The Giving Tuesday flag is flying at Burlington city hall

November 28 is Giving Tuesday in Burlington, and around the world. 

In a small ceremony at City Hall this morning, Ward 5 councillor Paul Sharman joined several leaders of Halton’s charitable sector to raise a flag to mark the occasion. 

“On behalf of the Mayor and of my council colleagues, I want to thank Halton Gives for the incredible work they do to support and promote all the fantastic organizations in and around Burlington,” Sharman said. “We’re reminded that while we enjoy making use of Black Friday, we shouldn’t forget the impact our contributions have on those around us.”

Sharman read a proclamation from the Office of the Mayor, saying that Giving Tuesday has been established as a national day of giving and a celebration of generosity and volunteerism where people work together for causes and to build a strong community. 

Representatives from Woodview Learning Centre and The Women’s Centre of Halton attended, and helped raise the flag together. The flag itself features a red heart with a white maple leaf cut-out on a white background. The representatives made their way outside to civic square where the snow was already falling. 

The act of pulling the chain together, with so many organizations represented, was a symbolic reflection of the charitable community in Halton. 

“Every time I see that flag, I’m going to remember that we put it up there,” Ifrah Gilani, a marketer at the Women’s Centre of Halton, said. “It embodies the same values of working together to build communities, working together to raise that flag.”

The Women’s Centre of Halton supports women who are experiencing crisis or distress, or who are in transition. 

For many non-profits, it has been a tough few years. According to the Ontario Nonprofit Network, two-thirds of non-profits in Ontario identified inflation and a decrease in donations as the largest challenges they face. 

“It’s a wonderful day to celebrate giving, volunteering and donors, they’re the ones that make things happen,” Michelle Bake-Murphy, who runs communications and fundraising for Woodview, said. “Without donors, we wouldn’t be able to do the work that we do, and make dreams come true.”

Woodview is in the midst of revamping its sensory room, which is used by as many as 80 kids each month between the ages of two and 17. 

Giving Tuesday was started in 2012 by Henry Timms and the United Nations, and is always five days after American Thanksgiving. 

“Woodview is so proud to be a part of this global movement, because it’s about celebrating and thanking our donors,” Bake-Murphy says. “We’re grateful for the amazing people who support Woodview in small and large ways.”