On the holiday celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr., several events around the D.C. region have hosted events honoring the civil rights leader’s memory.
FILE – The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial during the 9th Annual Wreath Laying and Day of Reflection and Reconciliation, in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2020. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)(AP/Jose Luis Magana)
FILE – The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial during the 9th Annual Wreath Laying and Day of Reflection and Reconciliation, in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2020. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)(AP/Jose Luis Magana)
On the holiday celebrating Martin Luther King Jr., there were several events around the D.C. region honoring the Civil Rights Movement leader’s memory.
Families packed into downtown Silver Spring’s Civic Building at Veterans Plaza to do more than a single day’s service; they looked into ways they could help their communities throughout the year.
The Montgomery Volunteer Center and the Montgomery County Alumnae chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority hosted the event.
Outside, people lined up to donate blood at the Children’s National Hospital’s bloodmobile.
Inside, crowds milled about tables representing civic groups, nonprofit organizations and county government agencies such as the Board of Elections.
Nena Abdul-Wakeel, president of the Montgomery County alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, smiled broadly as she looked at the throngs interested in spending their MLK holiday serving others.
“I think people are feeling the need to show up for their communities,” she said. “They want people to know, ‘I care,’ and this is a great way to do it.”
Sylvia Stevens, a member of the service organization, showed off the items donated to the “Dear Project.”
“We collect the forever stamps for the women’s correctional facility in Boyds, Maryland,” Stevens said, explaining the donations help incarcerated women stay in touch with their family members.
A woman who asked that we use her first name, Brittany, brought her children to the event, and was especially interested in the “Dear Project.”
“It may seem like a small thing, but it’s not a small thing to someone who does not have the resources to communicate with their families, so I think it’s a wonderful thing,” she told WTOP.
Brittany said she thought about how correspondence with her own family members matters to her, especially letters and notes from family members who have passed away.
“I keep those and cherish those, and so I know their families will probably do the same in years to come,” she said.
In one of the civic center rooms, people huddled around a table making necklaces — the creation of 14-year-old Isis Idiokitas, an 8th grader at Silver Spring International Middle School. Her Tu Snaps necklaces are made using Legos.
“Tu Snap necklaces are easy to take on and off because you use the Lego as the clasp,” she explained, “For every necklace bought, another necklace is donated to a child living with sickle cell disease.”
Idiokitas was asked about why she chose to focus her community efforts around sickle cell disease education.
“Not a lot of people know about sickle cell, and so it’s a way to raise awareness and advocate for them,” she said of children living with the disease.
County council member Kristin Mink spent part of her morning at the event in downtown Silver Spring.
“There really is an abundance of opportunities here to dig in and get things done. We are packing comfort care kits, we are learning about all sorts of different volunteer opportunities around the county that happen year round.”
Falls Church comes out to march
Hundreds of folks marched through Falls Church, Virginia, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, honoring the civil rights icon’s legacy as well as the town’s Black history.
Volunteers read Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech that he gave at the March on Washington on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
“Here we are all these years later, and it’s so meaningful, so appropriate,” Nikki Henderson with the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation said about hearing those words.
The crowd, holding signs with King quotes and more contemporary political messages such as “no ICE anytime,” marched from Tinner Hill, where a meeting took place to create the first rural branch of the NAACP in the U.S. over a century ago.
“It’s an awfully, awfully cold day, but I’m not surprised that people came out anyway. They’re committed,” Henderson said.
One woman marched with the crowd to Falls Church Episcopal with a sign with her favorite King quote.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”
WTOP’s Luke Lukert contributed to this story.
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Even though the Trump administration terminated the National Links Trust’s lease overseeing D.C.’s public golf courses, Langston Golf Course’s annual MLK Day of Service event went on.
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Volunteers help spruce up Langston Golf Course on MLK Day
Even though President Donald Trump’s administration terminated the National Links Trust’s lease overseeing D.C.’s three public golf courses, it did not stop Langston Golf Course from hosting its annual MLK Day of Service event.
Dozens spent the morning of Martin Luther King Jr. Day pulling invasive plants, grasses and shrubs along the Anacostia River and Kingman Lake.
Mike McCartin, co-founder of National Links Trust, told WTOP the organization hosts this event every year.
“It’s always been a very popular, but chilly, time,” McCartin said. “It’s important to the golf course because these buffer zones along the lake and the river are full of invasive plant material.”
One of invasive species being targeted is the bush honeysuckle. Volunteer Bianca Andre, who has a degree in environmental studies, said it needs to be removed because it’s the favorite food of an invasive insect — the spotted lanternfly.
“We’re removing some of their habitats so hopefully we have less of an infestation next summer,” Andre said.
While not everyone is as knowledgeable about invasive plant life as Andre, a lot of the volunteers did understand the importance of Langston Golf Course.
“Langston is an incredible place with an incredible history. It was where Black golfers who were displaced from a course around the Lincoln Memorial in the 1920s worked for 10 years to get a new course built at a time when D.C. was segregated,” McCartin said.
Bianca Hill, who was one the volunteers, told WTOP that while she just took up the sport last year, Langston has been part of her family’s life for a long time.
“My uncles were caddies here. I just appreciate the history of how my people have overcome and have this awesome course and opportunity for not just African Americans, but everybody to have affordable golf,” Hill said.
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Prince William and his eldest son, Prince George, put on aprons to help make Christmas lunch at a homeless shelter, a charity that the Prince of Wales first visited as a child with his mother, the late Princess Diana.The royal father and son were seen decorating a Christmas tree and helping with meal preparations in the kitchen at The Passage in central London, in a video posted to William’s YouTube account on Saturday.“Proud to join volunteers and staff at The Passage in preparing Christmas lunch – this year with another pair of helping hands,” read a post on the social media account of William and his wife, Princess Catherine.William is the royal patron of The Passage, which he first visited when he was 11 with his mother, Diana. The heir to the throne has visited the charity in recent years, but this was the first time George, 12, joined him.The young royal signed his name in a book on the same page that Diana and William had written their names 32 years ago, in December 1993.William was shown pouring Brussels sprouts onto an oven tray, while George helped set out Yorkshire puddings and set a long table for dozens of attendees.William launched his Homewards project in 2023 to tackle homelessness.
LONDON —
Prince William and his eldest son, Prince George, put on aprons to help make Christmas lunch at a homeless shelter, a charity that the Prince of Wales first visited as a child with his mother, the late Princess Diana.
The royal father and son were seen decorating a Christmas tree and helping with meal preparations in the kitchen at The Passage in central London, in a video posted to William’s YouTube account on Saturday.
“Proud to join volunteers and staff at The Passage in preparing Christmas lunch – this year with another pair of helping hands,” read a post on the social media account of William and his wife, Princess Catherine.
William is the royal patron of The Passage, which he first visited when he was 11 with his mother, Diana. The heir to the throne has visited the charity in recent years, but this was the first time George, 12, joined him.
The young royal signed his name in a book on the same page that Diana and William had written their names 32 years ago, in December 1993.
William was shown pouring Brussels sprouts onto an oven tray, while George helped set out Yorkshire puddings and set a long table for dozens of attendees.
William launched his Homewards project in 2023 to tackle homelessness.
(CNN) — The holidays are here, which means you’re probably thinking about gifts — what to buy, whom to give to and how much to spend. Gift-giving is often framed as a source of stress and obligation, but a growing body of research suggests there may also be something beneficial about giving itself.
I have wondered if science supports the idea that it’s better to give than receive, and if so, are there measurable health effects? Does it matter how you give, such as money versus time and big gestures versus small ones? And can giving ever backfire?
I turned to CNN wellness expert Dr. Leana Wen, counting on her for some good advice. Wen is an emergency physician and adjunct associate professor at George Washington University who previously was Baltimore’s health commissioner. She is done with her holiday shopping for her family and friends.
CNN: Does science really back up the idea that it’s better to give than receive?
