Was standing in line at the pharmacy, after thinking for hours what I could do to pay it forward. The lady in front of me had a cast on her leg, and said that her doctor told her she needed a walker, but her insurance would not cover it. The employee at the pharmacy told her she could rent one, for $5 per week, with a $25 deposit. She asked if she could post date her check because she did not have $25. That’s when I stepped forward and asked to pay her deposit. I gave her the pay it forward card and explained what it was. She asked me where my wings were, and promised to pay it forward.

My Friend Brenda is more than a Friend I truly consider her a Part of my Family always there when I need her but Yesterday she used her 1 hour lunch to run and Pick up my Car Keys at the Auto body shop as I was not sure I would make it there is time for 5 pm. Brenda is a Truest Kindest Person and I thank you for Your Pay it Forward yesterday

Today I went to the hair salon and had 13 inches of hair cut off, placed in a baggie, and have it packaged up to mail in to “Angel Hair for Kids”. I was growing my hair for this purpose, and today seemed the perfect day to do it.

Today, my school sent all of the 7th graders out into the Milford Community. We did things such as plant flowers, paint for local residents, clean firetrucks and police cars, sing for people in restaurants, clean up weeds, write positive messages all over town in chalk, and much much more ! I am a 7th grader my self and I find it so touching how one school can make such a difference ! Thank you for a day like this ! Pay It Forward !!

Thought “Pay it Forward” day sounded like such a great concept. Went out for lunch at Olive Garden. The waiter was very helpful when I asked if he could bring me a random stranger’s bill and keep my identity a secret. Paid this stranger’s bill, don’t know who, as I didn’t know who he had selected, and then tipped double on both my ticket and this stranger’s ticket, leaving the message, “Pay it Forward.” I hope that among the unknown family eating, their waiter, and my waiter, one of them will pass it on.

Went out to get my morning coffee and bought 3 gift cards to pass out later. Business at the coffee house is brisk…I handed one to a local police officer who just happened to be putting sugar in his coffee at the same time as me. Too late to catch him at the check-out, but I told him his next one was on me. It was so nice to hear the “thanks” and the smile of appreciation…!

I’m way too old for this to be my first story but it is. This morning when I woke up, I saw on Facebook that today is PIF Day! So I went to Tim Horton’s knowing I wanted someone to pull in the drive through behind me…and he did. A middle aged guy in a sweet pickup truck. I paid for my coffee and bagel and then said to the girl as she gave me my change “Today is National Pay It Forward Day so please tell me how much for the truck behind me and I’ll pay for his too” You should’ve seen the look of shock on her face, probably because his cost a couple dollars more than mine, but I was fine with that because I was ready! One of the managers saw me from inside and she seems me often, and said “That is so awesome!” so I said “just tell him that today is National Pay It Forward Day and so I am doing just that. Bye! Have a good day!” and they were all smiling, I hope he did too

After the Dec 14th shootings @ Sandy Hook I was heartbroken. Originally from the area, I was devastated and wanted to do something to counteract the violence and tragedy. I own a small nail salon here in Ireland. From January, we announced we would invite in 26 children to have their nails painted in the name of each child & staff member that was fallen in the tragedy. On Jan 5th we opened our doors and invited these 26 girls in. It carried on until the end of February. Each childs parent was given an envelope with the name of a child whom the service was done in memory of. they were then asked to Pay it Forward in memory of that child. Id liek to think we spread it out all over the area, and we are still getting PIF stories back from the mothers of these children. It has made a big impact on me and the people of the area. On PIF World day (today) we plan to announce a suspended service of a file & polish each which will be donated to the local st Vincent De paul shelter in aid of xmas donations. We hope to make some small difference come xmas time with these kids in age group 11-17 which often get neglected in the present donation category.

I have been selling Puzzle piece pins and bracelets with the help of Autism Speaks as well as having a Cupcakes for a Cause Event – all for Autism Awareness!

