Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, are all retail sales days associated with Thanksgiving that fall four days after the holiday. These days are about shopping and spending money. However, on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, Minot AFB will hold its first-ever Giving Tuesday Military edition to reach those who need a little help or even a bit of joy during the holiday season. It’s a day about kindness and service.

According to MAFB spouse and ambassador for Giving Tuesday Military, Carrie Driver said, “Giving Tuesday was a way to bring the conversation back to the meaning behind the holidays—time, kindness, giving. We determined that the military is all over the globe and has the ability to make undeniable impact to the world through kindness because of this!” Driver is working on spreading the word about the day, helping people understand what Giving Tuesday is, and getting MAFB organizations involved.

In 2019, military spouses Jessica Manfre, Samantha Gomolka, and Maria Reed met at an awards ceremony which unknowingly put the Giving Tuesday Military initiative in motion. That summer, Manfre and Reed helped with a home makeover for a Coast Guard member whose wife had terminal cancer, and Manfre shared the finished makeover with Giving Tuesday. The group asked Manfre if she would be willing to start a military Giving Tuesday campaign. When Manfre shared the idea with Gomolka and Reed, they were in! They based this “Giving Tuesday” campaign on radical kindness. Radical kindness is an action that intentionally seeks to build bridges across differences, develop shared ground, and promote social connection between different groups and communities.

This year, the friends published a list of states without ambassadors on Giving Tuesday Military’s Facebook page. North Dakota was on that list. It is the friends’ goal to establish ambassadors from all 50 states. Manfre, Gomolka, and Reed contacted Driver and asked her if she was interested and willing to spearhead Giving Tuesday Military on MAFB and in North Dakota. Until now, MAFB had never participated in Giving Tuesday Military. “I believe that our community has so many amazing people who do so much already, and I love getting to bring everyone together, and was exited and honored to get to come along side of these women and [be] a part of something greater than ourselves and to get to make a difference,” Driver said.

To participate in Giving Tuesday, MAFB family members and service members alike can choose to work with whoever they would like and in any way they see fit. People from other bases have worked with First Sergeants’ Councils, private organizations, and spouses’ clubs. Some organizations run blood drives, others do clothing drives for those in need, and still others gather Christmas gifts for junior enlisted members’ kids or make cards for veterans. People’s options are limitless; from giving hugs, making cards, passing out cookies, paying for someone’s coffee in line, or donating time and resources. “The beauty of GTM is whatever you choose to do in the spirit of giving back and kindness is amazing and what it is all about,” Driver said.

Right now, the MAFB homeschool community plans to make cards and cookies for the Airmen in the dorms. Other MAFB community members will be working on dorm holiday decorating too. Driver also said that Giving Tuesday has received a huge donation of toys, and she is currently looking for a place that is in need of toys to bless kids during the holiday season.
Giving Tuesday is one of the biggest fundraising days of the year, and what differentiates Giving Tuesday Military is that people are asked to give mostly of their time, but it could include monetary giving too, like paying for a stranger’s coffee or surprising the gate guards with treats. It’s about showing up and showing you care, no matter what the act of kindness. To learn more about the Giving Tuesday Military movement or how to join, visit https://givingtuesdaymilitary.com.