Dr. Leana Wen: Science does support that idea, with some key caveats. Research from psychology, neuroscience and public health shows that prosocial behaviors such as giving time, money or support to others are associated with benefits to well-being.
That doesn’t mean that giving is always beneficial or that people should give at the expense of their own needs. But taken together, the evidence suggests that generosity can be good for both emotional and physical health.
CNN: What kinds of health benefits have researchers found?
Wen: A wealth of research links giving and helping behaviors to better mental well-being, including lower rates of depression and anxiety and higher life satisfaction. Surprisingly, the effects also go beyond mental health: Researchers have found associations between prosocial behavior and lower stress hormones, reduced inflammation, better cardiovascular outcomes and longer lifespan.
Notably, a large 2023 JAMA Network Open review looked at 30 studies involving prosocial interventions, which include acts of kindness, charitable giving, community volunteering and helping behaviors. Researchers found improvements in mental well-being, lower depression scores, physical activity and even blood test results
Giving time and effort, such as volunteering at a food bank, often produces stronger benefits than giving money alone. Credit: Drazen Zigic/iStockphoto / Getty Images via CNN Newsource
CNN: How does giving affect the brain and body?
Wen: Giving activates reward pathways in the brain in areas linked to pleasure, motivation and social bonding. These actions trigger the release of chemicals such as dopamine and endorphins, which are associated with positive feelings.
Another key hormone is oxytocin, which plays a role in stress regulation. Oxytocin can lower blood pressure, reduce stress responses and promote feelings of social connection. Over time, repeated activation of these pathways may help explain why generosity is linked to better health, especially in conditions influenced by chronic stress, such as depression and heart disease.
CNN: Is this just correlation, or is there evidence that giving actually causes these benefits?
Wen: That’s an important distinction. Some early research was observational, which means it’s possible that perhaps healthier or happier people were simply more likely to give. But more recent studies include experimental designs that strengthen the case for causation.
For instance, randomized trials have asked participants to perform acts of kindness or generosity and compared them with control activities. These studies have shown short-term reductions in stress hormones like cortisol, along with improvements in mood and emotional well-being. While it is harder to prove long-term causation, the consistency across experimental, biological and population-level data makes a strong case that giving itself plays a role.
CNN: Does it matter how people give, whether it’s money, time, small gifts or expensive ones?
Wen: Yes, the type and context of giving matter a great deal. Research suggests that voluntary, meaningful giving is more beneficial than giving that feels obligatory or stressful. Giving time and effort, such as volunteering or helping someone directly, often produces stronger benefits than giving money alone.
Meaning also matters. Giving that aligns with personal values or strengthens social connection is likely to be more beneficial than something that is impersonal or transactional. All this means that small acts such as writing a thoughtful note, helping a neighbor or spending time with someone who is lonely can have meaningful effects.
CNN: Can giving ever be harmful?
Wen: Absolutely. Giving is not universally beneficial. When giving leads to financial strain, exhaustion, resentment or neglect of one’s own health, the benefits disappear and can even reverse. Caregiver burnout is a clear example. People who give extensively without adequate support often experience worse physical and mental health.
The key is balance. In the ideal circumstances, giving should be voluntary. People should not feel pressure to give beyond their means or capacity, especially during the holidays, when expectations can be high.
CNN: Who benefits most from giving?
Wen: Benefits have been observed across age groups, but some populations appear to gain particular advantages. Older adults who volunteer often show better physical functioning and lower mortality risk. People who feel socially isolated may also have significant benefit because giving strengthens social ties and provides a sense of purpose.
There is also growing evidence that adolescents and young adults benefit from prosocial behavior, with improved mental well-being. Researchers are studying whether structured kindness or volunteering programs can support health across the lifespan.
CNN: How should people think about gift-giving during the holidays?
Wen: The holidays can be a good time to rethink what giving means. Instead of focusing on cost or quantity, people might consider gifts that foster connection or shared experience. Time, attention and thoughtfulness matter more than price.
It’s also important to set boundaries. Giving should not come with guilt or pressure. Choosing to give in ways that feel meaningful and opting out of expectations that cause stress is consistent with what the science suggests about healthy generosity.
CNN: What’s the takeaway this holiday season?
Wen: Giving can be good for health, but only when it is done thoughtfully and within one’s means. Science supports the idea that generosity can reduce stress, strengthen social bonds and improve both mental and physical well-being. The holidays offer an opportunity to practice generosity in ways that are healthy, sustainable, meaningful and connected to what matters most.
Altadena will welcome visitors back to beloved Christmas Tree Lane, which will mark its 105th lighting ceremony after the beloved stretch survived the January wildfires
Christmas Tree Lane – the oldest lighting spectacle in the United States, with nearly a mile stretch of twinkling cedars – will welcome visitors back to celebrate the resurrection and hope in Altadena, nearly a year after the deadly Eaton fire tore through the historic community.
On Saturday, Dec. 6, Santa Rosa Avenue will once again welcome visitors to glimpse Altadena’s famous holiday lights, a way to celebrate resiliency in the face of such unimaginable loss. As many as 6,000 homes were lost, and 19 Altadena residents perished in the wind-fueled January wildfire. But the volunteers with Christmas Tree Lane Association have vowed to make the century-old extravaganza a must-see event with more than 10,000 lights lighting the path to recovery.
“It’s about healing,” Jules McCulskey, 53, said of bringing the tradition back to the community. “We will rebuild. We will celebrate life. We will keep our neighborhood traditions alive.”
For the 105th year, Altadena’s Christmas Tree Lane will come alive for a winter festival of lights and hope on Saturday Dec. 6 Credit: Michele McPhee
This year there will be a special ceremony memorializing what was lost in the Eaton Fire. But there will also be carolers, hot chocolate and a special visit from Santa Claus. Volunteers are still needed.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
When I started out, the goal was pretty straightforward: Make lots of money. Like most new entrepreneurs, I figured once I’d “made it,” then I’d give back. That part would come later. Success first, impact second.
Looking back, I now realize that mentality was a massive mistake. In fact, I believe it was one of the fundamental reasons it took me years to find any success. I now realize that pushing purpose to the back burner might be the thing that stalls your growth even more than poor marketing.
Everything turned around for me when I stopped “chasing paper” and started asking how I could help. When that shift happened, my business started to thrive in ways I never expected. And the money? It followed, as a side effect. It’s a fact that we all know deep down, but too often forget.
We’re told that giving back is something you earn the right to do once your company is big, your team is built, and your bank account looks a certain way. But the reality is that purpose isn’t a luxury; it’s a growth strategy. This attitude of abundance needs to be something that you embody both internally and externally as well.
The first focus needs to be on how you approach your day-to-day operations. At BotBuilders, our work centers around AI and automation. But that’s not really what drives us. The deeper mission is helping small business owners believe in what they’re building and giving them tools to actually pull it off.
The more we’ve invested in our clients’ success, the more we’ve seen our own business expand. Not just in revenue, but in reach, loyalty and community. Real relationships have carried us further than any marketing tactic ever could. It’s not something you can track or budget for, but we’ve all experienced how one relationship can lead to exponential growth, on many levels.
The second way to have an impact is how your company shows outside of your core competency. Namely, in your community. How often do you and your team get out and serve those who need it most? Money is great, but there is no comparison to the difference that a smile can make.
One of the biggest culture-shaping moments we’ve ever had started in the most unexpected place: a bowling alley in Arizona. Working with Special Olympics Arizona, we put together the Bowl-A-Thon Bash. The annual event pairs athletes with local business owners for high-fives, gutter balls, and a whole lot of laughter.
At first, it felt like a one-off community event. But after that night, something shifted. It became tradition. And every year we go back it resets something in us. We leave lighter, clearer, and more in tune with what really matters. That one night has done more to anchor our company values than any vision statement ever could.
