Author: Forever Nij

Hi There! Happy Thanksgiving everyone! First of all, I want to thank you for taking the time to read my post. I have so much to be thankful for. I never wait one day to be thankful for the blessings in my life. I believe in living in the moments and I am thankful for every moments of that. I am thankful for having  such wonderful parents who have sacrificed so much to raise my younger sister and I. I am thankful to have a younger sister you is my rock and my best friend and is always there to pull me up when I fall.

I am also thankful for the wonderful friends and family I have in my life. I am thankful to have friends in my you text me and just to let me know that she love me that and she has always have my back. I am thankful for having friends whom I can talk to for advice regarding anything. What are you thankful for?

In the United States, the modern Thanksgiving holiday tradition is commonly, but not universally, traced to a sparsely documented 1621 celebration at Plymouth in present-day Massachusetts. The 1621 Plymouth feast and thanksgiving was prompted by a good harvest. Pilgrims and Puritans who began emigrating from England in the 1620s and 1630s carried the tradition of Days of Fasting and Days of Thanksgiving with them to New England.Although, Thanksgiving Day was originally celebrated as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year, it has now a the beginning of the holiday season when we all gather with our family to give thanks for the blessings of the years.

To me this day has so much meaning and tradition. I love the day watching football with my day if get to be home. I always remember starting the day with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. We would all go to my aunt’s place for Thanksgiving dinner. Another thing that we really do love doing to thank for any small or big blessings that we have is by giving to charity. Today, I will share with you some of those charities with you.

St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital: St. Jude is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. They don’t send any family home because of their inability to pay. Open you heart to St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and help children fight cancer. Three of my four grandparents died of cancer. Hence, giving to cancer research always have a special soft spot in my heart. Additionally, working at Children’s hospital for over a decade have given extra soft spot for this most vulnerable and innocent group in the world.

Children’s National Health System: Through the support of generous donors like you, Children’s National is able to ensure that every child in the Washington DC metro area can receive the same level of care — regardless of their family’s ability to pay. I have seen it first hand watching the group fight to make newborn screening for Critical Congenital Heart Disease universal to save so many babies’ lives.  Your tax-deductible gift helps fund specialized care, family support, groundbreaking research, and more. Working with this group for over the past decade given the first hand experience on the dedication each member has for treating children and serving their family.

UNICEF: As it may have become clear by now, I have a special soft spot for children in my heart. I specially cannot see them suffer. Hence, when I see them in need worldwide my heart cries. Hence, I try my best to do whatever I can to be part of UNICEF. UNICEF does whatever it takes to save and protect the world’s most vulnerable children. Do you remember the picture of the Syrian boy who died trying to migrate of Greece in a small boat with his family. Innocent children suffer from our fights and cruelty. UNICEF has helped save more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization. Open up your heart and soul to these vulnerable children.

Doctor’s Without Borders: This group help people worldwide where the need is greatest, delivering emergency medical aid to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from health care. The ability to respond quickly to medical humanitarian emergencies is crucial to saving more lives. Unrestricted funds allow us to allocate our resources most efficiently and where the needs are greatest. Whether, it’s Aleppo or Darfur, Doctor’s Without Borders work hard to bring lifesaving care to people who need it the most.

American Heart Association (AHA): The mission to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke drives this group all they do. The need for their work is beyond question. The American Heart Association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke.  They provide public health education in a variety of ways. They’re the nation’s leader in CPR education training. We help people understand the importance of healthy lifestyle choices, proving science-based treatment guidelines to healthcare professionals to help them provide quality care to their patients. Watching my uncle go through quadruple bypass in his mid fifties and having a genetic condition in my family that gave carotid artery disease to 2 out of my four paternal aunts and my paternal grandfather, I know the importance of the work that AHA does. Additionally, I have worked with people with congenital heart disease and the work done by groups like AHA is tremendous.

American Red Cross: Bring hope this holiday season and give to American Red Cross. The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors. The American Red Cross helps people in need every single day, not just during large disasters. With your ongoing support, they we will continue to be there providing people in crisis with relief for today and hope for tomorrow. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the American Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs.

American Cancer Society: As I have mentioned earlier, there of my grandparents died of cancer. Hence, helping this organization is little close to my heart. I have watched my grandmother get diagnosed with adenocarcinoma and fight to survive, while the cancer metastasized to her lungs. I have also seen her give up at home being under hospice care. I spent every weekend with her and been through it all. I would do anything to spend more time with her, but I know she’s in a better place. I have give to American Cancer Society in my memory of my grandparents.

Flint Water Fund: To be honest, I didn’t know the extent of this crisis until this election year. As a public health person, I know how critical the crisis is and how much the people of Flint need our help. The United Way of Genesee County has set up this fund for the purchase of filters, bottled water, emergency support services and prevention efforts. 100% of the fund is used for these projects and no Administrative Fee is assessed. The UWGC has sourced more than 11,000 filters systems and 5,000 replacement filters, ongoing sources of bottled water to the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan and also supports a dedicated driver for daily distribution. Please donate to help the people of Flint.

As I get ready to my follow the yearly Thanksgiving tradition to watch favorite Football team play with their arch nemesis play the Thanksgiving Day game, please think about your favorite causes and give to your favorite charity as a gesture to say thanks for the blessings to you had this year. I hope you have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving.

Please do let me know what is your favorite Thanksgiving tradition and what are some of your favorite charities that you would love to share with others.

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