At my son’s elementary school, they have setup a program for Pay It Forward Day. This is an email sent out to the staff:
Each day we have been making announcements and recognizing students who have either “paid it forward” or showed “acts of kindness” to someone else.

Ms. Stackhouse-Graham has presented and discussed a video related to “Pay it Forward” during her special area time.

Ms. Cavins-Williams has organized a small lesson and an art project involving posters for students to design and display on “Pay it Forward Day.”

Ms. Mueller has provided lessons about “The Lion and the Mouse” to help students understand that spreading kindness make a difference.

Ms. Huntley has taken out time to recognize students as well as explain to students how important their role is in paying it forward.

Ms. Parks has encouraged students to show kindness to adults as well as their classmates, and shared her story about a student who volunteered to help her log students on to the computer during computer class.

Ms. Mitchell-Walker has recognized a parent who stepped in and assisted during a crisis situation.

Many classroom teachers and staff have recognized students who they have caught showing, receiving, and spreading kindness. I appreciate all that you do to help create a positive school environment!

About a week ago i started a Facebook page called Pay It Forward – Mount Isa .. i wanted people to share the kindness around this town .. it is starting with me doing 3 good deeds for people in need and then those 3 people will each fin 1 person to Pay it Forward to and so on i really hope it works ! i have paid it forward to two people so far and am very excited about my next

I payed it forward this year by buying the local trolley boy a new pair of shoes as I noticed his had holes in them and you could see his toes. He spends all day on his feet and needs good shoes to walk in. I also gave the cleaning lady at a service station a tip for her hard work. I gave a family who I know are struggling at the moment a grocery gift voucher. I loved the movie pay it forward and truly believe how easy it could be to make the world a better place. I do hope my gifts are payed forward but in the meantime I am happy that I have supported the cause. A friend said to me aren’t you nice and I replied if someone is in need and I can help either in a financial or other way why wouldn’t I?? We also have sponsored a child for 7 years now and get a great deal of happiness from doing this. We feel we have received a lifetime of Karma in return as our daughter survived a brain tumour 10 years ago. So it would be great if everyone did what they could to support such an easy task and pay it forward.

We are bringing Pay It Forward to Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland! We will be hosting a showing of the movie and Charley Johnson from the Pay it Forward Foundation will be Skyping in to speak with us!

We are bringing Pay it Forward to Mount St. Mary’s University! I created a video that showcases examples of what our students plan on doing to “pay it forward.” We are having a showing of “Pay It Forward” and the president of the Pay it Forward Foundation will be Skyping in to speak to us about the movement and the foundation. The “pay it forward” concept is spreading very quickly here at the Mount, and I can’t wait to see how far it goes once it gets closer to Pay it Forward Day!

I am writing this about my sister-in-law who just got diagnosed with breast cancer and had to have both breast removed. The Dr.s say they got all the cancer. My sister-in-law has given to the community and has done charity work for everyone. She is well known in our community. She does all of our neighborhood haircuts and doesn’t charge and also my grandkids has never had to pay for a haircut.I married her brother and they went all out for our wedding in their backyard and spent lots of money and wouldn’t take a penny for it. She is a loving caring people person. I would love to pay it forward and help her out now with something.

Paid It Forward 2x’s today – Made me feel good to walk away and leave the clerk totally confused as to what to do! I just handed over $ and said “get the person behind me”! lol The ackward part was a older lady chasing my truck out of Walgreens to thank me in the parking lot! lol – I just waved and smiled-Moral of the story: Really – It PAYS to PAY IT FORWARD!

Animal Activist / Writer for Animal Causes

Hello, i am an Activist for Animal Rights. I am Portuguese but now living in Netherlands for 2 years. In Portugal there are a lot of stray animals so each time i saw one i didn’t lay indifferent. I rescued him/her and found a owner or sometimes i keep them with me. I have 3 rescued dogs which came with me to Netherlands. Here i have created a blog http://www.buycrueltyfree.com in which i help people by providing information, news, recipes, etc all regarding the respect for animals and the World. Also, i try to influence people buying cosmetics and general things free form cruelty towards animals. It take some research time but i love knowing that i am having an important part helping Animals.

