‘Tis the season to research new charities

When people talk about donating, many think of popular charities like Salvation Army or UNICEF. But smaller, lesser known charities could also use some help, especially during the season of giving.

In 2015, Americans donated upwards of $373 billion to charitable causes, according to Charity Navigator. In the United States, there are over 1.5 million tax-exempt organizations, according to the National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS). A large number of these charities do not receive national attention and depend on local citizens for help.

Every year, the high school hosts Charity Bash to highlight a local charity in need, which will grow with the help of LZHS donations. Most charities the school chooses are not very large or well-known. For example, last year’s charity was the Alexander Leigh Center for Autism, a small, local charity that focuses on specialized education for autistic people. With the $30,324 LZHS raised, the Center was able to expand their facilities, adding an apartment for instruction with individual living skills.

Thirty thousand dollars is an impressive sum, and it would have been very difficult to raise in such a short period without the school’s involvement. Such a concerted effort on the part of the community led to improved facilities and an observable improvement in the lives of the autistic students.

Even with public, school-wide events to make donating easy, monetary contributions can be difficult for high school students without a full-time job. Larger national charities tend to focus on money donations, while smaller, local charities allow students to donate their time by volunteering.

Take for instance Gigi’s Playhouse in Schaumburg. The Playhouse is a center for children and adults with Down syndrome that offers tutoring, play, and even employment opportunities for those with the disability. Gigi’s Playhouse is gaining recognition and growing quickly, but this is only possible because average people decided that this growing charity was worth volunteering their time.

The Playhouse has a multitude of opportunities for even students to donate, whether it be volunteering to help with play time or simply dropping by to buy a coffee from the adjacent café, Hugs and Mugs, staffed by people with Down syndrome.

“This is my life right here at Hugs and Mugs because I can help out others. I help interns and mentors and staff members here too,” Chris Tucker, adult with Down syndrome and team leader at Hugs and Mugs, said. “They helped me feel better. Everyone here with me in my life. I always cook on Wednesdays in Gigi’s class, healthy eating. Exercising too, to live more healthily.”

Charities like Gigi’s Playhouse and the Alexander Leigh Center make visible changes in the surrounding community. Rather than blindly giving a small sum to a large charity, there is a more personal experience, and a charity gains aid that might otherwise struggle to make ends meet.

There are also national charities that need help, but do not receive much notice. Every popular, well-known charity has a less popular cousin. People pay attention to breast cancer, but there is little talk about the less glamorized prostate cancer. It does not have the same marketing draw as “I love Boobies.” Autism charities like the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN) are fairly well known, but fewer people know about a similar disorder called Fragile X.

“Most of the time, when I’m doing solicitations for any of our fundraising events, I’m also educating, and it becomes an awareness opportunity,” said Missy Zolecki, co-leader of the Greater Chicago community support network for Fragile X. “Most people have never heard of Fragile X, and when I give them an explanation of what it is and the prevalence of it, they’re often dumbfounded that they’ve never heard of it. Often, I have to associate it with autism to make them understand that it’s similar, but different.”

Zolecki is part of a national network of families and activists working to bring awareness to Fragile X and to help fund research. The charity is nationwide and over 30 years old, but not well-known. Charities like this one benefit more than larger charities would when people decide to donate.

“Nothing is free,” Zolecki said. “If [less popular charities] don’t get donations, they can’t grow. They can’t provide support to families that need it or to researchers that could perhaps provide treatment plans and intervention strategies [with proper] funding.”

The holidays are seen as the Season of Giving. While it is important not to neglect the larger charities in generous giving, people must shift their focus to donate equally to all charities.