Don’t get me wrong, money is important. I’m not dismissing that. But if we’re talking about real impact? Giving your time and actually showing up, things just hit different. Over the years, our team has done all kinds of small things that ended up being huge. We’ve served meals at shelters. We’ve planted trees. We’ve hosted holiday parties in retirement homes just to bring some joy to folks who don’t get many visitors.
None of that was fancy. None of it was scalable or “optimized.” But the growth those moments sparked? You could feel it. In how we communicated, how we worked together and how we showed up on Monday mornings. When we work together to do good for others, we are connected on a level much deeper than winning awards or even with traditional team-building activities.
So if you’re leading a team, never forget the fact that your values are contagious. Culture doesn’t come from the posters on your wall or the perks in your handbook. It’s built in the quiet choices. It shows up in how you respond when no one’s watching. It’s shaped by what you say “yes” to, and what you’re willing to let slide. As my angel-of-a-mother always says, “never miss a chance to help someone out.”
When you lead with meaning, people notice. They step up. And the ripple effects extend way beyond your team. So don’t wait for the perfect opportunity. You don’t need a giant audience, a massive checkbook or a five-year plan to make an impact. You just need to care enough to begin. You’ll be amazed by what comes of it on every level of your organization.
Pick something simple. Volunteer for a day, and invite your team into the process. Whatever you do, it doesn’t have to be perfect; it just has to be real. Because when your business stands for something more, people stand with you. And that is when things really start to grow.
When I started out, the goal was pretty straightforward: Make lots of money. Like most new entrepreneurs, I figured once I’d “made it,” then I’d give back. That part would come later. Success first, impact second.
Looking back, I now realize that mentality was a massive mistake. In fact, I believe it was one of the fundamental reasons it took me years to find any success. I now realize that pushing purpose to the back burner might be the thing that stalls your growth even more than poor marketing.
Everything turned around for me when I stopped “chasing paper” and started asking how I could help. When that shift happened, my business started to thrive in ways I never expected. And the money? It followed, as a side effect. It’s a fact that we all know deep down, but too often forget.
In elementary school, a group of friends in Montgomery County, Maryland, decided they wanted to volunteer to help kids with childhood cancer. Now, they’re seniors in high school and they’ve recruited a large group across many local schools.
A group of friends from Montgomery County volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House in Baltimore with their families.
(Courtesy Grace Xiao)
Courtesy Grace Xiao
The group puts on performances for the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House.
(Courtesy Grace Xiao)
Courtesy Grace Xiao
A group of friends from Montgomery County volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House in Baltimore with their families.
(Courtesy Grace Xiao)
Courtesy Grace Xiao
In elementary school, a group of friends in Montgomery County, Maryland, decided they wanted to volunteer to help kids with childhood cancer.
Now, they’re seniors in high school and they’ve recruited a large group across many schools.
“I just think that like volunteering gives so much growth,” said 17-year-old Grace Xiao, a senior at Holton-Arms School in Bethesda.
Xiao said it started years ago, when the group was in fifth grade; the kids got together to help with a gift drive for the Super Joey Foundation. The foundation provides free gifts for children to pass the time in the hospital.
“We actually ended up getting a ton of donations,” Xiao said. “They put these cardboard boxes at the library, and they actually ended up being kind of like overflowing by the end of the week.”
Then they asked what they could do next.
“We were like, ‘What can we do to help besides just this gift drive that we’ve just done?’ And they were like, ‘Well, you can come and serve dinner,’” Xiao said.
So they gave it a try and got hooked.
“It was us, and maybe two of our parents in the kitchen, kind of like making some food we had, I think, pasta and like pizza, just like all the main courses, and we ended up serving it,” Xiao said. “We found it was honestly incredible to see all of those people, face to face, and they were all so, so positive.”
She said the beginning group of friends that have been volunteering since fifth grade includes Ethan Liu, 17, a senior at Montgomery Blair High School, and Kelly Wang, 17, a rising senior at Winston Churchill High School.
Now, the group of friends has grown to more than 60 student volunteers across 14 Montgomery County schools. They volunteer monthly at Ronald McDonald House of Maryland in Baltimore by making and delivering meals to the families staying there.
They now make it an event and go monthly, and there’s even a wait list. They also use their talents and sing and perform for the people there to give them a break in their day.
“It’s crazy to me that I have so many volunteers working toward the same cause, but I’m really proud of how we’ve grown, and I think that the Ronald McDonald, it’s just like a very unique event in the way it draws people in,” she said.
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Amid ongoing gang violence in Haiti, Debbie Harvey of the Holistic Haitian Alliance is urging Americans to provide humanitarian support at the grassroots level.
A woman squeezes through a human chain of volunteers as she is given the go ahead to pass through for a plate of free food, at a shelter for families displaced by gang violence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, March 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)(AP/Odelyn Joseph)
A woman squeezes through a human chain of volunteers as she is given the go ahead to pass through for a plate of free food, at a shelter for families displaced by gang violence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, March 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)(AP/Odelyn Joseph)
Amid ongoing gang violence in Haiti, a local volunteer group is urging Americans to provide humanitarian support on the grassroots level.
Debbie Harvey is the founder and executive director of the Holistic Haitian Alliance, a nonprofit group established in 2008. She was just in Haiti last month to check on her organization’s facilities, which include an orphanage, various schools and a church.
Harvey said she typically visits Haiti every month for check-ins like this. But this time, she went home to northern Virginia just before a new round of gang attacks on the nation’s capital city, Port-au-Prince.
But this month, she said, tensions have reached new heights: Prime Minister Ariel Henry traveled to Kenya and when he tried to return to Haiti, “the gangs, the Haitian people were so fed up with him and the country’s deterioration that they shot up the airports.”
As violence rages, Harvey encourages Americans to make donations — but to be thoughtful about how they do it.
First of all, she said, “don’t give to the big guys.”
“Find grassroots organizations where the founders, the executive directors … are on the ground. They know what’s going on. They’re not just sending money over and hoping it gets taken care of,” she said.
Groups across the U.S. raised billions of dollars in aid following the Haitian earthquake of 2010, but Haiti only saw a fraction of those funds, according to Harvey.
“Most of that money stayed in the hands of U.S. companies that said they were going to funnel it through to Haiti. It never happened,” she said. “Everyone questions, ‘Where did all that earthquake money go?’”
In terms of what items Americans should be giving, Harvey said monetary donations are key. In fact, she said sending items like clothing and other physical goods can be harmful to local communities.
“I used to take huge, 50-pound bags of shoes and T-shirts and backpacks and all of this stuff,” Harvey said.
“When we do that, we put the local moms who are trying to sell these things in the market out of business because we’re giving it away for free, so then their kids don’t eat and their kids don’t get to go to school. There’s no free school in Haiti — public school costs money,” she added.
Harvey also wants Americans to know the spirit of the Haitian people.
“The Haitian people are the most beautiful, hardworking, resourceful, resilient, God-fearing people that I’ve ever met — and I’ve been in a lot of places,” she said. “Sometimes our media does not portray them like that, and people need to understand and appreciate that they are just trying to survive day-to-day.”
WTOP’s Cheyenne Corin contributed to this report.
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After Black Friday’s record-breaker for online sales, there’s hope that the holiday haul for nonprofits will also be generous on Giving Tuesday, and throughout the year-end charitable giving season.
That would be a welcome development for charities that have been burned by inflation and experienced an overall drop in donations last year, experts say.
When it comes to managing your taxes, where you fall in one of the seven progressive tax brackets is the key to understanding how much you’re going to end up paying when you file your return.
You can pay no attention to this at all, and just let your tax preparer or software figure out the math for you. Or you can delve into the details and potentially reduce the amount you owe.
A progressive tax system means you don’t pay the top rate on your whole income. Instead, you pay the rates for each band in a row as you go up the income ladder. If your taxable income as a single filer is $11,600 in 2024, you’ll pay 10% on the entire amount. Anything above that, and you pay the 10% tax on that first chunk, and then add each additional band on top of it.