Kind regards,
Joana

Instead of the usual list of New Year’s resolutions, I began 2013 by writing a blog about giving thanks in tangible ways because sometimes saying thank you is simply not enough.

My family and I have so many reasons to be thankful. My husband and I have great jobs that we love, healthy children and a good relationship. We also have fantastic parents. I know that I personally feel as though I have won the parental lottery. My folks are constantly there for me physically, emotionally, spiritually and financially. The love, attention, guidance and friendship that they have given are priceless gifts that I could never fully repay.

This past year has been a tough one for our household and without the help of family, I don’t think that we would ever have made it. Finances crashed, budgets went bust, stress became the norm and depression set in. As always Mom and Dad were there to help. Their regular visits were bright spots in an otherwise dark and dreary time. When things got tough they took us out to eat, bought us groceries and gave us money for expenses when we needed it most. More importantly, they helped us laugh, smile and relax. They became our lifeline. Thank God for lifelines!

While their help is greatly appreciated it always makes me feel guilty. The last thing I ever want to be is a drain on them in any way. Their amazing generosity this past year and at Christmas time left me grateful but also determined. I was going to pay them back, somehow. I decided that the best way, perhaps the only way that I could ever hope to return their many favors was to pay it forward. After all, this is what they are all about. My father tells me constantly, “Don’t thank me, thank God. I am just sharing his blessings.” I started thinking about ways that I could help people just like he does. I am a teacher so there are plenty of opportunities daily to make a difference. Most of the time however, I am too busy or wrapped up in my own world to respond as effectively as I might. This year though, that is going to change. My focus will no longer be on just getting by and how to come up with the money to support my family each month. I have decided to leave that one to God. He is better at that stuff than I am anyway. Oh, I will continue to work hard and try to keep some hooks in the water as far as my additional employment opportunities might go, beyond my 9 to 5, but my focus will be drastically different. I will search for people that I can help in one way or another. Each day will begin with a simple prayer; “How can I help you Lord? How can I help you help them?” I will do this in honor of my parents, Mac and Karen Browning, for all the wonderful things they have done and continue to do for me and my family, and I will do it for my heavenly father who has loved me through it all. My theory is that once my focus changes, my life will change and if I’m lucky so will a lot of other lives as well.

Someone once told me that each act of kindness, no matter how small, is like a rain drop hitting the surface of a still body of water. It creates a ripple. One little ripple. No one knows how far it will travel but it keeps going long after the drop has broken the surface of the water. This year it isn’t going to be the money, or the cleaning, or my job or even my time off that takes top priority in my life. It is going to be the ripples because I have a lot of time to make up for, a lot of favors to return and a great many blessings to repay. Too many times I was too busy or too broke. I missed the opportunity to disturb the water’s tranquil veneer. My little part of the ocean remained calm, like a sheet of glass. Now, the forecast is calling for rain.

Laurie

FACS studentsat Harmony Middle School in Hamilton, VA brightened the days of several staff members as they made treats and beverages and delivered them by surprise. They told the “Pay It Forward” story, handed a card to accompany the surprise delight and moved on to make someone else’s day. Timing is everything! When I received my surprise, it was as if an angel was sitting on my shoulder. If everyone did this, it would truly make this world a better place!

It’s my daughter’s 1st birthday in 12days. Below is an email I sent her explaining what I will be doing for her birthday present.

I have been emailing my daughter since before so was bor.

