Mayor, officials declare day of giving in Little Rock

Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola speaks Tuesday at an event declaring Tuesday as a day of giving.
Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola speaks Tuesday at an event declaring Tuesday as a day of giving.

Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola joined representatives from several nonprofit organizations Tuesday to declare a citywide day of giving.

Stodola read a signed document proclaiming the day "Giving Tuesday," a localized version of a national effort to promote charitable donations and volunteerism.

"We're here today to encourage our citizens to open up their hearts, open up their pocketbooks and to help those that are less fortunate," Stodola said at a news conference at Heifer International's headquarters. "It's an opportunity for all of us ... to contribute and to help to continue with what Americans are known so well for. And that is volunteerism and philanthropy."

Representatives from the Arkansas FoodBank, Winrock International, Heifer and other local organizations joined Stodola at the event.

Heifer's chief executive officer, Pierre Ferrari, said the day of giving offers a better opportunity to find happiness than the shopping-oriented Black Friday and Cyber Monday events preceding it.

"It turns out all the research in 136 countries has pointed out that giving is the source of happiness," he said. "And today is 'Giving Tuesday' so today is really happiness Tuesday. Let's make it a really happy day and let's give."

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