Memorial Day, celebrated on the last Monday of May, is just a few days away. Since it’s a federal holiday, many Americans will have the day off from work on Monday, May 30th and are looking forward to enjoying a three-day weekend. It’s an opportunity for many to have a day of rest, fun and celebration, so plans for spending time with friends and family, having a picnic and firing up the grill for a barbecue, or taking a trip somewhere for a mini vacation are already in the making. But what is really the point of this holiday and why do we celebrate it?
Originally called Decoration Day, Memorial Day is a day to honor soldiers. It’s a day of remembrance for those who have died while serving in the American military, sacrificing their lives for our freedom. Many Americans still observe the true spirit of this holiday by visiting cemeteries, memorials, participating in parades, and taking a moment of silence at 3 pm local time.
Help keep the true spirit of this holiday alive by giving back and honoring all the men and women who have served our country. Here are some other things that you can do to pay tribute to those who have given so much to us:
Make it a day of service – Donate your time or money or both to an organization, individual or group. You don’t have to look far. There may be someone in your community, school or family that might be in need of assistance.
Start a fundraiser – Create a fundraising campaign to help others. Lead by example and others will follow.
Help with a fundraiser – Support someone with his or her fundraising efforts and encourage everyone in your network to get involved too.
Giving back requires only a fraction of your time – a day, an hour or even a minute. Yes, a minute. In less than a minute, you can make an online donation or spread the word about a cause via email and social media tools like Facebook and twitter, so you’ll still have plenty of time left for relaxing, barbecuing or whatever other holiday activities you have planned.
Consider SocialWish for your fundraising needs. SocialWish is a fundraising platform that leverages social media. You can quickly and easily create a fundraising campaign and use built-in tools to spread the word about your campaign via social networks, as well as host your campaign on other platforms (i.e. website, blog, Facebook page).