Morning my darling,

Havana, you have been an incredible blessing in our life and mummy loves you more than you could ever imagine. It’s your birthday soon baby and mummy doesn’t celebrate birthdays but I want to celebrate having you in my life. You are a blessing from Jehovah and to thank Jehovah for giving me such an amazing baby girl who puts a smile on my face everyday, I want to put a smile on a stranger’s face and let them know that this world is full of amazing people who are kind and loving and hopefully they will be kind and loving to a stranger in return, then maybe when you are older this world will be just that little bit kinder and loving.

I could buy you useless gifts that you won’t remember by the time you read this but think for every random act of kindness mummy does in your honour then people will probably remember it for the rest of their lives. I hope that you like this idea baby because I will do this every year for the rest of my life.

I will start on the 1st of November till the 12th the day you were born, but I don’t think I will leave the house tomorrow and the day after so I have started today. Today I paid for 2 drinks for complete strangers, one was coffee and the other a bottle of water. It felt great to make someone else happy.

I will do this everyday from the 1st till the 12th November and email you what I did in your honour that day.

Mummy loves you
Xxx

jewels lil haven in affiliation with childhelp inc, victorious moms and dycd have started a pay it forward movement. so far we have gotten two families free groceries, a single mom a free hair cut and we are just three hours into it. if you are in the New York areas cal 347-552-8076

I raised 765.00 for a young paralyzed 17yr old named CJ I had never met

Healthy Youth Development of Erie County (HYD) is working with agencies and schools throughout Erie County to raise awareness among middle school children about the value of giving to others. The service/volunteer workers have been a foundation in various non-profit organizations with their willingness to help and serve others. This is a character trait that HYD hopes to instill within the youth of today. By helping others, those who might be broken, will have the chance to not only heal themselves but will also experience the joy of giving to others.
On October 5, 2012, the Fourth Annual P.E.A.C.E. Fest will be held at the Summit Youth Center. This event is designed for students in grades 6-8 who will be educated about the effects and rewards of Paying it Forward to others. The event is free and will be sponsored by Healthy Youth Development of Erie County and The Susan Hirt Hagen CORE at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College.

PAY IT FORWARD EVERYONE ! (:

We are attempting to create an awesome work environment at our Middle School by using cards we made up with rules on them. Each time a random act of kindness is done, our hope is that the cards will be passed along. We can do everything from grading papers, covering a class on our prep, get someone’s car washed using the mobile service, getting their mail, buying a candy bar or drink for them, pot lucks to celebrate…well, whatever we feel like at the moment, randomly clapping for a job well done, free hugs, the list goes on and on. Hopefully we can spread a positive vibe during these rough and tough times.

i was headed to visit my son 127 miles from my residence… in an awful rush and lost my wallet somewhere in ky…… two weeks later i received a package in my mailbox….. it consisted of my wallet and the 80 dollars cash that was in it at the time it was lost::::::))))))))) thank you so much whoever you are

My husband, child, and I went to Cici’s pizza yesterday because my husband was trying to take some stress off of me and not make me cook. We’re tight on money, but try to not let anyone know it. A random lady we didn’t even know came up to me and gave me a coupon for a free meal. Our son is little and is free, so we paid only $10 for the three of us to eat. She was a blessing. I hope many happy things happen for her.

Hi,

Please view my blog at gracefullybroken1.blogspot.com; I am doing a project called One Good Deed a Day for 365 days. The blog is about my experiences after each deed. Today’s deed was to pay for the person behind which I did! Hope you come see!!

xx,
Cindee

This is wonderful to hear Megan. Keep up the great work. If you have a syllabus for this project or a website, can you email it to us at payitforwardday@gmail.com. We would love to post it as an example on this website.

Hello my name is Garland. I moved my family from Texas to N.C. about five years ago to make a better life for us. I have four kids ages 6, 8. 10 and 14. When I moved up here I found a job and my wife went to school. We were doing okay and after about 2 years God blessed us to be able to purchase our first home. I would always count my Blessings. So in return I would always pay it forward to my co-workers and help feed at the soup kitchen. Unfortunately I lost my job about a year ago and we have been close to losing our house a few times but we are still holding on. So I just wanted to say paying it forward is great because when you can it makes you feel blesseed and it helps the world be a better place. If you read this please pray for me and my family.

