06.28.2023

Today’s Forecast

91º | Mostly sunny | 7% chance of rain | Sunrise 6:28 a.m. | Sunset 8:59 p.m.

Give, laugh, love

Charitable giving slumped 10.5% in 2022 — here’s how to give back locally

Individual donors gave 13.4% less in 2022 than in 2021, after adjusting for inflation. | Photo by Kelly Lacy via Chattanooga Tourism Co.

Giving USA released its latest report on charitable giving in the US — and after a record high of $517 billion in 2021, 2022 saw Americans give $499 billion total.

That’s a decrease of 3.4% without adjusting for inflation, and 10.5% in inflation-adjusted terms — making it the largest slump in charitable giving the US has seen since the Great Recession.

What caused the decline? Factors include individuals having less to give. While cost of living rose nationwide — most rapidly in Oregon and Washington — disposable personal income fell over 6% in 2022 when adjusted for inflation, and the stock market saw its worst overall performance since 2008. Meanwhile, charitable gifts that were given were economically less valuable due to inflation’s steep rise.

Want to make an impact? Here’s how to support local causes that matter to you.

Consider a recurring gift. Instead of donating one large gift at the end of the year, set up monthly, recurring, incremental gifts to the charity you want to support. This can help maintain nonprofits’ cash flow and ability to forecast revenue.

Don’t forget gifts are tax deductible. Make it easy by making gifts on a credit card — many accounts will automatically pull a list of all your charitable donations from the past year.

NOOGAtoday | green prix — green|spaces works with Hamilton County Schools for its Green Prix STEM program.
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Photo by NOOGAtoday

We’ll get you started with three local charities to gift to:

Austin Hatcher Foundation For Pediatric Cancer | Helps provide treatment + support to children with cancer and their families, at no cost.
Chattanooga Area Food Bank | Works to end hunger in Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia.
green|spaces | Works to build a more sustainable + environmentally-friendly community.

Volunteer your time. Have less to spend? Check out 30+ volunteer groups in the Scenic City — we’re willing to bet there are plenty of opportunities to give your time.

Want to be more involved? Let us know with the survey below.

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Events

Today, June 28

Family Creek Day | Wednesday, June 28 | 10 a.m.-12 p.m. | Audubon Acres, 900 N. Sanctuary Rd., Chattanooga | $3-$30 | Splish-splash in the creek while you learn more about our waterways and the creatures that inhabit it.
Live Food Demonstration + Tasting | Wednesday, June 28 | 4-6 p.m. | Main Street Farmers Market, Corner of Chestnut Street + W. 20th Street, Chattanooga | Free+ | Join the Chattanooga Food Center to sample dishes created from produce you can find at the market + take the recipe home to try yourself.

Thursday, June 29

Soft Animal Presents: Crys Matthews | Thursday, June 29 | 7:30-10:30 p.m. | Barking Legs Theater, 1307 Dodds Ave., Chattanooga | $20-$24 | Listen to music performed by one of “the brightest stars of the new generation of social justice music-makers.”

Friday, June 30

Swiftie Friendship Bracelet Making Workshop | Friday, June 30 | 6-8 p.m. | The Chattery, 1800 Rossville Ave., Chattanooga | $20 | Prepare for The Signal’s Taylor Swift Night with a crafty evening making friendship bracelets.
The Taylor Party: Taylor Swift Night (Eras Version) | Friday, June 30 | 9 p.m. | The Signal, 21 Choo Choo Ave., Chattanooga | $15-$35 | Don’t let it be a cruel summer — experience the “Eras Tour” spun by a DJ.

Saturday, July 1

Bobby Stone Film Series: “Moonrise Kingdom” | Saturday, July 1 | 7 p.m. | The Walker Theatre, 399 McCallie Ave., Chattanooga | $6-$12 | See a special showing of the Wes Anderson classic film “Moonrise Kingdom.”

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

Beauty

Seriously, no one can mess up this minimalist beauty routine

The viral MERIT Signature Makeup Bag is free with every first purchase. | Photos by MERIT Beauty

10-step skincare routines and makeup tutorials may dominate our social feeds, but the reality? Most of us don’t have time for that.

