One Day of Giving, a World of Impact: Why #GivingTuesday Matters for Children and Families Affected by Childhood Cancer
Every year, on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, millions of people around the world take part in Giving Tuesday. This global day of generosity inspires individuals, organisations, and communities to do good. What started as a simple idea in 2012 has grown into a movement that encourages hundreds of millions of acts of kindness in more than 90 countries. It reminds us that even in difficult times, generosity can bring people together and create real, meaningful change. One day of giving can create a world of impact.
What Is Giving Tuesday?
Giving Tuesday was created for one main purpose: to inspire people to do good. It offers an alternative to the busy shopping days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Instead, it gives us a moment to pause and focus on helping others.
People can join Giving Tuesday in many ways: by donating, volunteering, advocating, or doing small acts of kindness. At its heart, Giving Tuesday envisions a world where generosity is part of everyday life, where people feel empowered to help others, and where communities unite to build a more caring and equal society.
The Funding Gap: Rare Disease, Real Challenges
Childhood cancer is a rare disease. This means it receives much less attention and far less funding than most adult cancers. Yet the needs of children with cancer, survivors, and their families are urgent and often very complex.
Because childhood cancer is rare, many organisations that support families depend almost entirely on donations, grants, and community fundraising. This leads to several challenges:
- Public funding for rare diseases is often limited
- Childhood cancer organisations must compete for very small amounts of available funding
- Many parent-led groups run mostly on volunteer work and small budgets
- Cross-border cooperation and Europe-wide projects need stable, long-term support
- Without enough financial resources, important programmes and services cannot continue
From psychosocial support to making sure families are not left alone, many initiatives only exist because individuals, partners, companies, and communities choose to give. But we cannot meet these needs alone.
How Your Generosity Creates Impact
When you support CCI Europe or your national CCI Europe member organisation, you help ensure that:
- Families receive better information, support, and resources
- Advocacy for improved policies and treatment continues
- Survivors get access to long-term follow-up care and research
- Projects that improve quality of life and care standards move forward
- Collaboration across Europe remains strong and effective
Every donation, no matter how small, helps us stay stronger together for everyone affected by childhood cancer.
Make a Difference by Giving
On this global day of generosity, we invite you to stand with us.
Whether you choose to donate to CCI Europe directly or support one of our member organisations in your own country. Your contribution brings hope, supports progress, and strengthens connections across borders.
Together, we can ensure that no child or family faces childhood cancer alone.