Press & Media

#GivingTuesdayMilitary is out to change the world as we know it – one act of kindness at a time. On Dec 1st 2020, millions of people responded to the call to be kind. Last year’s inaugural event of #GivingTuesdayMilitary challenged the military community to commit to 1 million acts of kindness on Giving Tuesday – a day typically reserved for non-profit fund raising.

The dynamic duo helped make the holidays brighter for a family who needed some cheer this Christmas season and plan to do much more in the area. As volunteers in the national group, Moving with the Military, they spearheaded an elf team who transformed the home of the Brandon and Robin Bentley family on Scott Air Force Base with a front yard makeover that had a country Christmas theme.

BELLEVILLE, Ill. – You can feed your craving for Chick-fil-A and help the Inspire Up Foundation in time for Giving Tuesday. Jessica Manfre explains how the restaurant in Belleville, Illinois is helping the organization all month long. You can help raise money for families needing help, by just going through the drive-through. The Chick-fil-A restaurant is located at 2532 Green Mount Commons.

When it comes to sifting through the emails, social media posts and requests for your money on #givingtuesday, you may find yourself feeling a little bitter. Don’t these organizations know you give of your time and money throughout the year? What makes this Tuesday so special?

A smile, a note, a phone call or just doing something a little extra special. That’s what Giving Tuesday Military is all about, as volunteers at Fort Hood and around the world made a goal of filling Tuesday with as many acts of kindness as they could fit into a day.

It is not just one day for Fort Hood spouse Maria Reed, wife of Sgt. 1st Class Patrick Reed, 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, who believes a better name would be “Giving Always.”

“We worked with the Giving Tuesday organization to come up with something that would really unite both the civilian and military community,” said Maria Reed, a co-founder of the organization.

Created by four military spouses, the group took to social media and television shows to promote a chance to make a difference around the world. The goal in 2019 was one-million acts of kindness in just 24 hours. That goal was nearly tripled as they reached 2.5-million acts of kindness.

Maria Reed, founder of Moving with the Military, joins Hoda and Jenna to surprise a military family with holiday decorations and presents. Afterward, Hoda and Jenna surprise Maria with a donation to help her continue her work.

Brittany Boccher is a recently retired Air Force spouse and serial entrepreneur. She developed a workshop, Discovering Your Spark, that aims to walk with military spouses through self-discovery and find their purpose. Her program was picked up by the USO and prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, she was traveling often to present her workbook and workshop in person. But, she wanted to do more.

After you score holiday deals during Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, four military spouses are asking you for one more thing: Contribute to Giving Tuesday Military, but it doesn’t have to cost you a penny.

You may have heard of Giving Tuesday — a philanthropic movement started in 2012, encouraging charitable donations at the start of the holiday season.

Online donations during the 24 hours of Giving Tuesday last year topped $511 million.

This all started for me when my family was blessed by a show called Moving with the Military. A group of military spouses came together and organized a bathroom makeover for my physically disabled son. You can see the full episode HERE. Side note: I want to give a huge shoutout to Paric for their generosity in this makeover! The bathroom makeover set off a life-changing set of events.

Maria Reed, Samantha Gomolka and Jessica Manfre had never met prior to last May, when all three were awarded the Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year — Maria as Army Spouse, Samantha as National Guard Spouse, and Jessica as Coast Guard Spouse. The three ended up becoming fast friends, so much so that not even a year later, the women have started not only a movement amongst military families, but also their own foundation.

WASHINGTON — Three military spouses say they hope to change the world, through one act of kindness at a time.

To accomplish this, they aim to encourage more than one million acts of kindness in the military community through a viral movement called GivingTuesday Military Edition, set for Dec. 3.

Three military spouses are on a mission to change the world, one act of kindness at a time.

Coast Guard spouse Jessica Manfre, National Guard spouse Samantha Gomolka and Army spouse Maria Reed met in May at the Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year celebrations. Each was honored as their respective branch winner.

“Giving Tuesday” is a global giving initiative that is celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving. This movement inspires millions to give back- to give of their time, their talents, and even financial support for Non-profits. This year, Giving Tuesday is on December 3rd.

The goal of this amazing movement is to create a wave of generosity, a wave that will change the landscape for good. This exciting goal is what caught the attention of Jessica Manfre.

When military spouses Jessica Manfre, Samantha Gomolka, Maria Reed and Stacy Bilodeau started GivingTuesdayMilitary, they never expected it to generate so much buzz so fast. Only once year since its inception, military spouses and people who support the military have left a large imprint on the hearts of many each GivingTuesday.

More than ever before, the world needs kindness. Jessica Manfre and a group of fellow military wives founded “Inspire Up”, a non-profit that unites military members and civilians on a mission to spread kindness. Hear how they helped create more than 2 million random acts of kindness! #VeteransDay

More than ever before, the world needs kindness. Jessica Manfre and a group of fellow military wives founded “Inspire Up”, a non-profit that unites military members and civilians on a mission to spread kindness. Hear how they helped create more than 2 million random acts of kindness! #VeteransDay