The Art of Giving

Written By: Andrea Sanchez-Mendoza ​​​​

As the air has turned crisp and autumn leaves continue to fall, we’ve put away our summer shirts and replaced them with thick turtlenecks. Among other things, the holiday season is a time for reflection and giving, where we thank and appreciate those closest to us. During this time of year, we may not realize it, but there are two kinds of giving: giving thanks and giving to those in need.

At Represented we are extremely thankful to many individuals at this time of year, including our personal family, supportive friends, our colleagues, and amazing donors.  As we express our gratitude for those in our lives, this is also a great time for us to reflect on what is truly important to us. One of my own family traditions is where we discuss one thing that we are thankful for this year around the Christmas dinner table. I enjoy taking in these small moments over the years because they allow us to focus on what we do have instead of what we do not. ​

As we approach this holiday season we also give to those in need by providing a variety of acts of service by volunteering at soup kitchens, and donating canned goods. You can also make donations at the checkout counter at the store, or by donating to one of our favorite charities. In the month of December I like to partake in an Italian tradition called, caffè sospeso, where you purchase two cups of coffee, one for yourself and the other cup is given to somebody else - usually given to someone who couldn’t afford a cup themselves. In some coffee shops they dont always allow you to pay for a random cup of coffee and have someone with the same order pick it up for free. So what I do instead is pay for the person’s order behind me. I enjoy being involved in this Christmas tradition because I love seeing their happy and surprised expressions. I like knowing that something so simple can make someone’s day. Regardless of how you decide to give this holiday season, remember that the art of giving begins with giving from the heart and not expecting anything in return. ​

We at Represented Foundation would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all of your generous support over this past year. We are truly grateful to each and every one of you. Thank you for attending our events, and for volunteering your time as mentors, instructors, or pro-bono consultants; helping us to close the diversity gap in social impact leadership. Thank you for making charitable donations, no matter the size, they all made a world of a difference in helping us achieve our goals.

Please consider making a donation to help Represented Foundation reach their end of the year fundraising goal.