Dec. 3, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, is nationally recognized as “#GivingTuesday,” a movement to create a day of giving to kick off the giving season.

This year #GivingTuesday is coming to Case Western Reserve University, with the specific hashtag of #GivingTuesdayatCWRU, to benefit 20 service initiatives and student organizations on campus.

“There’s a lot of really great service projects here on campus, both student organizations and work that is done by various schools, that a lot of people don’t know about, and this the chance to both educate people about these initiatives and try to raise some money for them to continue their work,” noted Ayla Siemon, the assistant director of Annual Giving.

The movement originated from New York’s 92nd street Y and has benefitted communities for 139 years. The United Nations Foundation joined the movement as a partner. Since then, many corporations and nonprofit organizations have joined the movement and have helped spread the word by starting their own initiatives.

In 2012, the movement had more than 2,500 partners from all 50 states of the United States. Over $10 million online donations were processed, which is a 53 percent increase from the previous year. More than 50 million people worldwide spread the word about #GivingTuesday, resulting in a trending hashtag on Twitter.

“There’s so much happening on this campus that shows how CWRU continues to make a difference in the world, but sometimes those efforts don’t receive the recognition they deserve. There’s an assumption that the university as a unit is doing this tremendous work, but the smaller, grass-root types of efforts make just as much of an impact, if not more, because they’re directly having an impact on the people who need the help the most. This is another opportunity for the CWRU community to demonstrate how we are continuing to make a difference in the world,” said Siemon.

The Observer has compiled a guide of the 20 student organizations involved:

Case EMS
Case EMS is student-run volunteer emergency medical service group. It serves the campus community and provides CPR certification at discounted rates as well as EMT certification opportunities to students. Donations will go towards newer and better equipment and ambulance upkeep to better serve the community.

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CWRU’s new invention center serves as a space for students, faculty and alumni to creatively experiment and foster collaboration and entrepreneurial growth. Donations will go towards the purchase of up to six fully equipped Mobile 3D printer workstations.

CWRU Labre Homeless Outreach Program
The Labre Homeless Outreach Program serves the homeless population of Greater Cleveland in many different ways, including providing hot meals on a weekly basis and offering blankets, clothing and toiletry items. Donations will go towards continuing to help people in need near CWRU and Cleveland.

CAS Emerging Scholars Program
The Emerging Scholars Program helps admitted students from the Greater Cleveland area excel as undergraduates at CWRU by providing them with experiences and skills essential for long-term success. They hold a summer bridge program to help students earn credits towards their degrees and provide individualized mentoring and academic support. Donations will go towards providing full-tuition summer scholarships and $3,000 stipends that will enable students to participate.

Center for Civic Engagement & Learning (CCEL)
CCEL is a campus-wide resource that helps CWRU students find meaningful community service opportunities in Cleveland and beyond with over 75 organizations. Last year alone, students served approximately 17,000 hours, many of which occurred in Nicaragua and New Orleans with home restoration and youth development programs. Donations will go towards helping CCEL expand Alternative Break opportunities and make them affordable for students of all income levels.

Laura Chisholm Social Justice Fellowship
A number of CWRU School of Law students take unpaid internships within the public sector over the summer. This fellowship will allow all qualified students to get financial support to work in the public interest as opposed to other internships outside of the legal field. Donations will go towards an endowed fellowship in the name and memory of Laura Chisholm, a respected colleague and friend.

Student Sustainability Council
The Student Sustainability Council is a student-led organization dedicated to the education and promotion of economic, social and environmental sustainability and equity to allow for a greater understanding of and respect for the environment. Donations will go towards the Student Sustainability Council’s Rain Gardens project.

Personal Finance in Developing Countries Research
Silvia Prina, assistant professor of economics at the Weatherhead School of Management, conducted a research project to determine whether a simple savings account would benefit a poor village in Nepal. Dr. Prina discovered that the level of literacy and financial literacy are low and incomes in the area are low and unstable. The solution was a simple village bank that provided a safe and convenient place to store funds while they accumulated. Donations will go towards helping to continue this research and expand the areas that benefit from the village bank.

CWRU Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity is a service organization dedicated to creating awareness of the problems of substandard housing and participating in the construction of quality, affordable housing both in the Cleveland area and throughout the country. Donations will go towards enabling students to help provide housing to those that need it most through CWRU Habitat for Humanity’s winter break trip.

LGBT Center
The LGBT Center serves as a resource for students, faculty, staff and alumni that helps individuals and groups develop programming ideas for campus and brings LGBT community programs and events to CWRU. Donations will go towards supporting the expansion of Safe Zone program, a network of volunteers committed to creating a community of respect and dignity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning students, staff and faculty.

School of Medicine Alzheimer’s Research
Promising discoveries in the area of Alzheimer’s disease have been made at the CWRU School of Medicine. A drug used to treat cancer may be able to reverse the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. Donations will go towards enabling researchers to continue exploring the possibilities of this exciting development.

Healthy Smiles Sealant Program
Serving Cleveland Metropolitan School District children in grades 2, 3 and 6, pre-doctoral students perform dental examinations and apply protective sealant to cavity-free teeth as well as educate children on general health care, oral care and nutritional health. Donations will go towards supporting the general operating budget for the program, including supplies and after-treatment take-home packages (toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss) for children.

Student-Run Free Clinic
The Student-Run Free Clinic serves more than 400 patients per year in the clinic in addition to many more in outreach programs, which include blood pressure screenings, feet washing at a homeless shelter and various health education programs throughout the community. Donations will go towards expanding the clinic’s hours to include evening service as well as the purchase of medical supplies for patients.

Frances Bayne School of Nursing Capstone Program
Students spend 10 weeks during their senior year working in an extensive experience in community-based health care with vulnerable populations such as Native Americans, migrant workers, the Australian aboriginal community and the urban poor as part of the degree requirements for the BSN program. Donations will go towards defraying costs associated with the program.