Established in 1999, The Giving Spirit has provided over 75,000 survival kits that have been distributed by thousands of Giving Spirit volunteers. These survival duffel bags, companion animal kits, and student backpacks address the immediate basic needs of individuals who are experiencing various stages of homelessness. The Los Angeles-based organization also strives to connect individuals to short and long-term supportive services.
During volunteer events, The Giving Spirit offers learning experiences designed to promote community-wide education and advocacy regarding the growing homeless crisis, and to develop open and empathetic dialogues between concerned citizens and community members who are currently experiencing homelessness and those who have successfully transitioned into housing and financial stability. The organization’s outreach and programming partnerships ensure streamlined coordination, not duplication, of their programs and services.
We invite you to meet some of their dedicated staff and learn how to create similar kit-building and educational events in your communities. Included is a look at their recent Companion Animal events as examples of bridging community awareness and action in support of unhoused people and their pets.
Participants will learn:
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- Logistical details for organizing a kit building event
- Strategic and practical details for offering Learning Experiences
- Information about marketing ideas
- Different pathways for kit distribution at the end of the event
After the webcast, join us on Maddie’s Pet Forum to continue the discussion and exchange ideas: https://maddies.fund/TheGivingSpirit
This webinar will be recorded and has been pre-approved for 1.0 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and by the National Animal Care & Control Association.
Presenters
Rebecca Cannara, Senior Manager for Educational Programming, The Giving Spirit
Rebecca Cannara (pronouns she/her) has worked in social work and education for over 25 years. She has served youth and families experiencing homelessness, developed a cooperative preschool, and produced online curriculum for middle school and high school level courses. She has a master’s in Education from UCLA, where she conducted research on providing intergroup dialogue as part of the professional training of pre-service educators. She received her training in the University of Michigan model of intergroup dialogue at UCLA and is a member of the Academy of Professional Dialogue. Her current focus is on promoting human rights and homelessness education in collaboration with The Giving Spirit and the nonprofit Universal Human Rights Initiative.
Tom Bagamane, CEO and Founder, The Giving Spirit
Tom founded The Giving Spirit in 1999 and has led TGS as Chairman during its 18 years of continued growth and service to the homeless in Greater Los Angeles. Tom has over 25 years experience as an entrepreneur and senior management in the consumer products/retail field, including areas of strategy, operations, global business development, traditional and digital marketing, product branding and manufacturing. He has also operated venture capital, private-equity and owner-financed product companies and has launched and successfully sold two start-up consumer product companies. Tom currently is Managing Director of Profitable Good Group, a consulting firm for businesses interested in growing their bottom line through social impact programs.
Tom’s business, leadership and organizational skills along with his passion for helping those in need have resulted in the assembly and giving out of over 40,000 survival kits to homeless families, men, women, children and youth in Greater Los Angeles since 1999 and the involvement of over 12,000 volunteers. Through Tom’s leadership, TGS has raised over $2.6 million in funds and in-kind donations for it survival kits. Tom received his MBA from George Mason University’s School of Business and his BA in Communications/Political Science from Virginia Tech University. Tom has received recognition from both of his alma maters for his humanitarian work through TGS, in 2005 from Virginia Tech, and in 2016 from George Mason University.
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