We celebrate Labor Day with picnics, parties, and parades. It’s a day to “not labor” and spend well-earned time with friends and family. We recognize this holiday as a reward for hard work, but, more than that, the deep roots of this day celebrate the hard work of generations before us.

The first Labor Day parade took place in New York City 143 years ago, with the first Monday of September declared a national holiday in 1894. The holiday grew out of violent conflict between workers and police during the 1886 Haymarket Riot, when tens of thousands of Chicago laborers — bricklayers, jewelers, typographers, dress and cloak makers, and many other tradespeople — took unpaid leave to protest the grim working conditions of the time when employees, including children, were forced to work twelve or more hours a day, six days a week, in crowded, poorly ventilated spaces. Their demand was for an eight-hour workday, which became their legacy to future generations. That first parade culminated in picnics, speeches, fireworks, and dancing — seeding hard-earned celebrations for over a century.

To celebrate the month of September and in the spirit of Labor Day, I’d like to offer you something that will allow your efforts to create meaningful change for people you know — friends, family, and people in your community.