You’ve surely heard of Black Friday and maybe even Cyber Monday, days when retailers attract shoppers with deals and discounts ahead of the holidays. But what if we could harness that same kind of enthusiasm for charitable giving? That’s exactly the goal of Giving Tuesday.

The movement started last year in the U.S., and quickly drew the attention of celebrities, charities and ordinary folks online with the #givingtuesday hashtag. It wasn’t just talk though, people donated, got involved in their community and found new ways of giving back.

Now Giving Tuesday is coming to Canada and the Canadian Red Cross is taking part. Mark your calendar because December 3 is about taking action to help people in need, from giving to volunteering.

Stay tuned for more details on how you can show your support on Giving Tuesday.

The Canadian Red Cross is accepting donations to help people affected by Typhoon Haiyan. The powerful storm, one of the worst to hit the area, made landfall in the Philippines, causing wide-spread damage including landslides and flooding. It also affected people who were left homeless after an earthquake in October.

The humanitarian impact of the storm is expected to be colossal. The Philippine Red Cross is working with emergency officials and has mobilized its teams to support rescue efforts by authorities.

Some 125,000 families were evacuated to safer shelters as a pre-emptive measure. Red Cross volunteers and staff have been actively disseminating warnings and safety tips over the past several days in communities in the path of Typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Typhoon Yolanda).

The typhoon continues to track to the northwest and efforts are underway to prepare for landfall in Vietnam, a country that has already been battered by…