North Texas Giving Day, held on Sept. 18, allows local organizations to join the nonprofit community, gain awareness and raise funds for their causes. On this online giving day, charities don’t compete for donations or recognition. Instead, they break records; North Texas Giving Day raised $25.2 million in its one-day event last year.
For established organizations, North Texas Giving Day presents the opportunity to maintain its presence and increase revenue. “We’ve been involved for five years and we’ve increased our donations every year,” Stacy Cooper, director of development at Allen Community Outreach, said. “This is a fun way for us to get involved in all of greater North Texas, and not just Allen.”
North Texas Giving Day Welcomes Range Of Organizations
However, North Texas Giving Day’s sixth celebration isn’t reserved for recognizable nonprofits. Several new 501(c)(3) organizations have joined the DFW giving day and will partake in community events. Participating nonprofits include health clinics, school organizations, museums and theaters.
One participating group, Art House Dallas, seeks to encourage and equip local artists through collaborative events and programs. Another organization, Young Life Fort Worth, offers several ministries that connect adults with adolescents. These relationships not only improve the lives of teenagers, they also help develop mentors and leaders among adults.
Local Yoga Studio Joins North Texas Giving Day
Yoga Bridge, a mobile studio that provides classes to people affected by cancer, is participating in North Texas Giving Day for the first time. At Yoga Bridge, patients undergoing treatment are offered free classes to find a sense of relief and community.
“My co-founder and I had been teaching yoga for many years and wanted to do something specific with it,” Co-founder Susan Reeves said. “We found that people receive a lot of support at the beginning of their cancer diagnosis, but then they start feeling like they don’t have control. This gives people a community to come to where they focus on being healthy. Cancer is just in the background … we try to include more humanness.”
Yoga Bridge operates mobile studios in Denton, Flower Mound and a temporary spot in Lewisville. Through the donations made on North Texas Giving Day, Reeves hopes to make the Lewisville studio more permanent.
“Each of our classes and studios are different based on who comes to class,” Reeves said. “Even if we have students who have to stay in a chair, they can still mimic the shape of the move. We always start with the breath because everyone can breathe.”
The yoga poses counteract the stiffness and soreness that cancer patients experience during and after treatment. Reeves believes that these classes also help students ease stress, battle depression and develop breathing techniques that will help them outside of class. Reeves said, “I hope that I’m able to teach students how to remain calm in a difficult situation. We want to teach them to find calmness and stay present.”
Even if students aren’t engaging in strengthening exercises, Reeves hopes they will gain mental and spiritual power during class. Students are encouraged to regain control of their bodies.
“One thing my co-founder [Pamela Ryan] always says is that yoga empowers the student,” Reeves said. “Cancer patients feel like they’ve been tossed around by life. It’s all clinical and cold. They’re able to get back some strength in yoga class. Yoga helps them become friends with body again.”
Learn More About North Texas Giving Day
To learn more about this single-day event and see a list of participating organizations, visit the website. Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT) will host a lunchtime celebration featuring nonprofit performers, food trucks and children’s volunteer activities. Go here to learn more about the CFT event.