Next year, for instance, if you have taxable income of more than $609,350, that puts you in the 37% bracket. You’ll pay $183,647.25 — the stacked combination of the 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32% and 35% brackets — plus 37% of the excess over $609,350.
To figure out where you fall on the spectrum, you just need to estimate your 2024 taxable income or extrapolate from your previous tax returns. You can see the full tax-bracket charts here.
This may seem like just a curiosity for those with straightforward income, but you’ll need to pay close attention if you’re planning any atypical financial moves, such as a retirement, a conversion from a 401(k) to a Roth IRA or the sale of a business or significant piece of property.
“Everyone seems to care about tax brackets,” says Sri Reddy, the senior vice president of retirement and income solutions at Principal Financial Group. “But I wouldn’t tell you to worry about it. You should make as much money as you want, because you get to keep some portion of it. I’d just rather have you have an awareness of what it might mean to you.”
Here’s where tax-bracket management matters most:
Retirement savings
You can know your tax bracket now, but you don’t know what it will be in the future. Your retirement savings are stuck in the middle.
Should you pay tax on your retirement savings now and save in a Roth IRA or Roth 401(k), so the growth is tax-free after you’re 59½? Or should you save in tax-deferred accounts and pay tax down the road when you spend the money — or are forced to withdraw it yearly for required minimum distributions? And if you do this, at some point do you want to convert some of those funds to Roth, pay the tax and then let the funds grow tax-free into the future?
“If you’re in a high tax bracket now, doing a Roth contribution to your 401(k) makes no fiscal sense,” says Chris Chen, a Boston-based certified financial planner who runs Insight Financial Strategists.
Chen recently advised a couple in their 50s who wanted to shift all of their 401(k) contributions from tax-deferred accounts to Roth to save the hassle of converting the funds later. The challenge is they are currently in the 35% tax bracket, and must also pay Massachusetts’ 5% state income tax. They plan to retire early, at which point they’ll probably drop to the 12% bracket.
“So putting money in Roth now does not make sense from a tax standpoint,” says Chen. “They got persuaded to continue putting money into a traditional 401(k), and they deferred the Roth idea to later.”
Roth conversions
When you do come to the Roth conversion stage, you’ll need to look even closer at your tax bracket so that you can see how much income you can add without pushing into the next level. It’s a particularly steep increase from the 12% bracket to the 22% bracket, and then from the 24% bracket to the 32% bracket.
“You have to see at what point is it too painful to pay the tax,” says Ryan Losi, a CPA and executive vice president at PIASCIK, based in Glen Allen, Va. “We don’t want to go up to 32% or 35%, because that’s too big a payment.”
For example, if your taxable income for 2024 is going to be $80,000 as a married couple, you’d be in the 12% bracket. If you plan to convert $20,000 from your 401(k) or IRA to Roth, that pushes you over the $94,300 limit, and $5,700 would be taxable at 22%, to the tune of $1,254. So perhaps you’d want to only convert $14,000 instead, and by controlling the size of the conversion, you can minimize your tax liability.
You can do some of this tax-bracket management on the income side as well, Reddy says. You can employ a bunching strategy, meaning you make all your stock sales that would cause capital gains in one year and avoid transactions the following year. Or you might be due a lump-sum payment for disability or severance or from an annuity, and you can spread it out instead. “This is where awareness is important,” says Reddy.
Charitable giving
Bunching strategies also are helpful with charitable giving. Losi’s high-income clients are big users of donor-advised funds, which are charitable accounts that allow donors to take a deduction the year they deposit the funds and then distribute them later. “Clients will call and ask me, ‘What do I need to contribute this year to get me out of the 37% bracket?’” Losi says.
This works with the lower brackets, too, not just among the rich. If you’re in a high-tax state or paying a mortgage, it might benefit you to see where you are in your tax bracket. If you make a charitable donation of even a few hundred dollars, it could make sense for you to itemize instead of taking the standard deduction, and that extra amount could push you into a lower bracket.
Business owners and QBI
Business owners and sole practitioners are the ones who pay the most attention to their tax brackets, Losi says, especially because of the qualified business income deduction that can reduce taxes on business income by up to 20%. The rules are complicated, and it takes a lot to manage not only where you fall in the brackets, but also the phase-outs for specific trades.
For these taxpayers, it may make sense to try to get paid less by clients in a certain calendar year, and pay themselves more.
“You can invoice, but tell clients to hold off on payment,” Losi says. “You can accelerate deductions. You can deduct 100% of capital spent for automobiles, desks, chairs — everything [a business] needs to run.”
Losi also encourages business owners to pay themselves a healthy salary, which can reduce business income, and then set up solo qualified plans and cash-balance pension plans to put that money away pretax. “Heck yeah, cash-balance pension plans,” Losi says. “I’m the trustee of ours.”
A nascent category of mental health treatments is getting a major cash infusion.
Blake Mycoskie, founder of the canvas-footwear phenomenon TOMS Shoes, has committed to giving $100 million to support psychedelic research and access, Mycoskie told MarketWatch in an exclusive interview. The money will help fund academic institutions investigating psychedelics’ potential to treat anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental-health issues, as well as nonprofits helping to connect patients in need with psychedelic treatments.
Traditional psychedelics include hallucinogens like LSD and psilocybin, or “magic” mushrooms–recently legalized in Oregon and Colorado. Other drugs that can alter mood and perception–such as ketamine and MDMA, also known as ecstasy–aren’t classical psychedelics but are broadly included in the research and policy discussions generating a surge of interest in this class of treatments. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, for example, has granted psilocybin and MDMA “breakthrough therapy” status, a designation designed to expedite development and review of drugs for serious conditions, and could approve MDMA for treatment of PTSD as soon as next year.
Given the rapid developments in the field, ”we really need to get this right, and we really need to have these foundations and nonprofits funded properly,” therapists trained, and clinics open and running smoothly, Mycoskie said. “I felt a real sense of urgency,” he said, and asked his wealth manager, “what’s the most that I can give?”
The $100 million answer to that question amounts to about a quarter of Mycoskie’s net worth and marks a major milestone in psychedelics’ delicate image transformation. Shedding some of their dangerous-party-drug reputation, psychedelics are gaining attention from top pharmacologists, the scientific community, biotech companies and investors who see them as a critical part of the solution to America’s mental health crisis.
Cracked open
Mycoskie, 46, said his interest in psychedelics dates back to 2017, when a friend returning from a trip to Central America described his incredible experience with ayahuasca, a plant-based psychedelic brewed into a tea. As an entrepreneur under intense pressure to perform, Mycoskie said, he decided to try it for himself. The experience “cracked me open, and it connected me more to my faith in God, made me feel that we were all connected and everything was fine and perfect,” he said. “I came back just feeling like, wow, that was more powerful than any therapy I’d ever done.” He later tried MDMA-assisted therapy, he said, which also helped him process issues that traditional talk therapy had left unresolved.
Realizing how many people could benefit from similar treatments, Mycoskie started giving money to academic groups and the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, or MAPS, a nonprofit organization. He also got involved in last year’s Colorado ballot initiative, which legalized psilocybin and several other psychedelic substances, including ibogaine, which has shown potential to treat substance-use disorders. Mycoskie has already given about $10 million to psychedelic research and access, he said, and plans to give about $5 million annually for 18 more years.
Mycoskie was a bit squeamish at first, he acknowledges, about publicly backing research on drugs that are largely illegal. “Am I going to get held up at TSA every time I go through the airport?” he remembers thinking. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration categorizes LSD and MDMA alongside heroin as “schedule one” drugs, defined as “drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” But with growing public awareness and acceptance of the drugs’ potential as mental-health treatments, he said, he felt emboldened to make a big public commitment, and “the research has caught up,” he said. “It’s important that people like myself put their name out there and their money out there to show that this really is a path forward,” he said.
