" ...a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration. Observed on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving. Since its inaugural year in 2012, #GivingTuesday has become a movement that celebrates and supports giving and philanthropy with events throughout the year and a growing catalog of resources."

Hi Everybody,

This Tuesday, December 1^st is Giving Tuesday.

What will I be doing for #GivingTuesday? I am scheduled to perform a free concert at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan for the cancer patients there. As many of you know, I am an ovarian cancer survivor. Nine years ago I was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer with a 10-20% survival rate and today I am thriving. I know it could not have been possible without all the love and support I received during the 15 months I was going through treatments.

Three weeks ago I was visiting my cousin who is now an ovarian cancer patient at Memorial Sloan Kettering. We went to the hospital activity room to listen to a comedian who was performing for the patients. The program ended early and my cousin told everyone that I was professional singer and could sing for them. I had not planned to perform but looking at all the patients in the room I was happy to do whatever I could to offer a moment of pleasant distraction for them. I got up and sang one of my favorite songs a cappella. The activities coordinator asked me afterwards if I would come back and give a concert. I agreed and my #GivingTuesday will actually take place this Wednesday at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where I will be performing a program of songs from the Broadway and Light Opera repertoire.

After my experience with advanced ovarian cancer I realized I had learned a great deal about beating the disease. My partner Gary De Mattei and I decided to create Responsible Eating And Living, a 501(c)(3) not for profit corporation, to share this knowledge while also educating about all the benefits of a healthy plant-based diet including how fun and delicious it can be. We've been giving every day since we launched in July 2011, through the website, ResponsibleEatingAndLiving.com. Here you can access our videos, hundreds of It's All About Food podcasts covering a wide range of food and lifestyle issues, delicious recipes, the What Vegans Eat daily blog, all for free, every day of the year.

For this #GivingTuesday I hope you will consider contributing to REAL so that we can continue to keep giving and sharing this vital information for free.

Thank you!

Best Regards,

Caryn Hartglass