Dear Sirs,
I hereby would like to share some of my own quotes :

“Life ain’t a matter of give and take, but the art of giving and to receive.”

“In the rythm of Silence, the Soul dances to unprecedented heights.”

“In the Light of Love there are no shadows.”

“The Meaning of Life is to serve.”

“Peace only exists, when Greed is banned.”

Signed, Philip M. Awuy

Hi i’m Amber Raney and this is my story. The other day when I was walking home from the park I heard something it was like a little girl crying. So I rushed over there to see what it was and a little girl fell off her bike. I asked the girl if she knew where she lived and that I would take her there. So I took her home and that’s my story.

i was casually walking around my local town the other day when i stumbled across an elderly man in a local sweet shop. i thought yeah i’m gonna buy him that sweet. turns out it was only 2.50 but i still bought him that sweet which made his day. i’m happy that i did this.

I love the pay it foward movement! My 9th grade class started the project at our high school this year and it has gone great so far. We paired up in groups of three in my language art class after reading the book and all came up with ways to give back at our school. I’ve seen a real change it the willingness to help since then. Thanks pay it forward!

My wife and I live in a townhome complex with 8 homes in our cluster. Every Monday we all put our garbage cans out by the common driveway entrance for the weekly pick up.

One early Tuesday morning I began the short jaunt to bring the garbage cans back in, when , to my surprise I found them neatly lined up by our garage door.

A quizzically wide smile came across my face and thought that maybe our waste company had instituted a new “return policy”, but as I glanced around the complex we were the only other home with their cans in front of their garage.

That morning smile stayed with me most of the day.

The following week when I made the ritual walk to retrieve our garbage cans from the street entrance I noticed that one of my neighbors had their cans neatly placed in front of their garage door. Another broad smile came across my face as I began to realize that we had a mysterious Good Samaritan Garbage Can Retriever in our mist!

Since then, I’ve now taken up the cause, and on occasion I will make an exta trip to return a neighbor’s garbage cans as my way to pay it forward.

I get a little extra exercise… and hopefully someone else gets an extra smile!

With Gratitude… Jerry

Hi. I had never heard of “pay it forward”. I have recently experienced some financial hardship in my life. It is a long story, but I basically lost my business and my means of employment due to a robbery of my inventory. When I told a friend about this, he offered to send me 2000. I don’t even know this friend very well and so I was quite blown away by this offer. I agreed to accept the 2000. on the condition that I pay him back when I can. He replied to me that I could not pay it back, only pay it forward. When I asked what that meant, he said that I had to do something good for someone else one day. Later, I told my 15 year old daughter about this kindness. She became very excited and told me “how cool that is because he did what they did in the movie”. I asked her what movie, and she told me “Pay it Forward”. We found the movie at Wallmart, and watched it the next weekend. We all cried. I am humbled and greatful for the generosity of this friend, and I look forward to keeping the momentum going and paying it forward in the future.

I didn’t the opportunity on “Pay it Forward” day to do so, but the very next day, I was presented with the perfect scenario. I had just received some bad news from my Vet about our cat, Winston Ignacio Churchill. I went to Corner Bakery to drown my sorrows in a cup of coffee and as I was wallowing in my own despair, I saw an elderly lady sitting by herself staring into the distance, stirring her cup of tea. She looked sad and very alone. I was immediately inspired to sit with and her try to brighten her day and then thought I must be crazy! Looking back at her again, I noticed she was looking around at all of the other “tables for 2” and it strengthened my resolve. I mustered up the courage and walked up to her with my coffee and order number and asked if I could join her for breakfast. She flashed my the biggest smile and said “Certainly!” It was so odd, but not awkward at all. We started talking like long lost friends. I asked her about her family and showed her pictures of my children. We even talked about the cat, her being a cat person too, and it helped me feel better about the situation. So my lesson was, paying it forward sometimes pays off even sooner than expected.