Mycoskie’s $100 million commitment “is the biggest that we’ve ever seen in the psychedelics space,” said Joe Green, president of the Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative, a nonprofit supporting philanthropy in the field, and a MAPS board member. Now that research has made great strides to support use of the medicines as mental-health treatments, that money can help ensure that “these actually come to the world in a safe and beneficial way,” Green said. With certain treatments legalized in Oregon and Colorado, for example, “the system requires licensed guides, facilitators, licensed service centers,” he said. “It’s not like cannabis medical–you won’t be able to take the mushrooms outside the service center.”
Psychedelic therapeutics market could be worth more than $8.3 billion by 2028
Mycoskie plans to publicize his pledge at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies’ psychedelic science conference–billed as “the largest psychedelic conference in history”–this week in Denver. On the agenda: Sessions ranging from state policy and regulatory considerations to clinical trials of psilocybin- and MDMA-assisted therapy and “sex and psychedelics: weaving altered states for healing and pleasure.”
The news comes as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are pushing for new funding for research into the use of psychedelics to treat PTSD in military service members as part of the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, which the House Armed Services Committee will consider Wednesday.
Already, public companies like Atai Life Sciences ATAI, -6.91%,
Compass Pathways CMPS, -3.37%
and Cybin CYBN, +6.81%
are developing therapies based on psychedelic substances. The psychedelic therapeutics market could be worth more than $8.3 billion by 2028, according to InsightAce Analytic. Even the federal government is throwing money at this niche, funding efforts to develop psychedelic mental-health treatments without the hallucinogenic side effects.
More than one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, and less than half of the roughly 58 million adults with any mental illness are receiving treatment. Suicide rates, which have been on a long upward trajectory, declined briefly between 2018 and 2020 before returning to peak levels in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nine out of 10 U.S. adults believe the country is suffering a mental health crisis, according to a survey last year by CNN and KFF, a health policy nonprofit. And commonly prescribed antidepressants, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) don’t work well for many patients.
Nushama, a New York City wellness center offering ketamine-based therapy.
Courtesy of Nushama and Costas Picadas
Mental illness “is truly an epidemic, and we are losing the fight,” said Dylan Beynon, CEO and founder of Mindbloom, which offers a telehealth ketamine treatment program. While there are some existing solutions that are helping to bend the curve, he said, more research and educational support for providers and patients is needed, he said.
Indeed, some substantial hurdles still separate psychedelic mental-health treatments from many of the patients they might benefit, including a lack of insurance coverage for the currently legal treatments and debate over how to administer them safely. In the case of ketamine, for example, which is FDA-approved as an anesthetic and used off-label as a mental-health treatment, some providers favor in-person guided sessions while others, like Beynon, advocate for telehealth prescribing–a model that boomed during the pandemic.
Some experts have lately warned that the practice of psychedelic medicine may be getting ahead of the science. Given the growing public and commercial interest, “there is the risk that use of psychedelics for purported clinical goals may outpace evidence-based research and regulatory approval,” the American Psychiatric Association said last year in a position statement on psychedelic and “empathogenic” agents–a category that includes MDMA.
Mycoskie has also made some investments in the psychedelics space, although he said profits aren’t his motivation. He has invested in Mind Medicine Inc. MNMD, -0.50%,
which says it is developing “psychedelic inspired medicines” that aim to treat the underlying causes of distress in the brain. And Mycoskie helped fund a public benefit corporation linked with MAPS, which is taking MDMA through the FDA approval process–an investment that will pay dividends when the treatment is commercialized, he said.
Providers currently offering ketamine treatments say they’re eager to expand into MDMA and other therapies in the category as soon as they’re legal. Mindbloom, for example, currently offers a ketamine treatment program that’s available through telehealth in several dozen states and aims to start offering MDMA-assisted therapy late next year after FDA approval is finalized, Beynon said. Psilocybin-assisted therapy could come a couple of years after that, he said.
Nushama, a New York City psychedelic wellness center that offers ketamine-based therapy, delivered through in-person IV infusions, also hopes to expand into MDMA when it’s approved, said co-founder Jay Godfrey.
Treatment without the trip
Still on the horizon: New treatments that could produce psychedelic medicines’ mental-health benefits without the trip. University of North Carolina School of Medicine pharmacology professor Dr. Bryan Roth is leading an effort to create new medications for depression, anxiety and substance abuse that work similarly to psychedelics but without the hallucinogenic, disorienting side effects. His effort is backed by a $27-million grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Such treatments, Roth said, could help the many patients for whom such psychedelic effects are unappealing or ill-advised–such as military service members. “You would never want to give psilocybin or ketamine to somebody who has a gun,” Roth said.
Having worked with Vietnam veterans suffering from PTSD while training as a psychiatrist earlier in his career, Roth said, he’s keenly aware of the need for safe and effective treatments. “There was nothing we could give them for their symptoms,” he said. “The most we could do was give them medications to stop their ability to have dreams, so they wouldn’t have nightmares. That was basically it.”
“Undoing 52 years of propaganda is a heavy lift,” said Nushama co-founder Jay Godfrey.
Costas Picadas
Roth’s team has already developed compounds that have shown antidepressant effects without psychedelic side effects in mice, he said. The team is now working to find a clinical candidate suitable for testing in humans, he said.
Treatments that can help “break bad emotional or psychological patterns without scary, high-friction psychedelic experiences would be a great thing for patients, providers and the healthcare system,” said Mindbloom’s Beynon.
Much more remains to be done to reduce the stigma associated with psychedelics, experts say. It has been 52 years since President Richard Nixon declared drug abuse “public enemy number one,” and billions of dollars have been spent since then telling people that “these medicines are dangerous, that they’re addictive, and that they’ll fry your brains,” Godfrey said. “Undoing 52 years of propaganda is a heavy lift, but one thing I’m optimistic about is that the outcomes are starting to speak for themselves.”
About two-thirds (65%) of the country’s firefighters are volunteers, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). However, in recent years, the number of young volunteers has been decreasing, and with current volunteers aging, it could have severe implications on civilian safety — especially in rural areas where the local department may be the only access to medical attention for miles.
In 2020, the number of volunteers reached a new 35-year-low, meanwhile, call volume more than tripled in the same time frame.
With fewer volunteers, individuals in crisis may end up “waiting 45 minutes for a fire truck to show up when their house is on fire,” said Steve Hirsch, head of the National Volunteer Fire Council, per NPR.
“People have to understand that if they don’t go out and volunteer, that could happen,” he added.
There’s also the growing issue of current volunteers aging out faster than youth coming on board. In 2020, 34% of volunteers in small communities were over 50, according to the NFPA, outnumbering those under 30 (22%). In 1987, just 15.9% of volunteers in small communities were over 50, while those under 30 were 29.7%.
“In our line of work, cardiac events are always a major issue, and the older you get, the more likely you’re going to have a cardiac event,” Hirsch told NPR. “That affects the crew’s safety, affects the public’s safety, and our ability to respond.”
The NFPA points to a number of factors contributing to the overall decline in volunteers such as time commitments, inability to afford housing near a local department, and “less of an emphasis on the social aspect of volunteering.”
Also, volunteers aren’t typically paid, however, some fire departments may reimburse for expenses related to the role, pay them a nominal fee, or offer benefits. The time commitments and training also vary by state and location, but it can be anywhere from a few hours a month to weekly meetings, in addition to being on-call in case of an emergency.
“In today’s society, people simply don’t have a lot of disposable time,” said Bob Duval, a regional director at NFPA who heads a volunteer department in a small town in Connecticut, in a company report. “So it’s become hard to get and keep people when you’re honest with them when you say if you want to fight fires, you’re going to have to do this training and it may take six months or a year.”
However, there still are some youngsters stepping up to the plate.
Ben Shrader, 20, told NPR he decided to volunteer at his local fire department in Darlington, Maryland after his father fell into cardiac arrest and was unable to be revived by the time officials arrived on the scene.
