Oakland Family Services is officially kicking off its Giving Tuesday 2019 campaign, which is dedicated to children's mental health care.

Please help us reach our goal of raising $2,500 to support programs that give vulnerable children the help and care they need to cope with mental health issues and trauma.

Unfortunately, many of the children we serve face trauma from neglect, physical and emotional abuse, and substance use of family members. They may suffer from depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health concerns that affect their development, performance in school, emotional wellbeing and physical safety. With drug use and suicide rates on the rise among youth, early intervention can save lives.

We firmly believe that all children deserve access to mental health care that can help build a foundation for them to thrive and reach their full potential. We see evidence of the power of quality children's mental health care across our full scope of programs each and every day.

This year, Giving Tuesday is Dec. 3. We have just one month to reach our $2,500 goal, and we need your support!

4 ways you can support our campaign:

1) Donate. Every dollar counts toward meeting our goal! Whether you have a little or a lot to give, your donation will make an impact on the lives of the children we serve. You don't have to wait until Dec. 3 to contribute to our Giving Tuesday campaign — you can donate securely to Oakland Family Services at any time through our Facebook page or our website!

2) Be a social media advocate. Follow our accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, and share our content with your friends! If you believe in our goal of providing mental health care to children in our community, help us spread our message and use the hashtags #buildingbrighterfutures and #GivingTuesday.

3) Create a Facebook fundraiser. Facebook fundraisers are a great, simple way to share your support of Oakland Family Services with your friends and connect them to our mission. Click here to start a new fundraiser!

4) Share your giving story. #MyGivingStory is a storytelling contest that runs alongside Giving Tuesday. Donors are asked to submit a short essay or video responding to the prompt, "Every act of giving has a story. What's yours?" Share why you support Oakland Family Services, and you could win prizes ranging from tote bags to a $10,000 grant for our agency! Check out some entries from last year's contest for inspiration!