BRIDGETON, NJ – Gateway Community Action Partnership has joined #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations to encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide. 

 Occurring this year on December 1, #GivingTuesday is held annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday to kick-off the holiday giving season and inspire people to collaborate in improving their local communities and to give back in impactful ways to the charities and causes they support.  

Donations to Gateway Community Action Partnership help us in our mission – To provide services that improve the quality of life and promote self-sufficiency.

92Y −  a cultural center in New York City that, since 1874, has been bringing people together around its core values of community service and giving back − conceptualized #GivingTuesday as a new way of linking individuals and causes to strengthen communities and encourage giving. In 2014, the third year of the movement, #GivingTuesday broughttogether 30,000 partners in 68 countries and registered 32.7 million impressions on Twitter, with its eponymous hashtag mentioned 698,600 times. Since 2012, online giving on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving has increased more than four-fold, based on findings by Blackbaud and the Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, produced in partnership with the Case Foundation.[1] 

“We have been incredibly inspired by the generosity in time, efforts and ideas that have brought our concept for a worldwide movement into reality,” said Henry Timms, founder of #GivingTuesday and executive director of 92Y. “As we embark on our fourth year of #GivingTuesday, we are encouraged by the early response from partners eager to continue making an impact in this global conversation.”  

Those who are interested in joining Gateway Community Action Partnership’s #GivingTuesday initiative can make donations directly through the Donate Now button at the bottom of the gatewaycap.org homepage.
   For more details about the #GivingTuesday movement, visit the #GivingTuesday website (www.givingtuesday.org), Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/GivingTuesday) or follow @GivingTues and the #GivingTuesday hashtag on Twitter.

About Gateway Community Action Partnership
  Gateway Community Action Partnership (formed and incorporated as Tri-County Community Action Agency Inc.) is the designated Community Action Program (CAP) for Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties in Southern New Jersey and also provides services in Atlantic, Camden, Cape May and Mercer counties, as well as Philadelphia, Pa.
 
 As a CAP, Tri-County helps low- and moderate-income residents identify and overcome barriers to self-sufficiency.

  The agency’s more than 550 employees form a network of professional teachers, social workers, counselors, nutritionists and program planners, all dedicated to making our communities better places to live and work for all residents.  The staff is guided by President & CEO Albert B. Kelly, founder of Gateway, and senior vice president and Chief Operations Officer Edward Bethea. Together, the agency’s senior management team has more than 45 years of experience in the community service field.

  Gateway CAP is governed by a volunteer board of directors. Its members equally represent business, elected officials and the community served. The agency’s tripartite board is made up of at least one-third representation of the low-income community, one-third representation of local elected officials and the remainder from the general community.

  The agency was incorporated as Test City Child Care in 1972 and expanded its base of services in 1987 when it was awarded the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) as a federally designated community action program. The agency’s trade name was changed to Tri-County Community Action Partnership in October 2002 to better reflect the collaborative efforts with other service providers as well as with state, county and local governments and other entities.

  The agency became Gateway CAP on April 1, 2011 to better reflect its expanded service area.
  Since becoming a CAP in 1987, Gateway has worked with residents, governments, other agencies and private sector institutions to help tens of thousands of local residents help themselves. Gateway CAP provides child care for more than 1,800 children daily, builds high-quality affordable housing, collaborates to do economic development, operates the Women, Infants & Children (WIC) program, provides literacy services, assists families maintain stable households, promotes fiscal stability through matched savings programs and serves as an  advocate for children and families at the local, state and federal levels. 

  Gateway CAP is a private, non-profit, community based organization with a federal 501-C-3 designation by the IRS.

 As of January 2015, Gateway CAP operates programs in core areas, including housing, child care, health services, literacy, emergency services and community development with an annual budget of approximately $55 million to serve more than 50,000 clients annually in its coverage area.

  These inter-connected programs work at dozens of sites throughout the region, addressing the causes and effects of poverty. All programs aim to guide participants toward a future of self-sufficiency.

About #GivingTuesday

#GivingTuesday is a movement to celebrate and provide incentives to give—the 2015 iteration will be held on December 1, 2015. This effort harnesses the collective power of a unique blend of partners—nonprofits, businesses and corporations as well as families and individuals—to transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season. #GivingTuesday inspires people to take collaborative action to improve their local communities, give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they celebrate and help create a better world. #GivingTuesday harnesses the power of social media to create a global moment dedicated to giving around the world.

To learn more about #GivingTuesday participants and activities or to join the celebration of giving, please visit:

Website: www.givingtuesday.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/GivingTuesday
Twitter: twitter.com/GivingTues

1. Case Foundation: http://casefoundation.org/blog/givingtuesday-moves-campaign-tradition/