Happy Tuesday, friends! I hope your Thanksgiving was joyfully spent with family or friends, if you went shopping, you found great deals + you got some much needed rest this weekend! We had a snow day yesterday + other than meal prep Sunday, I’ve done nothing for the past 48 hours but snack on carrots + hummus, watch Friends reruns + snuggle with my uncles cats for the last 48 hours. It’s been divine. But since it’s Giving Tuesday, I wanted to take a moment to highlight three of my favorite causes that I’m donating to today! 🙂

Chloe’s Documentary Dreams

Chloe is an angel of a human I met through our mutual best friend, Ellen. After hearing about each other for years, we finally met in Baton Rouge, LA in February of last year. Chloe was in Louisiana for a wedding while I was visiting Ellen in NOLA for Mardi Gras. Chloe + I quickly bonded over music, fried alligator bites + politics. From the moment I met her, I knew Chloe would change the world.

“On September 27th, Chloe was accepted to George Washington University’s Documentary Center, a nationally-ranked documentary filmmaking program. Each year, thousands of students apply to become part of the selective institute that happens once a year from January to June, and few are selected. Chloe has been given a chance to be a part of this premiere program and she needs your help to make it a reality.

The cost of attendance for Chloe’s program is almost $36,000, which includes tuition of $15,390. The program only offers one scholarship to one student which amounts to $2,500. While Chloe is prepared to take on more student loans to make this dream a reality, let’s see if we can help her cover some of her expenses. Here’s a breakdown of what we want to help her cover:

Medical & Vision insurance
She turns 26 at the start of the program and will need new coverage for medical expenses. She is also currently in need of new glasses and contacts that can take her through the program, which vision insurance will help cover.

Housing & Moving Expenses
The transition to D.C. from St. Louis is an expensive one, which include gas to drive there or a plane ticket to get there; security deposits and four figure rent prices; move in fees; furniture rental and/or purchase; utilities; and more.

When asked how she feels about this opportunity, especially after years of training to be a social worker, Chloe said, “Social work showed me who I am: an advocate, educator, organizer, and change agent. This program will give me the tools to become the social worker I am meant to be.”

Let’s invest in this phenomenal young woman, and help her get to D.C!”

Check out Chloe’s first documentary from her senior year of college!

Donate to Chloe’s Documentary Dreams!

Heart Broken Anonymous

Heart Broken Anonymous was founded in 2017 by the wonderful Naz Perez. If that name sounds familiar to you, you may be a Dodgers fan or listen to “I Don’t Get It.” Or maybe you remember that I met her earlier this year! Fresh from a heartbreak of her own, Naz created a space to support others grieving as well.

“Heart Broken Anonymous is a support group for people who are heart broken in Los Angeles. Heartbreak is overwhelming distress. It includes (but is not limited to) a break-up/divorce in a romantic relationship, turmoil or loss in a family relationship, friendship, job, or dream. And, the loss of a loved one or a pet. Unrequited love can also cause heartbreak.

We meet once a month and I currently pay to rent the space every month. Many people have reached out to me to bring Heart Broken Anonymous to other states. I would love to, but in order to do so, I need the funding for flights & venue rental.” –Naz

Naz’s goal is to share this group with as many people as possible + needs funding to spread the word. I’m hoping she brings it to Chicago soon. This support model could have been very beneficial to me earlier this year, but I was able to share my story with her + that helped me more than she’ll ever know.

Donate to Heart Broken Anonymous

Humanity & Hope’s Grand Farm

 Have I talked your ear off about H&H in person, on Instagram or here? Oh well! I’m going to tell you about it again + will continue to do so. I spent my birthday in service with this incredible organization + am so inspired by their current project: purchasing the Grand Farm.

This 30 acre piece of land located in La Coroza provides jobs for 20+ men to grow + harvest beans, corn + plantains + will improve the lives of more than 120 people who live in La Coroza!

Want to donate to their Giving Tuesday campaign directly? Click Here

Want to create change by attending a fundraiser? Get your tickets here!
Chicago December 5th
Kansas City December 8th
Denver December 8th
St. Louis December 12th

Donate to The Grand Farm

I hope your heart is moved in appreciation today for your blessings. Of course I hope you consider donating to one or more of these causes. But if your donating somewhere else, let me know in the comments! I want to know what causes fuel you!

xo.