Heather Rae Young Seeks 'Giving Tuesday' Donations To Address Maternity Death Rate

Heather Rae Young is appealing to the generous side of her fans and followers. 

The real estate agent has been vocal about her challenges as a pregnant mom since she and her husband, Tarek El Moussa, announced that they were expecting their first child together earlier this year. Now, she is using her pregnancy to mark this year's Giving Tuesday uniquely. 

Taking to Instagram to make her plans for the occasion known, Heather uploaded a one-minute video to Instagram. She wore a pink beaded jacket over a white top and sat on a chair as she began:

"So most of you know that I'm pregnant with a baby boy, and it's one of the most beautiful experiences I have ever gone through in my whole life."

The "Selling Sunset" star revealed that even though she was 'lucky' to "have incredible doctors and hospital resources," not every expectant mother had access to the same "resources that I have or other women have out there."

Heather then claimed that she "recently just heard a pretty crazy fact that one woman dies every two minutes around the world due to complications at childbirth," which prompted her to start this campaign.

The 35-year-old further stated that reading that stat "broke" her heart, especially as her 2023 due date gets closer. To aid the conversation along, the reality star explained that First Response planned to continue supporting Every Mother Counts and its mission to make pregnancy and childbirth safe for "every woman everywhere in the world."

To that end, the organization would match every dollar donated up to $25,000 for 2022 Giving Tuesday. Heather noted that since women dying during childbirth was preventable, she would love it if everybody worked together to "bring awareness to maternal health," whether by donating or even sharing her video. Heather highlighted her point even more in the caption, writing:

"Every dollar donated through Tuesday, November 29, 2022 11:59 PM PST will be matched by First Response, up to $25,000, so you can double the impact of your donation. No purchase necessary. This cause is very dear to my heart especially being pregnant with my baby boy."

Although it has received numerous likes, the video was met with mixed reactions, with some fans applauding her for "speaking on the amazing cause," and others wondered why people had to get paid before talking about this project.

As for Giving Tuesday, it is an annual event that encourages people from all over the world to give by donating money or volunteering for causes that aid the community. It is usually marked on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, which is the last Tuesday in November, or the first one in December.

Giving Tuesday allowed nonprofit organizations to spotlight their missions, seek donations, and gain new supporters. The day's importance was reinforced after nonprofits in the United States made an estimated $2.7 billion from their various — and equally important — campaigns.

The occasion was kickstarted by '92nd Street Y' — a nonprofit that was established in the '70s as part of a United Nations Foundation partnership— in 2012. The yearly event has continued to grow since then, earning recognition in 80 countries around the globe.

The Blast previously reported that Farrah Abraham joined celebs to spotlight a cause she believed in for Giving Tuesday. For the writer, it felt like the right time to solicit support for sexual assault victims.

To achieve that, the "Teen Mom" alum shared a message from 'RAINN' — an outfit helping assault victims — with her three million followers. Using a lengthy statement to relate why she considered it an important cause, she began:

"WHY? The resources it takes to mentally, physically get your life back after being violated hurts a person to their core, affects their family, work, friends, and breaks the person."

"Rebuilding victims of assault is no small task and the more we all can help, even as surviving victors, not victims anymore helps us all overcome triggers, abuse, and rape culture! Consent Culture Support is here louder and stronger than ever!" Fans reacted positively to the announcement, earning some praise from Abraham.