DANVILLE, CA – If you’re like many of your Danville neighbors, you may spend a good part of the holiday season with your credit card in hand buying gifts for family and friends. Coming up soon is a chance to give back to the local community.

Giving Tuesday, which in 2024 falls on Dec. 3, is a day dedicated to supporting nonprofit and community groups. Since 2012, nonprofits worldwide have used the Tuesday after Thanksgiving to galvanize fundraising, rally volunteers and add momentum to their causes.

Maintaining funding is a constant challenge for many nonprofits that fill gaps and meet other needs. Below are five great Danville nonprofits to consider getting behind on Giving Tuesday.

However, they are only a few of the many nonprofits in and around Danville doing incredible work. The Tri-Valley Nonprofit Alliance provides an extensive list of local nonprofits. We also published two lists last year that highlight impressive local organizations.

1. Down Syndrome Connection of the Bay Area: The Down Syndrome Connection hopes to enrich the lives and unlock the potential of local children and adults with Down syndrome, and create a more welcoming and educated community to support them. DSCBA hosts a number of programs, including the THRIVE Program to develop social and motor skills, peer support groups for people with Down syndrome and their families, music therapy programs, a 6-week summer program for early elementary school students, and more.
2. Lazarex Cancer Foundation: The Lazarex Cancer Foundation aims to make sure that everyone affected by cancer has access to “hope, dignity, support, and access to the most advanced treatments throughout their journey.” Lazarex aims to remove barriers limiting resources, choices, and access to quality care, and improve survival rates, among other goals. They also hope to increase diversity in clinical trials, and support research to better help people from all backgrounds. Lazarex also facilitates a Cancer Wellness HUB, a support group to talk to peers about their experiences and help navigate care.
3. Nephrotic Syndrome Foundation: The Nephrotic Syndrome Foundation provides financial and emotional support to people affected by Nephrotic Syndrome, a serious and rare auto-immune disorder that attacks the kidneys. They host a number of programs and initiatives for patients and caregivers, including providing backpacks full of important medical supplies often not covered by insurance; Camp NSF, which provides an annual day of outdoor fun for pediatric patients and their families; providing hospital-grade thermometers to patients; organizing a peer team that matches older teens with NS to younger patients; donating thousands of dollars in direct grants to families with NS, and much more.
4. Teen Esteem: Teen Esteem helps young people “navigate the challenges of today and embrace hope for lifelong well-being.” They run programs for students in grades 5-12 focusing on issues like bullying, substance abuse, mental health, social media, academic and life pressures, healthy relationships, and more. They also host school assemblies, parent & caregiver workshops and more regarding similar topics.
5. Wheelchair Foundation: The Wheelchair Foundation aims to deliver a wheelchair to every person in the world who needs one, but can’t afford one, which is estimated to be at least 100 million people worldwide. They’ve acquired a total of 1,175,568 to people in 157 countries and territories around the world. The Wheelchair Foundation also runs programs to teach people in the community about physical disabilities, and how to make the world more accessible and accepting of people in wheelchairs.

We know this is just the tip of the iceberg for all the good work being done in the area.