GOOD HANDS HANDYMAN NON-PROFIT, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to repairing homes for the elderly, disabled and lower income families who do not have the means to pay for these needed repairs. Since its inception in 2009, Good Hands has made home repairs to over 50 homes in the Atlanta area. Founder & Executive Director, Andre Knight donates his time, money and resources to making sure people have save homes.

Cadets from the Valley HS JROTC, in Las Vegas, NV spent the week learning about “Pay it Forward”. After the lessons, the students spent the week “Paying it Forward” in their homes and communities. On 26 April 2012, the Valley HS JROTC cadets spent the day helping school administrators and teachers and helped clean up the school grounds. On Friday, 27 April 2012, each cadet had to write down their act of kindness, and they are all hung on a bulletin board in the school.

I had no idea it was “Pay it Forward Day”. My girlfriend shared this with me today after I posted the following on FB and had tremendous response…Having coffee – little elderly couple comes in and puts their newspaper on the table while they order food. Another random woman sits at table and starts reading the paper with her coffee. Elderly couple comes back and asks for their paper back and she says she just bought it. They go to another table looking sad so I went and bought them a paper. Good karma for me…nasty, horrible karma for…

My International Pay It Forward Day story is that I am helping raise money for Breast Cancer Awareness because by doing this its helping someone else (someone I don’t know). One day this could be me looking for help while I battle a health problem. So I’ve involved many more people to help raise awareness and donate items to an auction I hold and the donations go directly to an organization for breast cancer research and awareness.

Hi my name is Michael, I’m doing a road trip through the USA right now and what I do is simple, I never give money to homeless people, So I buy a little something to eat to 4 homeless people in each city I stop by, I buy them a little something healthy and tasty, like an apple a cheese stick and a turkey wrap, it make my day en their

Inspired by International Pay It Forward Day I wanted to do 3 random acts of kindness. I printed out the cards, made 3 envelopes. First stop was Starbucks, I went in and asked to buy a latte for the next person who ordered one. I put the receipt in the envelope with the Pay It Forward card and asked the cashier to give it to the next person who ordered a Latte. 2nd one – I bought $10 in scratch tickets and put them in an envelope with the card. I put the envelope with everything in it on a random car in the post office parking lot. For the 3rd one, I put $10 in the 3rd envelope with the card and while I was at lunch and gave it to the owner and said to give it to someone to have a free lunch.

Benevolent.net is celebrating Pay it Forward Day by trying to fully fund one person’s need. Emily is a survivor of domestic violence who has gotten herself and her kids to safety. She’s got a solid job and simply needs help with funds for the security deposit to get herself and her kids back on solid footing and moving forward.

We hope you’ll join us in helping Emily today. You can read about Emily in her own words at http://www.benevolent.net/need.html?needId=103

I provided a co-worker with cash that would pay for her tolls on the highway for two trips.

Just surprised a client with a free session, for International Pay It Forward Day. She was very happy (and so am I)!

Career Discovery sixth grade students at J. H. Workman Middle School (an IB-MYP Candidate School) in Pensacola, FL (USA) are conducting and performing their self-selected and produced Global Issues Awareness and Pay It Forward service day activities on 4/26/12 and 4/27/12. Some of their activities include teddy bear drives to give teddy bears to children in a local hospital, setting up kindness zones for students to practice kindness acts, giving away kindness ribbons, volunteering to clean the school campus, producing posters and videos to bring awareness to global issues (e.g. world hunger, animal neglect, littering, etc.) and how others can help, Petals for Peace, kindness notes, teacher and staff appreciation, etc. Students are becoming aware of issues beyond their homes and neighborhoods as well as learning to pay it forward to others in our global and internationally minded world.

I have gathered up all my daughters clothes that she has outgrown and contacted a friend who works at a family outreach center to find a woman in desperate need of items for her baby.

