It’s a great feeling to find the perfect gift, but it can be tough to find the right item for parents, siblings, friends, and coworkers, year after year. If you’re stumped, we found three organizations that allow you to make a purchase with lasting impact. Pick something that relates to your recipient’s interests, and you both can feel good about a thoughtful present that improves our community.
Tree Tribute
At TreesUpstate, a Tree Tribute is a great way to honor or remember someone. For a $50 donation, TreesUpstate will send an arboreal card to your recipient, telling them a tribute has been made in their name. A three-gallon shade tree will then be planted. The organization can plant a Living Legacy Tree at specific locations, pending approval from property owners, and even assist with species selection. treesupstate.org/donate
Adopt An Animal
If you have an animal lover on your list, the Greenville Zoo Foundation’s Adopt-An-Animal could be the perfect gift. The $50 kit includes a plush animal, a certificate of symbolic adoption, and a fact sheet with a photo, and the price includes shipping to the recipient of your choice. Select among zoo favorites including a lion, giraffe, flamingo, and red panda. The $100 Plus Package also includes an admission ticket to the zoo and a water bottle. greenvillezoofoundation.org/Adopt-an-Animal
Sea Turtle Guardian
For a friend or relative with a passion for marine life, give the gift of becoming a Sea Turtle Guardian at the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston. A donation of $100 will give your recipient monthly emails with turtle patient updates and behind-the-scenes content, plus access to Ask a Sea Turtle Biologist events and an annual social gathering, and a decal. The aquarium uses the funds to help rescue, rehabilitate, and release sea turtles back into the wild. scaquarium.org/guardian
