One act of kindness can change the world. It is with this in mind that three military spouses from different branches of service made the decision to go global and inspire 1 million acts of kindness by establishing the inaugural GivingTuesday Military edition.

GivingTuesday, which is the Tuesday directly following Thanksgiving, was established in 2012 with one goal in mind, to make generosity go viral. This global day of giving is designed to inspire charitable giving to organizations that are changemakers in their communities, but also stimulate collaboration and volunteerism in communities.

Beyond monetary donations, it was this sense of community and generosity in mind that led 2019 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year Branch winners Jessica Manfre (Coast Guard), Maria Reed (Army) and Samantha Gomolka (National Guard) to come together for this global effort on Tuesday, December 3.

Local Chapter Ambassador, Kat Meeker, a National Guard spouse in West Virginia, will facilitating kindness efforts throughout West Virginia to encourage and assist those looking to join the movement with ideas of how to give back and get involved.

You are invited to join the West Virginia chapter at https://www.facebook.com/groups/GivingTuesdayMilitaryWV/.

“GivingTuesday Military is the perfect example of people working together to make a difference in the lives of others and transform their communities. It’s inspiring to see military service members, veterans, and their families who already have committed so much to something bigger than themselves, lead the way to encourage one million acts of kindness,” says Asha Curran, Chief Executive Officer of GivingTuesday.

The challenge to military service members, families (including gold star), and veterans is to complete

1 million acts of kindness and share a photo, video or post of their act through social media channels with #GivingTuesdayMilitary.

“These acts of kindness can be small, but give members of the military community an opportunity to connect with each other and the communities we live in,” says Meeker. “The opportunities are limitless and could be as simple as buying a cup of coffee for a stranger, leaving a kind note on a car windshield or simply sharing a hug with someone who needs it.”

For more details about GivingTuesday Military, visit www.givingtuesdaymilitary.com or engage on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter through @GivingTuesdayMilitary or #GivingTuesdayMilitary.