James Madison University has started a Pay It Forward student organization on campus. The mission is to recognize people/groups for their random acts of kindness, provide opportunities for students to pay it forward, and celebrate Pay It Forward day. Our promo video for this year can be found at http://vimeo.com/40753008

ive been inspired from the pay it forward movie and also a lady on facebook who runs a page ripple kindness cards.
i have made 50 gift hampers–kindness packs to give away on thursday next week im planning on taking these packs to john hunter hospitial newcastle and newcastle family law court to give to total strangers to bless peoples lives .the kindness packs are absoulitly astounding .they include a poem and all the items in the poem i.e the candle and toothpick are all items within the gift hampers.i cannot wait to bless peoples lives.
here is a copy of the poem added to my gift hampers.
Im a kindness ripple sent to show you some happiness ideas.
The ring is to let you know what goes around comes around.
the toothpick is to help you pick out the good in others.
the balloon is to remind you to blow out all your hot air.
The flower is to remind you to stop and smell the flowers .
The candle is to show you that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
The ball says you can bounce back from anything.
The inspirational cards are from other ripplers showing that other ripplers care.
Showing kindness doesnt take much effort, but each little bit you do to make someone elses life just that much easier, lights a spark into your own heart.
The eraser is to remind you people make mistakes and thats ok.
The pencil is to remind you to take note of your blessings.
The rubber band is to remind you to be flexible as things may not always go the way you want.
The band-aid is to remind you to heal hurt feelingsyours or someone elses.
The chewing gum means to stick with it because you can accomplish anything.
The guardian angel is to let you know that there is always someone who can help you only need to ask.
The tea bag is to relax daily to look over your life and gods blessings.
This is my gift to you.
To the world you may just be someone ..To someone you may just be the world.
May god bless your life.

anyway the kindness packs were assembled last night and im am totally blown away from the end result of them..If you know of someone who is carring the weight of the world on their sholders and could really use a boost like a kindness pack from me inbox me either your details or theirs and ill be more than happy to fowrd one on to you……what an AWSOME CONCEPT paying it forward..

I am a teacher at Summit Middle School and our grade 8 students are involved in a Pay It Froward project. I started this project with just two classes 7 years ago but now it has grown to 9 classes this year. We watched the Pay it Forward movie together and then had the students get into to groups and come up with an idea of how to Pay It Forward in their community.

The students came up with many amazing ideas from volunteering in a Seniors home, to raising money for a variety of charities, picking up garbage at local parks, collecting and distributing food to food banks and homeless shelters, working with animals and collecting used sports equipment for Aboriginal communities. These are just SOME of the acitivities the students are involved in. We are always so impressed with what they choose to work on, they continuously surprise us!

The students did their first Pay It Forward morning in February and will do their second on April 24th and 26th. They are also required to put together a power point at the end of the project to present their activity to their peers.

I trully believe that the students can learn so much more about life skills through projects like these. Teaching a child to feel the reward of giving without expecting something in return, is one of the most importatn lessons.

Thank you for reading:)

Wow I never knew about this site, I have only been made aware of it through my current role as a Health and Lifestyle coordinator in the mines.

I loved the movie, but this concept is something that has run deep in my soul since way before the movie was ever made.

I have always loved helping others and it is a passion that I find infectious.

There are many things to list on here, but one of my most memorable “Pay it forward” or random acts of kindness, was on a day in the middle of summer I was 25 at the time (now 28) coming home from a town that I’d been shopping at. Being country towns there was 25kms (16miles) between the two. I had pulled up at road works being done, and as I was signalled to go through. I then noticed a small car parked on the side of the road a few hundred metres up ahead with the bonnet up and steam pouring out from under it.

I decided to stop and see if I could help. The owner of the car was a young lady, who had only just started University and hadn’t yet found a part time job. With the car being new in her possession and not having road side assistance she was quite distraught. After inspecting the engine, I gave her the bad news that the engine had serious problems, and she would definitely have to be towed.

