On December 3, 2024, the Whitewater Federation of Women’s Clubs (“WFWC”) will join millions around the world participating in the global generosity movement of GivingTuesday. The WFWC will inspire generosity by reaching out to all who support historic preservation and Whitewater’s heritage – and Whitewater’s historic Bassett House in particular.
GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement, unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and their world. GivingTuesday will kick off the generosity season this year by inspiring people to give back on December 3, 2024, and throughout the year.
For almost 100 years, WFWC has been the custodian of the Bassett House, built in 1857 and one of the oldest buildings in Whitewater. For the last five years, the WFWC has been engaged in a comprehensive and necessary restoration of the Bassett House, from top to bottom and both inside and out. To complete this restoration, which will ensure the Bassett House’s conservation for the foreseeable future, the WFWC is seeking donations from supporters of historic preservation and of the Bassett House to secure the funds the WFWC needs for this essential work.
“Since the Bassett House has been in our care since 1926, it has allowed us to connect with the past,” said Pat Blackmer, WFWC President. “Because it is of architectural, historic, and cultural history, it provides us with a sense of place and community. I have always believed that through our efforts of preservation, we save the future by rescuing the past.”
GivingTuesday was launched in 2012 as a simple idea: to create a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past eleven years, this idea has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. People demonstrate generosity in many ways on GivingTuesday. Whether it’s helping out a neighbor or stranger, showing up for an issue or people we care about, or giving to causes we care about, every act of generosity counts. GivingTuesday has raised billions of dollars for critical causes around the world and gets billions of impressions on social media from people and organizations speaking up for the causes that matter to them and encouraging others to get involved in their communities.
“GivingTuesday inspires people all around the world to embrace their power to drive progress around the causes they care about, not just on one day but throughout the year,” said Asha Curran, GivingTuesday’s CEO, and co-founder. “With country and community leaders, millions of organizations, and countless givers of all kinds, GivingTuesday is creating a shared space where we can see the radical implications of a more generous world.”
Those who are interested in joining the WFWC’s GivingTuesday initiative can visit www.bassetthousewww.org. A tax-deductible gift may be made directly on the website or by mailing a check.
For more details about the GivingTuesday movement, visit the GivingTuesday website (www.givingtuesday.org), Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/GivingTuesday), or follow @GivingTuesday and #GivingTuesday on Instagram.
About the Whitewater Federation of Women’s Clubs and the Bassett House
Whitewater’s women’s clubs date to the late nineteenth century, and began as forums for women to gather, socialize, study, and engage in civic betterment and contributions to the community. In 1926, Florence Basssett, a lifetime member of one of Whitewater’s women’s clubs, bequeathed her lifelong home, the Bassett House, to the WFWC, which has been its sole custodian ever since. Today, the Bassett House, one of Whitewater’s most historic homes, serves as the meeting place for the clubs, the site of community events, and an events venue available to the public for private events. “This beautiful home is a historic gem, a precious piece of Whitewater’s heritage that continues to contribute to Whitewater and surrounding communities today,” said Linda Robinson, WFWC Vice-President. “Its preservation is a trust we all owe to current and future generations of Whitewater residents so that they may enjoy and experience this piece of Whitewater history for years to come.”
About GivingTuesday
GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world. GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past eleven years, it has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.
Whether it’s making someone smile, helping out a neighbor or stranger, showing up for an issue or people we care about, or giving some of what we have to those who need our help, every act of generosity counts, and everyone has something to give. GivingTuesday strives to build a world in which the catalytic power of generosity is at the heart of the society we build together, unlocking dignity, opportunity, and equity around the globe.