“When it was his time it was his time,” Shrader told the outlet. “I spent a little while not knowing really what to do, until one day I said ‘screw it, I want to do something with my life.’”
For others, like 18-year-old Sam Santelli (who also volunteers at the Darlington department), the structure keeps him “out of trouble.”
“Being here keeps you straight and in line,” he told NPR.
Former President Donald Trump said Thursday he’s been indicted in the federal investigation into classified documents in his possession, and has been summoned to appear in federal court in Miami on Tuesday.
In a pair of posts late Thursday on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he was informed of the indictment by his attorneys. Shortly after, Trump sent a fundraising email to supporters, calling the investigation “witch hunt.”
There was no immediate confirmation from the U.S. Justice Department. The New York Times and Washington Post, among other media outlets, confirmed the indictment, citing unnamed sources.
In a four-minute video posted on Truth Social on Thursday night, Trump claimed “the whole thing is a hoax” and said “I’m an innocent man.” Later, during an interview on Fox News, Trump said he plans on pleading not guilty, “of course.”
The indictment is reportedly under seal and the exact charges are not yet clear. But Trump attorney James Trusty, appearing Thursday night on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360,” said Trump faces at least seven charges, including an Espionage Act charge — which he called “ludicrous”” — willful retention of documents, “several obstruction-based-type charges” and making false statements.
Reports this week had indicated an indictment was looming. On Wednesday, it was revealed that Trump was being investigated by a federal grand jury in Florida, in addition to one in Washington. That likely indicated Florida was a more appropriate venue for the charges, experts told the Associated Press.
Several media outlets had also reported Trump’s attorneys had been issued a target letter, which often precedes an indictment.
The investigation has centered around classified documents that were wrongly in Trump’s possession after he left office. After returning some documents to the National Archives, the FBI raided Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida last year and recovered more than 100 additional documents that had been marked classified.
Special counsel Jack Smith has been leading the documents investigation, as well as a separate investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
In April, Trump — who was the first president to be impeached twice — became the first former president to be indicted, and pleaded not guilty in Manhattan court to 34 felony charges of falsifying records to cover up hush-money payments. He would also be the first former president to face federal charges.
Being indicted would not disqualify Trump, who has already entered the 2024 presidential race, from running for office. “Probably it will enhance my numbers,” Trump said of an indictment earlier this year.
NEW YORK (AP) — Prince Harry and his wife Meghan were involved in a car chase while being followed by photographers following a charity event in New York, the couple’s office said Wednesday.
The pair, together with Meghan’s mother, were followed for more than two hours by a half-dozen vehicles with blacked out windows after leaving the event.
Their office said in a statement that the chase “resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers.” It called the incident “near catastrophic.”
“While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety,” the statement from the couple said.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Small business owners and entrepreneurs often have a long list of things to get accomplished, and while there are seemingly not enough hours in a day, making time for community involvement should be a priority.
The power to make a positive impact through community involvement translates to benefits for the business, customers, employees and the community.
Here are some of the impactful benefits which accrue from business community involvement.
1. Creates a positive workplace culture
Ingraining community involvement in company culture creates a happier workplace. Prioritizing volunteerism and social responsibility has a positive impact on employees, improving their morale and increasing job satisfaction. According to research by Boston College, “employees with favorable perceptions of their organization’s corporate citizenship tend to experience higher levels of self-efficacy, hope and optimism about work.”
Community involvement also improves company culture by helping to build strong teams. A study on volunteerism found that 92% of employees believe volunteer activities through work develop their people and teamwork skills, and 77% believe they strengthen relationships.
In short, giving back to the community increases engagement in an organization, which creates a positive workplace culture.
Authentically and consistently showing care for and involvement in the community builds the trust necessary for creating a loyal customer base.
Customers trust businesses that care about the community they serve.
When consumers believe that a business is truly invested in the community, they become more connected to that company. The positive perception fostered by giving back to the community increases customer trust, making it easy for consumers to support a business that is involved in the community over one that is not.
3. Attracts and retains talent
Employees today want to work for a company that gives back to the community. In fact, one survey points to community involvement as a powerful recruiting tool. More than 80% of company respondents in the survey reported that community involvement helps improve the ability to recruit employees and reduce turnover.
There is no question that community involvement helps companies attract and retain millennial and Gen Z employees who now make up nearly half (46%) of the full-time workforce in the U.S. These generational cohorts want the companies they work for to lead the way in giving back to the community.
Thriving communities are hubs for thriving businesses. Giving back to the community helps develop the community which is great for those living there and equally great for businesses located there.
It creates a kind of symbiotic relationship that is beneficial to everyone. By investing time and money in the community, businesses can help address community problems and needs and spur economic growth.
5. It’s easy to give back
There are many ways for business owners and entrepreneurs to give back to their communities. It’s easy to become involved in the community by volunteering and encouraging employees to volunteer themselves, sponsoring a sports team, organizing food drives, funding a scholarship and partnering with a nonprofit organization.
A great way to identify community involvement projects is to ask employees and customers about community needs and how the company can be most impactful in providing time, resources or money (or all of the above) to help.
Entrepreneurs recognize that giving back to the community is good business.
A survey examining the philosophies, attitudes and activities of entrepreneurs related to their communities found that 91%of entrepreneurs are currently engaging their communities outside of their business responsibilities, and 44% say their businesses have grown as a result of engaging their communities. The majority of entrepreneurs surveyed stated that their motivations to engage the community centered around personal values and passion.
The bottom line is that community involvement is the right thing to do. Business owners and entrepreneurs should lead by example, demonstrating a passion and commitment to the well-being of the communities they serve. Amazing benefits will accrue from there.
When Sandy Cassanelli of Glastonbury, CT, was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer 8 years ago, her first phone call was to the one person she knew would understand: a close friend who also had metastatic breast cancer.
“She answered all of my questions and gave me hope,” says Cassanelli, who’s now 47. “She was the only woman I knew who had metastatic disease. If I hadn’t reached out to her right away, I would have gone onto the internet and read all sorts of statistics predicting I wouldn’t make it through the next 5 years. But she told me right away not to do that. She said, ‘don’t view it as a death sentence.’”
Cassanelli is busy today raising her two daughters and running the Breast Friends Fund, a nonprofit charity where 100% of funds raised go directly to metastatic breast cancer research. One reason why she thinks she’s survived — and thrived — is all the social support she’s had over the years.
“I’ve made so many connections over the years with truly amazing women,” she says. “While sadly, I think I’ve lost more friends than I’ve made, their journeys have also given me strength to carry on.”
Overall research suggests that those with more social support may have better quality of life after breast cancer treatment. But it’s less clear how social support affects survival. One study looked at more than 2,800 women diagnosed with breast cancer. Those who reported that they felt socially isolated were twice as likely to die from the disease as those with stronger social networks. One reason is because they may not have had the benefit of caregiving from friends, relatives, and even children. But experts also say that connecting with others is an important form of self-care.
“A diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer is forever: there’s no magic cure and it means a lifetime of scans every 3 to 6 months,” says Jean Sachs, chief executive officer of the nonprofit organization Living Beyond Breast Cancer. “Many women resist a community at the beginning because they are so focused on treatment. But they need the social support of others, particularly other women who have gone through similar experiences, so that they can become their own effective health advocates.”
Connecting With People Who Get It
Your health care team will offer medical advice, and your family and friends will offer caretaking and emotional support. But people with metastatic breast cancer say that connecting with women who have had a shared experience is key.
“There is no better support than the support of someone living with the same life-threatening illness that you live with,” says Tami Bowling, 49, a metastatic breast cancer survivor who lives in Scotch Plains, NJ. “They understand the severity of the diagnosis. They get the heartache you feel about mourning the life that you thought you would have, but they also share the same desire to make the most of every day. There’s a special connection there that you won’t find with anyone else.”
