Valerie Young of Bigelow Labs, chairman of the Boothbay Treasures group, came to the Boothbay Harbor Selectmen’s meeting on Oct. 26.

She came to ask the selectmen to sign a proclamation to make Dec. 1 “Giving Tuesday” in Boothbay Harbor. According to community.givingtuesday.org, Giving Tuesday is a day to promote giving and community spirit to counteract the craziness of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Traditionally it takes place the day after Cyber Monday.

The selectmen voted unanimously to sign the proclamation at their next meeting, with the slight change suggested by Selectman Wendy Wolf that the term “citizens” be changed to “residents” to be more inclusive to everyone in the region. Young agreed and promised to have a corrected version to them by their next meeting.

Boothbay Treasures is entering its third year of existence. The group works to bring together the nonprofits in Southport, Edgecomb, Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor to promote the spirit of Giving Tuesday and to promote the work they do and encourage giving of all kinds, not just money but time and care as well.

In its first year, Boothbay Treasures had six members, and grew to 26 last year. This year a total of 37 nonprofits are involved.

“It's not just a great cause, it's been a lot of fun, too,” Young said. “You get to know people and the work they do and connect with people around the region. We promote not just giving and awareness from outside but also enjoy thanking the staff and volunteers that make the work of these nonprofits possible.”

Young is heading to the other towns in the region to request they sign the same proclamation, and has also sent a request to the governor to declare Dec. 1 Giving Tuesday across Maine.

To join Boothbay Treasures or to ask questions, email Young at vyoung@bigelow.org.