12/20/2024
As 2024 draws to a close, we want to thank our wonderful global community of changemakers for dedicating their time and energy to improving their communities.
With that in mind, we wanted to share a powerful - and festive - story with you.
One Giving Tree, a non-profit in California, provides Christmas trees for low income families, with the aim of making the holidays a little brighter.
Last year, with support from the 2023 AWS Gilroy Community Fund ( ), the organisation provided 800 Christmas tree kits to 21 non-profits to distribute to local families. It also gave 200 Christmas wreaths to local seniors.
"Can one tree make a difference? Yes!," says Debbi Sanchez, project lead at One Giving Tree. She recalls an example of a family previously supported by the One Giving Tree initiative: a 6-year old boy who moved in with his grandparents, as his parents were unable to care for him.
"On a fixed income, the boy's grandparents barely got by. When he moved in, they told him there would be no tree. He was depressed and could not find the strength to go to school," Debbi explains. "When his social worker dropped off the tree, this little guy was so excited that he started dancing with the tree. The next day, he wanted to return to school and tell his classmates about his Christmas tree. Something as simple as a tree changed a child's outlook and gave him hope and joy."
ChangeX exists to empower communities everywhere, and we believe that community changemakers have the power to change the world.
To Debbi and all the other changemakers driving impactful change in their communities; to the social innovators who trust us with their ideas; and to our funding partners who invest in the power of communities, a huge thank you.
๐๐๐ Happy holidays from the ChangeX team! ๐๐๐