Natalie Hyman, 46, a metastatic breast cancer survivor who lives in Kailua, HI, agrees. “When you are given a terminal diagnosis, it brings up a lot of emotions that you may not be comfortable sharing with close family and friends,” she explains. “It feels liberating to speak to other women who understand. It’s also very helpful to share our stories about the different treatments we’ve tried, and our experiences with physicians. Knowledge is power. The more we share with each other, the more we feel the confidence to advocate for ourselves.”
Getting this social support early — within days or even hours of a diagnosis — is critical, says Abbey Kaler, a nurse navigator at the Advanced Breast Cancer Clinic at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. “It’s life changing to know you have metastatic breast cancer, so (people) need to be able to understand what that means, not just for themselves, but for their immediate family,” she says. “The presence of social support is pivotal in terms of being able to process this diagnosis.”
It may also help you make life-lasting memories. Soon after her diagnosis, Cassanelli remembers participating in a fashion show with others to raise money for breast cancer research.
“The first time I met (them) was the day before the fashion show. We spent the next 48 hours together, and really bonded. It felt so empowering walking down the runway with other women who were also fighting the same disease. There were ten of us originally, and now we are down to three. But we all keep in touch,” says Cassanelli.
How to Find Your Breast Cancer Community
Ask around. Kaler says the first step is identifying a medical provider you feel comfortable talking to. “It can be anyone on your health care team: a doctor, a nurse, a social worker, or a nurse navigator,” she says. Then ask them for resources to help. The cancer center where you are being treated may have a formal support group for those with metastatic breast cancer, or they may be able to connect you with someone in the area.
You can also reach out to organizations such as the American Cancer Society, Living Beyond Breast Cancer, CancerCare, or METAvivor. Many of these groups also have social media pages on platforms such as Facebook or Instagram where you can connect with others. In October 2022, Bowling herself organized #LightUpMBC, a global campaign that benefits METAvivor to shine a light and raise funds for metastatic breast cancer research.
“It was so inspiring to connect with women around the world with the common goal to educate and raise funds for research,” she says. “There’s a fearlessness and a passion among all of us who live with metastatic breast cancer, and a recognition that we are all united in fighting for our lives.”
Attend breast cancer conferences. Most now offer online options where you can join virtually, listen to speakers, and connect with other metastatic breast cancer survivors. Hyman has found many members of her tribe this way.
“Living Beyond Breast Cancer has a wonderful online conference that I’ve attended the last couple of years,” she says. “I’ve not only met women from all over the country, but I’ve met women who live near me that I’d never have crossed paths with otherwise.” Last year, Hyman connected with another survivor who happens to live in her condo complex. “I introduced her to our local metastatic breast cancer support group that she hadn’t yet connected with,” she recalls.
Lean on family and friends as needed. Even though they may not be able to understand exactly what you’re going through, they are there to support you.
“My rock throughout this has been my younger sister, Alli, who has come with me to every single cancer scan over the years,” says Bowling. “Since we have to go into New York City, we make it as pleasant as we can: we have dinner the night before at a nice restaurant, stay the night at a friend’s apartment, and then the whole next day we’re at the hospital doing blood work and bone scans.”
Pay it forward. Sometimes, when you are grappling with metastatic breast cancer, it’s all you can do to take care of yourself. But during those times that you’re up for it, reach out to other people with metastatic breast cancer, too. “One of the most important things you can do to give back is simply to share your story with others,” says Bowling. “It’s cathartic for you, and it gives other women hope and also the realization that they’re not alone.”
The panel responsible for the nation’s first state-level exploration of reparations for Black Americans discussed an important question this weekend: How will the state pay for reparations?
The California reparations task force listened to testimony from experts who suggested possible sources for compensation, after previous meetings had touched on the potential for hundreds of thousands of dollars in monetary reparations for specific harms. The experts’ suggestions included taxing the rich, such as through a state estate tax or a “mansion tax”; incentivizing the wealthy to help fund reparations by providing tax breaks, akin to how charitable giving minimizes one’s tax burden; or helping all taxpayers with below-median wealth by means of a tax credit, which would in turn help Black households.
Suggestions from the expert testimony, given at the task force’s meeting at San Diego State University on Friday, could be incorporated into the body’s final recommendations to the state legislature, which are due this summer.
“This is incredibly insightful and provocative,” said Lisa Holder, a task force member. “It gives us lots to think about.”
The experts’ suggestions about possible sources of funding were based on their testimony that current U.S. tax laws favor the wealthy — who are most likely to be white.
“Our tax laws as written have a disparate impact,” said Dorothy Brown, a tax professor at Georgetown Law and author of the book, “The Whiteness of Wealth: How the Tax System Impoverishes Black Americans and How We Can Fix It.” She said “Black people are likely to pay higher taxes” because they are less likely to gain access to the same tax breaks as their white peers.
Brown said what would be ideal is a reparations tax credit designed to compensate Black taxpayers, but she thinks it would face legal challenges. So she said the next best thing would be “a wealth tax credit applicable to all taxpayers in households with below-median wealth.”
“Given the racial wealth disparity, this will result in a disproportionate percentage of Black households receiving the credit,” she testified
A pair of estate planners who testified introduced the idea of taxing “swollen” wealth to replace “stolen” wealth, and showed that the racial wealth gap widened after 1981 — when the biggest tax cut in American history was enacted. They cited Federal Reserve figures from 2019 that showed the average white household had $812,000 more wealth than the average Black household.
One of their suggestions for sources of money for reparations is a state estate tax. (Under federal law, the lifetime estate-tax exemption is $12.9 million for individuals this year.) Their other suggestions include: a mansion tax, a graduated-property tax — which they acknowledged may not be likely in California because Proposition 13 taxes properties based on their value when they were sold — or even a tax on the fledgling “metaverse.”
Sarah Moore Johnson, founding partner at Washington, D.C.-based Birchstone Moore, is one of the estate planners who testified. She proposed a state-sponsored reparations tax fund that could receive charitable contributions.
“Charitable contributions are currently permitted to the state or federal government, but only for public purposes,” she said. “If racial repair is recognized as a public purpose,” it could be tax-deductible in the same manner as charitable contributions, she said.
Acknowledging that the idea of reparations continues to be controversial, task force member state Sen. Steven Bradford asked the experts whether they think wealthy people, like their clients, would be opposed to such ideas.
“What I hear from my clients is a level of guilt about being able to give this much money to their heirs,” Moore Johnson said. “From where I sit and what I see, I see some support.”
Raymond Odom, an estate-tax lawyer and director of Wealth Transfer Services at Northern Trust in Chicago who co-presented with Moore Johnson, echoed that sentiment.
Odom said he has helped “wealth get concentrated” for decades, and how that happens is through very wealthy people setting up foundations and charities that allow them to avoid taxes. “It’s a joy being able to talk to people who could change that,” he said, adding that he has “talked to wealthy white folks who are behind this.”
“I can tell you unequivocally: Very wealthy people have lots of trouble figuring out what to do with their wealth,” Odom told the task force.
Addressing the possibility of relying on charitable sources, task force member Don Tamaki said, “I can’t argue with the fact that charity is not reparations. But in my humble opinion, we need to explore every avenue of funding.”
Wherever any possible compensation comes from, Brown, the tax professor and author, had two key suggestions for the task force. First, she said reparations should not be treated as taxable income, citing precedent such as tax-free treatment of Holocaust payments, and Japanese-Americans who received compensation because of their mass incarceration during World War II. And her second suggestion was that Black Americans should not have to pay for their own reparations, which she said “would be entirely inconsistent with the intent and spirit of the task force’s goals.”
The nine-member task force, established by a 2020 law and responsible for studying and developing reparations for Black Americans because of slavery, released a preliminary report last year. It is set to disband when it submits its final report and recommendations to the state legislature by its July 1 deadline, but on Saturday the task force voted to remain intact for another year — until July 1, 2024 — to help with the implementation of its proposals, despite questions from some of its members about whether it had the authority to decide to do so.
