Giving Tuesday has only been around for a few years now, but it has turned into a social media movement for a good cause.

But at ADEC, we realize that there are a lot of companies and organizations competing for your money and attention this holiday season. And we also know that money can be tight around the holidays.

So, we have compiled a list of ways you can give throughout the entire holiday season — and many of them don’t cost a penny.

As you get in the spirit of giving this holiday season, we hope you’ll consider ADEC. Here are 16 ways to help as we close out 2016.

  1. Stop by Gaining Grounds in Goshen or Middlebury for a cup of coffee and conversation

You’ll be served a pure, brilliant and bold flavor that exceeds your imagination. Just like what you find at ADEC. Gaining Grounds in Goshen, located at 114 E. Lincoln Ave. is open 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday. The coffee house in Middlebury, 801 Wayne Street, is open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

At ADEC, we’re not just your average joe.

2. Shop at our new Art by ADEC store in Bristol

In each of ADEC’s five day service locations, people with developmental and intellectual disabilities work with dedicated and skilled staff members to complete high-quality art projects on a daily basis.

The art sold in Art by ADEC is the same quality people would find in other art galleries and boutiques in the area, but it is still affordable. ADEC artists take pride in their paintings, ceramic bowls and dishes, scarves and wood carvings.

Each purchase goes toward supporting ADEC clients as they pursue their personal dreams of employment and entrepreneurship. Half of all proceeds go directly back to the artist, while the other half supports ADEC’s art program so more people can express their creativity.

The Art by ADEC store, located at 19670 S.R. 120 in Bristol, will be offering special holiday hours from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 3. If you can’t make that holiday open house, stop by between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

  1. Order Silver Linings trash bags

They say one person’s trash is another person’s treasure – but in the case of Silver Lining trash bags, it’s another person’s job. When you buy Silver Lining trash bags through ADEC Industries, you’re providing jobs for people with disabilities. The bags are available to businesses and the general public – and they won’t cost you any more than the ones you’re buying now. Visit www.adecinc.com/silver to order today.

  1. Mark your calendar for ADEC’s 45th Ride-A-Bike on May 20, 2017

Ride-A-Bike is the largest fundraiser for ADEC, a nonprofit that advocates for and serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities so they enjoy lives full of choice and possibility. In honor of ADEC’s 65th anniversary and the 45th running of Ride-A-Bike, the event will be bigger and better than ever. Riders can choose from special 45-mile and 65-mile routes, and families will be able to enjoy arts and crafts and live music on the trail. Remember, registration opens in March.

  1. “Like” ADEC on Facebook to see how we’re making a difference

Visit www.facebook.com/ADECservices and click the “like” button at the top of the page. To make sure you don’t miss any updates, you can also choose to see ADEC posts first in your newsfeed by hovering over the

  1. Send us a birthday wish as we celebrate our 65th year of providing choice and possibility

Drop us a line on Facebook or Twitter or email [email protected]. We’d love to hear your birthday wish for our future!

  1. Subscribe to ADEC’s bi-weekly newsletter, “The Open Door”

The Open Door is a chance for ADEC to share stories of our advances across the agency, provide snapshots of our programs and profile staff and clients who are making a difference. Visit www.adecinc.com/the-open-door to sign up to receive the email in your inbox every other Friday.

  1. Make plans to attend a special screening of “Life, Animated” on Jan. 10 at Concord High School

“Life, Animated” is the documentary from Academy Award winning director Roger Ross Williams that tells the story of Owen Suskind, a young man with autism. Owen was developing typically until he was 3 years old, when he suddenly stopped speaking. He was diagnosed with autism, and he didn’t speak for several years – until his family discovered a way to communicate by immersing themselves in the world of classic Disney animated films.

ADEC is hosting a special screening of “Life, Animated” at 7 p.m. Jan. 10 in Concord High School’s Beickman Performing Arts Center. The best part? It’s free!

  1. Consider hiring a person with a disability

If you are a business owner or a manager, we would love the chance to tell you all about how hiring people with disabilities can improve your workplace. At ADEC, we know that inclusion works. Through ADEC’s Community Employment program, ADEC clients have a chance to make productive contributions to their community through work while local employers gain access to an underutilized labor market.

Over the last year, we have helped more than 40 employers in Elkhart and St. Joseph counties fill open positions with pre-screened, qualified and job-ready candidates. We also provided employment services to more than 300 clients who were ready to find dignity and meaning in work.

Contact Sara Howard, senior manager of Community Employment, at [email protected] to learn more.

  1. Volunteer to spend time with our clients

As ADEC works to advocate for and empower people with disabilities to live a life filled with choice and possibility, your partnership makes the difference. Come lead an exercise group, sit and talk with our senior clients, play a game of cards or help a child with homework. Each time you invest your time in the lives of the people we serve at ADEC, it widens each person’s sphere of influence and deepens their quality of life. Visit www.adecinc.com/volunteer to learn more and submit an application for yourself or your group.

  1. Pick a gift out of ADEC’s holiday catalog for yourself or a friend

Looking for the perfect unique gift for the people on your holiday list? Not sure what to add to your own Christmas wish list? Consider giving or asking for gifts this holiday season that will help someone have a better life – a life of their own. When you give to ADEC or buy the items in our gift catalog, you support our mission to provide more choice and more possibility for the people we serve. The items in our catalog were personally selected by our staff and clients to fill an unmet need.

Pick up a copy of the holiday catalog in ADEC’s Gaining Grounds in Goshen or Middlebury, or the Art by ADEC store in Bristol. You can also email Michelle Sokol at [email protected] to request a digital copy.

  1. Become a social media ambassador for ADEC

We could really use your help spreading the word about the services we provide to people with disabilities in Elkhart County. You can start by sharing our posts on Facebook or retweeting us on Twitter. If you’d like to get more involved, reach out to communications specialist Michelle Sokol at [email protected].

  1. Challenge the Silver Bullets basketball team to a game

Did you know that ADEC has a 70-player basketball team? The Silver Bullets are still looking for opponents for the 2016-17 basketball season. The team loves challenging community groups, first responders and schools. If you’d like to see if we can schedule a game between the Silver Bullets and your team, contact Becky Curtis at [email protected].

  1. Read “Riding the Bus with My Sister” by Rachel Simon

ADEC is working with Rachel Simon for the 2017 Annual Celebration, which will be Oct. 26, 2017, in the Lerner’s Cyrstal Ballroom.

The memoir is about Simon’s relationship with her sister Beth, who has an intellectual disability and who spends her days riding the bus in a Pennsylvania city. The book chronicles a year when Rachel rides the bus with her sister, exploring the struggles and pleasures of siblings of people with disabilities.

  1. Select ADEC as your designated charity when you shop through AmazonSmile

It’s easy. Simply visit smile.amazon.com and select ADEC as your designated charity. Each time you shop on Amazon (remember to go to smile.amazon.com first), Amazon will donate a portion of your purchase price to ADEC.

  1. Donate to ADEC, because every dollar counts

With the helping hands of our friends and neighbors, we expect great opportunities for people with disabilities. We expect our clients to become full participants in our communities. Their jobs will be your workplaces. Their homes will be where you live. Their hobbies will be your hobbies. They will play and compete on your neighborhood parks, fields and courts. They will volunteer their time to agencies serving our communities.

We need your help to make those expectations become a reality. Visit www.adecinc.com/donate.