MILWAUKEE — Many charities are hoping the momentum from Black Friday will spill over into Giving Tuesday.
It's a day intended for people to give back by donating money or volunteering.
“If I didn't have that, I don't know what I would have done," Ashley Hoover explained.
Hoover from Milwaukee is talking about Moms Mental Health Initiative. She joined the non-profit in 2018 after her first child was born.
"I had anxiety and like paranoia,” Hoover explained.
Her daughter was born with medical complications and placed in the NICU.
"Feeling alone, going through postpartum depression or postpartum anxiety…having that stress is very scary.”
That's when Moms Mental Health Initiative changed her life.
"I feel like we are a life-sustaining organization. With the kind of support that we provide, people know they are not alone and they can have a glimmer of hope that things will get better," Sarah Ornst Bloomquist, Co-Founder & Executive Director of Moms Mental Health Initiative, explained.
Bloomquist’s organization connects new moms to resources and peer support groups.
"That was the first time I saw somebody actually wrote down what I was experiencing, and I was like yes like I couldn't get it out in words” Hoover explained.
Bloomquist said, “The frequency of symptoms of anxiety and depression can be very debilitating. And unfortunately, it is one of the leading causes of death amongst postpartum women."
Ashley calls this her saving grace and she wants more moms in the area to benefit too.
"You might be even saving somebody's life. They would have that community support. They would be able to go to peer support groups."
Another local non-profit is hoping that Giving Tuesday serves as a reminder that these donations directly impact those in our community.
"There are unfortunately far too many kids who are diagnosed with cancer and blood disorders locally and across the country,” Mike Bielawski, Director of Development for MACC Fund, explained.
Bielawski with MACC Fund said they are sharing the story of a local boy with cancer for Giving Tuesday.
"Each day we're releasing a new part of the story so we're hoping that people follow along and learn a little bit about kind of the real faces behind what we are doing.”
The money raised goes to research here in Wisconsin.
"Without the MACC Fund, realistically, since 1976, there wouldn't be those 84 million dollars worth of research. Cure rates have gone from 20 percent back in 76 to nearly 85 percent today,” Bielawski explained.
If you want to donate to Moms Mental Health Initiative, click here. The group also needs volunteers for various events.
The MACC Fund is collecting donations as well. The non-profit is providing an incentive for those who donate for Giving Tuesday.
"This #GivingTuesday, the MACC Fund is doing a little giving of our own! Anyone who donates $25 or more via the donation link below between November 24th - November 28th will be entered to win Milwaukee Bucks or Marquette University Men’s Basketball tickets ! Winners will be contacted directly by MACC Fund staff on the 29th."
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
