PHOENIX — Today is Giving Tuesday a day to give back to organizations that help the community.
There are many different Valley non-profits and organizations where people can donate, including Phoenix Children’s hospital.
“Be kind to yourself, be kind to others, be Cooper kind.” It’s a slogan that was inspired by Scott Thomas’ son Cooper.
“He was just a great, happy, kind, sweet kid,” said Thomas.
Scott’s life was forever changed when Cooper passed extremely suddenly from a rare form of leukemia.
Phoenix Children’s hospital helped give the family the gift of those precious last moments.
“Just to have them treat us the way they did, and to have the access for my family to be there with us when this all happened meant a lot,” said Thomas.
That’s why on Giving Tuesday, Thomas is encouraging others to give to the hospital in honor of Cooper.
On Giving Tuesday, donations to the hospital will be tripled thanks to the Arizona Cardinals and Orangetheory Fitness.
“I know there are a lot of families out there that can’t not go through this and be impacted for the rest of their lives financially,” said Thomas.
Donating can mean giving time or even just giving the bare necessities.
The non-profit The Singletons is gathering products like laundry detergent, soap, and paper towels for families with single parents battling cancer.
“In 16 years, I have just never seen anything like this,” said executive director and founder Jodi Boyd. “It’s just really heartbreaking this year.”
Boyd said they are serving more families than ever before for a variety of reasons, like people not being diagnosed during the pandemic.
“I do think that inflation is a major factor right now along with the cost of living and housing,” said Boyd. “We have families that are most definitely facing food insecurity and now homelessness.
Tuesday, National Charities League helped hold a drive to stock The Singletons pantry. Some of their volunteers also chose to donate.
“I think having a mother that had breast cancer and I also had a sister who had Hodgkin’s sort of hit home for me,” said Darcie Levine. “I think everyone this time of year is in need but especially these folks.”
With donations of all types down this year, Boyd said anything at any time helps.
Their goal was to serve 100 families, but with a small staff and their budget, they're only able to help 77.
“Whether it's $10 dollars or $100 dollars, all of it is going to directly impact the families in some way,” said Boyd.