The task force also voted to change the dates of its next meeting, which was previously scheduled for the end of February. In what could be the final in-person meeting before the report is due will be held March 3 and 4 in Sacramento.
ORLANDO, Fla., January 24, 2023 (Newswire.com)
– U.S. Hunger (USH), a national nonprofit, is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2022 Hunger Hero Awards:
Grassroots Hero Award – Chick-fil-A, Tampa Bay
Service Hero Award – 9/11 Day
Culture Hero Award – Loews Hotels at Universal Orlando
Community Hero Award – College H.U.N.K.S Hauling Junk & Moving
Lifeline Hero Award – Citi
Health Hero Award – Ascension: Healthcare
Volunteer Hero Award – Atlanta Hawks & State Farm
Innovative Hero Award – JPMorgan Chase & Co.
The Hunger Hero Awards is an annual tradition that honors organizations working towards food security and other determinants of health. This award ceremony is the first since 2018, after a brief pandemic hiatus. The nonprofit will be honoring its 2022 recipients virtually this week.
“Whether hosting meal-packing events in their communities, sponsoring boxes of food for families in need, or investing in our data-analytics system, these organizations embody the core values of corporate social responsibility and community engagement. Each recipient has taken a bold stance against food and nutritional inequity and plays an active role in the betterment of their communities. We’re excited to bring back our Hunger Hero Awards and share all the good they’ve done,” said Rick Whitted, CEO of USH.
To stay informed about the 2023 Hunger Hero Awards, returning in person later this year, sign up for USH’s newsletter: https://ushunger.org/newsletter
U.S. Hunger has activated more than 850,000 volunteers to distribute over 150 million meals across the globe. USH addresses hunger by engaging volunteers, educating on the root causes of food insecurity, and creating access to nutritious meals for low-income families and individuals. The organization has distributed meals in 53 countries and every state of the U.S. (including Puerto Rico).
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It’s the most demanding time of the year. Entrepreneurs are easily overwhelmed during the holidays. Product-based businesses run sales and move more volume, but even companies that go quiet often spend this season working on big-picture strategies. Add to that: staffing shortages and personal obligations. Many entrepreneurs I work with have complicated family dynamics, magnified by the pressure of holiday travel and ambient festive stress.
You might be surprised at my advice to improve your mental health this season. Entrepreneurs, consider doing even more — but for others. Add “giving back” to your holiday checklist or New Year’s resolutions. Think of it as a gift to yourself.
Entrepreneurs are good at many things; we are not known for taking care of our mental health. And the odds are not in our favor.
As a demographic, entrepreneurs are prone to depression at much higher rates. Colder weather, shorter days and holiday hustle can exacerbate these issues. If you run an early-stage startup, you might wire in before sunrise and shut down after sunset.
Some of my clients became entrepreneurs to lean into work, avoid complicated personal situations or gain independence — even escape dysfunctional family patterns. It’s often easier to hold those boundaries without holiday-induced guilt. Now, your work commitments might be challenged by friends and family with the retort, “But it’s Christmas!” A craving for independence, on the flip side, can come with loneliness.
Researchers have found that acts of service can help alleviate stress. Giving is good for your physical and mental health, with studies suggesting “pro-social spending,” including donations to charity, is associated with a boost in happiness, whereas buying new stuff is not. More tangibly, giving is linked to lower blood pressure, reduced levels of depression and increased self-esteem. This “helper’s high” might be caused by feel-good brain chemicals released with good deeds, including serotonin and the relationship-fusing oxytocin. Humans are inherently social creatures, and volunteering fosters human connection. For this reason and others, group volunteer activities are also great for team-building.
How to find your cause (and get your business involved)
Besides making the world a better place and improving your health, there’s more return on your pro-social investment when your company gets involved. A staggering 82% of shoppers want brands to align with their values. Giving back might secure customers and boost loyalty among young workers seeking jobs with greater purpose.
For better brand integration, consider a cause that complements your core offering. A tech company might run a free coding workshop, for instance, or even a simple Facebook or smartphone tutorial at a seniors’ center. Be sure to take these outings on workdays (consider it a great alternative to icebreakers and the forced fun of team retreats).
Sometimes an act of service means aligning your unique specialty with your community, and sometimes it’s more loosely tied to your work. Many of my clients are solopreneurs who prefer to volunteer for more personal causes. One client, Chris, sits on the board of several non-profits to offer budgetary advice and help set strategic goals. His business expertise is helpful to small charities, which are often understaffed and under-resourced. While his company isn’t involved, he’s using his skills.
When I released my book on grieving and loss, I channeled my passion for circus arts into the launch event. I hosted a circus show in my hometown of Minneapolis to benefit the local chapter of NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, in honor of my late brother. Our community of artists offered free tickets to a local BIPOC circus organization, Vivid Black Paint, and the Minnesota chapter of Motherless Daughters, a support group for women and girls who have lost mothers.
For entrepreneurs, altruism means thinking critically about who should be in the room and who is often missing. We have the skills and resources to clear obstacles and open doors. For many, that takes the form of mentoring, teaching entrepreneurship workshops at community organizations or taking part in a high school’s pitch day. Or maybe you’d prefer to break from the business while you give back to a cause that fuels a personal passion for the arts or environmental preservation.
I can’t tell you what’s most meaningful to you, but I can suggest that you make it a habit. Consider making your seasonal giving more than an annual tradition or New Year’s resolution. You don’t have to become a whole new person in January, but you can make regular donations or volunteer your time every quarter. The return on your investment is happier holidays and a better mood all year round.
If you’ve ever served Thanksgiving dinner at a shelter, rung the bell for the Salvation Army, laced up your sneakers for a charity run/walk, or donated to a favorite nonprofit, you probably recall a moment of feeling like you’d done something good. Social scientists call that feeling of satisfaction the “helper’s high.”
It’s good for your body, toosays Stephen G. Post, PhD, author of The Hidden Gifts of Helping. “We have begun to discover that there is something going on, physiologically, in this process of helping others that makes people not only feel happier but also report greater health,” Post says.
As far back as 1988, an analysis of 1,700 female volunteers found that 68% said they felt a sense of calm after volunteering, akin to what they got from exercise. Decades later, studies used MRI image scans to track brain activity to explain why. In one small study of 19 people, merely cutting a check to charity lit up the brain’s mesolimbic reward system, sending feel-good chemicals in the body. When that generosity is practiced face-to-face, levels of oxytocin (the calming hormone released when a mother nurses her baby) and pain-killing endorphins also rise, Post says.
When we shift our minds away from our own troubles to focus on others’ needs, levels of stress hormones like cortisol fall. One study tracked 1,654 older adults over 4 years. During that time, those who volunteered at least 200 hours per year were 40% less likely to get high blood pressure than non-volunteers.
An evolutionary reason may partly explain why our reward centers light up when we help someone else. Working in a team, Post says, could have helped us survive as a species.
How to Choose a Volunteer Activity
You’d love to help out. But with so many great organizations and causes, how do you get started?
Look for opportunities that are meaningful for you and fit your interests and personality. Would you like to use your job skills? Would you prefer to do something active and outdoors, like cleaning up a park or helping build a trail, or a quieter indoor activity such as helping with a literacy organization? Would you rather volunteer with a big group of people or focus on smaller projects?
Also, consider your schedule. You can decide if you want to volunteer on a regular basis or just now and then. These are the best ways to get the most out of volunteering, according to Post:
Help others dealing with something you’ve faced yourself. Studies show people recovering from alcohol use disorders are more likely to stay sober when they help others in recovery from problem drinking. Likewise, some people with chronic pain reported less pain when, as a trained volunteer, they helped someone with a similar condition.
Do what you’re good at. When volunteers feel like they’re just in the way, the experience can backfire and boost their stress. Choose a volunteer opportunity where you can make a real contribution.
Mean it. Those who contribute to organizations they’re passionate about tend to see stronger physical responses. “Motivation matters,” Post says. “When people are genuinely altruistic in their actions, they have a better response.”
