Today, on Giving Tuesday, we pause to contribute to charitable organizations that are meaningful to us. Keeping these groups in mind is important year-round, of course, but today is set apart on the calendar-right after Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday-as a reminder to donate during this giving season.

Every person’s heart is pulled a different way for their giving-as I said in my presentation to an equine studies capstone class at the University of Kentucky a few weeks ago, if everyone’s heart was bent toward one cause alone, we’d live in a boring one-dimensional place.

If you’re looking for a place to make an impact, here are some options I’ve visited or worked with. Some are local to me here in Central Kentucky, while others are international

organizations whose work I have seen in person at their facilities. And here are some others I’ve highlighted in the past