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okbet 777 Local charities are encouraging generous donors to make contributions on Dec. 3, known nationally as “Giving Tuesday.” “It’s an annual event for us. For at least 10 years we’ve been promoting Giving Tuesday, which is a great way to give back to the community at the end of the year,” said Ellen Luton, president of United Way of Aiken County. “We would encourage everyone to give because it’s a great cause to give locally to our Aiken community, especially after Hurricane Helene,” Luton said. “We’ve seen a lot more need following that event. If anybody is able to give we would welcome their contribution,” she said. Links for donating are on the organization’s website and Facebook page. United Way of Aiken County helps support 30 local nonprofit agencies. The organization’s annual fundraising campaign runs from late August through October. “We had a lot of support during our annual fundraising campaign. Area businesses participate in that through workplace giving and corporate donations, and individuals participate as well,” Luton said. Giving Tuesday is like a bonus at the end of the annual campaign, she said. “After Cyber Monday and Small Business Saturday and Black Friday, it’s nice to donate whatever coins you have leftover to a good cause,” Luton said. USC Aiken is tracking Giving Tuesday donations to its annual fund on a speedometer that increases by one MPH with each contribution. MPH in this case stands for “Many Pacers Helping,” said Carlos Baxley, Leadership Giving Officer for USCA’s Office of Advancement. Last year’s effort raised $33,000 from 105 donors, Baxley said. The first $5,000 in donations this year will be matched by an anonymous donor. “We need support not only from our Pacer family at USCA but from the larger Aiken community as well,” Baxley said. Contributions can be made through USCA’s website . St. Mary Help of Christians School is raising money on Giving Tuesday to stock its STEM center. “In today's world, technological advancements are happening at a rapid pace. To keep up with the ever-changing landscape, St. Mary Help of Christians Catholic School will use your generous donation this day of giving to ensure that our new STEM Center is well-equipped with the necessary resources to prepare students for the technology-driven careers that await them in the future,” according to a release by the school. The first $25,000 in donations will be matched by an anonymous donor. Contributions may be made through the school’s website . “With your support, our students will have access to state-of-the-art tools and emerging technologies. This will enable them to develop essential skills in a world where the ability to think critically and creatively will develop the Christian leaders of tomorrow,” the school said. Other local groups seeking support on Giving Tuesday include: The Aiken Standard Community Christmas Card Friends of the Animal Shelter The Cumbee Center Golden Harvest Food Bank SPCA Albrecht Center Friends of the Aiken County Library Friends of the Nancy Carson Library The Salvation ArmyRBI's war against inflation is not yet over, says governor Shaktikanta Das

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The Lions continue to get healthier on offense. Defensive tackle D.J. Reader returned to practice on Thursday for the first time since injuring his shoulder in the team’s Thanksgiving win over the Bears. Reader was listed as a limited participant in practice. Defensive end Josh Paschal (knee) returned to practice on Wednesday and he moved up to full participation on Thursday. Paschal’s last appearance was also on Thanksgiving. Defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike (hamstring) was limited for the second day in a row while left tackle Taylor Decker (knee) and defensive lineman Alim McNeill (concussion) remained full practice participants. Linebacker Trevor Nowaske was added to the injury report with a concussion and did not practice. He’s likely out for Sunday’s game against the Bills and the team will issue injury designations for any of their other players on Friday afternoon.Delaware judge reaffirms ruling that invalidated massive Tesla pay package for Elon Musk

New 2024 Kindle Paperwhite Now Selling For $25 LessNoneWhen I told my mother I was going to my first Buddhist service that Sunday, she stopped what she was doing and slammed the kitchen counter with her hand. “On Easter?” she said while turning eerily still. This was in the late 1990s. I had stopped being Catholic a few years before, at age 18, so I no longer paid attention to the Christian calendar. The choice of the date wasn’t symbolic, but my mother’s raised voice demonstrated that she thought so. A year or so later, I overheard her on the phone with a friend expressing concern for my eternal soul. My mother was a devout Catholic, and her youngest daughter’s abandonment of her religious upbringing was unthinkable — even though I had not rejected religious inquiry altogether. I sat down and wrote my mother a letter and left it on her bed. My words were forceful, but I wasn’t smug or sneering, which was unusual restraint for a college-age kid. I didn’t question her faith. I just asked her to respect my need to figure out my own contemplative path. We never discussed the letter. When my mother followed my dad in death in 2019 and my sisters and I had to clean out the house, I found my letter in her bedroom tucked between important cards she’d saved. I pulled it out and sat on the floor holding it like it was a vital link between the two of us across vastly different planes of existence. It mattered to me that she’d kept it. I know it wasn’t easy for her to read because it declared in clear terms my apostasy. But she took my words seriously, it seemed. The way she affirmed my decision-making over the years showed me that she ultimately trusted that a desire to be kind and a clear sense of right and wrong were guiding my actions. It’s so tempting to glorify someone you love after they’ve gone, to the point of leaving their flaws unspoken when you tell stories about them. I firmly believe that presenting a full picture of who someone was is very important to honoring their memory and reminding ourselves that we humans are always a work in progress. I hope people do that for me after I’m gone. But I am not overstating things by saying my gentle mother inspired me in the way a religious icon would. I like to say I have the heart I do because of her. She helped me grow that heart by hugging me, kissing me, telling me she loved me and teaching me through word and action that treating people with compassion is to be taken as seriously as earning a college degree and building a career. She donated to the local food pantry. She contributed to coat drives. She quietly embodied the words, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” She didn’t turn away from other people’s suffering. I understood that to be a moral imperative that transcends creed and affiliation.