For us, getting ready means a pared-back beauty routine that we can do on the go — which is exactly why cult-favorite, minimalist beauty brand MERIT created The MERIT Sets: curated routines that help you get everything you need (for less).

Plus, get their chic Signature Makeup Bag free with your first order.

We're looking at you, 'Five Minute Morning' set

News Notes

Outdoors

The Chattanooga Parks and Outdoors Department announced the Coolidge Park Fountains will be up and running daily from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. through Monday, July 17. The department will then close the fountains to add final items for its rebuild.

Cause

WaterWays will partner with Tennessee River Gorge Trust to offer “Wild Plant Rescue,” a series of volunteer events to help rescue native plants from new trail development. The rescues will take place at the trust’s Aetna Mountain trails. Check out the dates + reach out for more information.

Community

The next installment of the Rossville/BLVD Open Air Market series will be a Culturefest on Friday, July 7 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The fest, located at 207 Chickamauga Ave. in Rossville, GA will feature “culinary adventures,” unique shopping opportunities, and cultural performances.

Film

While the in-person portion of the Chattanooga Film Festival may be over, there are still plenty of virtual events happening through Friday, June 30. Folks can purchase a “half badge” to view features and shorts + gain access to events and the festival’s Discord.

Arts

“A Fine Line,” a collection of paintings created by local artist Doug McCoy, will be displayed during the month of July at In-Town Gallery. An opening reception will be held on Friday, July 7 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. (The Pulse)

ICYMI

In case you missed it, the City Café downtown location at 901 Carter St. has closed its doors. Construction for its new location at 511 Broad St. is underway and set to open in October. (WDEF)

Open

If you’ve never had the memorable experience of being eye-to-eye with a giraffe, here’s your chance. Climb the stairs to feed a giraffe their favorite treats at the Chattanooga Zoo’s giraffe feeding station — now open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. Purchase tickets (and check out their other up-close animal encounters, too).*

Travel

Dreaming of a trip abroad this summer? Babbel offers lesson plans for 14 different languages spoken throughout the world. Prep for the trip of your dreams with bite-sized, 10-minute lessons that will help you start speaking a new language in just three weeks.*

Correction

In yesterday’s newsletter, we shared the upcoming Nightfall concert in our events section. We mistakenly wrote the headlining performance would be by James Lee Wilson, the headliner is actually Jason Lee Wilson & James County.

Outdoors

🌱 Learning comes naturally

Chattanooga’s chapter of the Tennessee Naturalist Program

Learn about native plants and wildlife. | Photo provided by the Chattanooga Audubon Society

Time to go all natural. Registration for the Chattanooga Audubon Society’s chapter of the Tennessee Naturalist Program is open.

The 10-month educational program will teach the community about the natural history of our state + cover “everything from birds to geology, plants to water ecology.” New to this year, the course will now be open to 16- and 17-year-olds, as long as an adult joins them in each class.

What you’ll do

Learn | The 40-hour course schedule will begin at the end of August. The classes will include topics covering astronomy, forests + insects.

Volunteer | All students will complete 40 hours of service in the society’s sanctuaries that span over 500 acres. Folks will work on projects for trail building, invasive species removal + helping with major events.

Create an account + register by Saturday, Aug. 19. Note: Spots are anticipated to fill quickly — you can also contact the organization to join the waitlist for next year.

Shop

Travel

Wanna save 40-90% on flights? Sign up for Going — a free travel membership — and you can browse deals immediately (like a $300+ round trip to Barcelona).

Drink

On a water bottle hunt? Amazon’s No. 1 bestselling insulated bottle is the Owala FreeSip — it’s thoughtfully designed, leak proof, and keeps drinks cold.

Outdoors

Decorating tip: Show your patio some love with a cute and colorful area rug. We love this outdoor-friendly geometric green one.

Shop

Looking to support small businesses? Shop our online store, Six & Main, for all of your summer essentials.

The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Haley Bartlett

From the editor

You’ve heard of makeovers, but have you ever heard of cakeovers? The Chattanooga Theatre Center is hosting a “Centennial Cakeover” fundraiser to raise funds for needed improvements as the theater company celebrates its centennial milestone. You can donate in different tiers of cake slices, beginning at $1 — funds have already helped go towards a new concession stand.

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