Henderson Giving Circle Donates $50,000 Throughout the Valley; Founder Starts Giving Circle Network
Henderson GiVe, a giving circle started in 2007 by a dozen friends who wanted to give back to the community in an impactful way, recently presented Luanne Wagner, the We R Community coordinator from Clark High School, with the organization’s “Golden Give” to recognize all she does to inspire and assist her students. The group termed this donation as its Golden Give, as with it, over the last 8 years, they have donated $50,000 throughout the Las Vegas valley to dozens of people, organizations and causes.
“In addition to all the time spent with her students, Luanne constantly comes out of pocket, paying for college applications, fees for activities and even having peanut butter sandwiches available in the back of her classroom throughout the day,” said Leslie DeVore, founder of Henderson GiVe. “We are happy that she accepted our small gesture of appreciation for who she is and all she does for our community, which made her the perfect recipient of our Golden Give.”
The giving circle concept is simple, and has grown across the nation over the past several years. A giving circle is a group of committed individuals who pool their resources together to support causes they care about. The group meets monthly and one member each month chooses a cause or charity to help. Each of the 12 Henderson GiVe members donates $50 for a monthly total of $600 each month.
“What started out as birthday lunches with friends morphed into a giving group where we honor each other’s’ choice,” DeVore said. “Now we donate to a monthly cause in lieu of ‘lunching with the ladies.’ Some months we have a hands-on activity or we meet a recipient. Others we just gather together (sometimes even for lunch) and discuss our gift. All are worthy, many are touching and some are downright tear jerkers.”
Henderson GiVe’s mission is to inspire, educate and encourage women to take an active role in the community by pooling their charitable gifts to improve the lives of Henderson residents in a grassroots way.
GiVe’s first recipient was an injured landscaper in 2007, and most recently they donated to Trauma Intervention of Southern Nevada. They began with 10 women, and currently have 12 who contribute $50 per month to a chosen charity. The group has given between $4,000 and $7,800 per year since 2007 and with this most recent donation to Wagner, has reached $50,000 in total donations.
“Forming or joining a giving circle is a wonderful way to get involved in your community, leverage your charitable giving dollars, and meet and socialize with like-minded friends,” DeVore said. “I want to encourage others to be part of this amazing movement, one that is defining a new age of philanthropy.”
The experience has been so powerful, DeVore this month launched www.GiveTogether.org, an informal network of giving circles from around the country meant to link circles together and to provide a platform for sharing experiences, ideas and inspirations. There is no fee or obligation to become a member; rather, the hope is that others will find the site rich in resources to help start their own giving circle.
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