those goals in a way that is both strategic and sustainable. But we’re also committed to growing our organization and developing our staff. Even with 40 years of experience, we realize how far we have to go. We’re working hard to develop and equip our board and our staff so that we’re constantly improving as individuals and as an organization.

We need your help!  
Would you consider donating to YOKE today? We’ve tried to make it as easy as possible by setting up a special #GivingTuesday site. You can donate securely online, track our progress toward our goal, and share with your friends online.

Would you help spread the word? We’ve updated Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with our #GivingTuesday message. Please share on your profiles using the hashtag, let your friends know why you support YOKE and spread the word.
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Thank you for being part of YOKE and for being a part of #GivingTuesday.