CNN
—
It’s the season of giving!
Even if you are low on funds, you can still make an impact.
Here are four ways you can spread goodwill during the holidays without spending a dime.
The gift of life
At the American Red Cross, the gift of life is always in season. Blood and plasma donations are essential for many life-sustaining medical procedures. The American Red Cross has reported a persistent yuletide need for donation as “many blood donors delay giving due to seasonal illness.” Holiday travel also curtails donations.
On its website, the American Red Cross features a ZIP code finder to locate blood donation centers close to home.
The gift of sight
The app Be My Eyes allows sighted individuals to lend their vision to people who are blind. The app offers a live video feature enabling volunteers to give support with tasks like distinguishing colors, exploring new spaces and checking expiration dates. Be My Eyes boasts a community exceeding 6 million volunteers. The app functions in more than 150 countries.
The gift of spoken voice
Through the power of artificial intelligence, VocaliD gives people requiring prosthetic voices unique vocal qualities that reflect their personalities. Through the organization’s human voicebank, individuals use easy-to-follow prompts to record their voices. Diversity of submissions is important to meet needs spanning race, gender, and age.
The gift of expertise
With Catchafire, you can match your professional skills with local and global volunteer opportunities. On its website, donors can browse volunteer projects according to interest, cause, availability, and expertise. Many of the requested skills may already align with tasks performed within one’s day-to-day job. The volunteer projects are virtual and can be performed from the comfort of home.