After ringing her insurance company, it was going to cost $160-$200 to have it towed so I told her that I could hire a trailer for $60 and take it back to her parents which was the destination she was intending on and happened to be not much further to my own home town.

After getting it back to her parent’s house, I left feeling great. Knowing that I got her out of trouble and saved her a third of the cost it could have been. But little did I know that wasn’t the end to helping her out.

The next day I got a phone call from her mother from which she had obtained my number on the receipt for the trailer hire. She asked if I knew what was wrong with it, as the Mechanic had inspected and quoted her $2700 for a head replacement or $4700 for a complete engine change. I replied, saying that I would look into it for her and see what I could find out. It just so happened that one of my best mates had contacts to reputable wrecking yards so I rang one of them and was quite surprised to hear them say I could pick up a complete engine for $700, I relayed this information back to the mother. I found myself wanting to help further as the mechanic was going to rip her off. So I ended up buying the engine from the wreckers and towed her car back to my house.

I let the young lady, mother and father know that I wouldnt be able to have it done over night as I was working full time as an aircraft technician already but would have it done within 2 weeks. So with that I set about replacing the engine every night after work to have it done. Once completing the change I washed the car in and out and filled it with petrol. It was like it had just rolled off the assembly line once again. It really looked good and was a great feeling of accomplishment.

On returning the car I received the $700 back to purchase the engine, with the Young lady, mother and father insisting that I take money for all the labour that I put into it. I refused but they did manage to pull me in for dinner, plus I had to promise to the young lady that I would go for dinner with her also, to which I agreed.

It was so fulfilling knowing how happy I made them all, but it wasn’t till I received a letter in the mail from the mother that it really hit home how good an act of random kindness to a complete stranger felt. I had all my friends saying I was bloody crazy for doing such a thing, and that I was an idiot. But looking back I still feel great to this day at the happiness it brought that family.

The letter sent to me from the mother:
——————————–
Hi Grant,

I have been meaning to write to you for weeks now as I felt we did not have the chance to thank you properly for what you did- though I was pleased you and Emma went out for dinner.

At the time I had just found out my dad was very ill and that has been occupying my thoughts.

Emma’s car is running really well thanks to you. I wanted to let you know your good samaratin act has not gone unappreciated by all of us. We constantly talk about and tell our friends about how fantastic it was that you helped Emma on the day and went out of your way to assist in whatever way you could with the repairs. We also noticed all the little extras like cleaning the car and filling it with petrol. That was so nice of you. There are very few people who would do what you did and I am always telling my friends what an inspirational person you are.

We also really enjoyed meeting you and hearing all about your life and hope that you will follow your artistic dreams as you have a great talent there.

You are a person who makes a difference in people’s lives and we hope to see you again sometime.

Call or drop in anytime you are in the area!!!

All the best,

Lyndell and Steve.

A friend from the country has had to stay at a lodge in Perth while having cancer treatment. The lodge is provided by the Cancer Council for Country patients, so they have somewhere to stay while having treatment. She will be okay, receiving her last lot of radiation treatment for breast cancer and has good news. However a husband and wife that she met while at the lodge will not have such a good outcome, he is terminal. They needed a house in Perth, too sick to take the trip home, and the lodge is only while having treatment. Of course they need furniture for this house. I am a Settlement Agent and one client mentioned having to clean out a storage unit full of furniture, usually nothing to do with us completing the settlement. I asked her if there was anything she would be giving away and could I have anything for the couple (who I have never met). We arranged to meet at the unit and she showed us what she wanted to give us and mentioned some stuff she would need to get to her place, sometime (not now). We insisted while we were there we would move everything she needed at her house FIRST then take the donated items. (9 hours of moving furniture) Helping two complete strangers is soooo much more rewarding than helping existing friends or family. Friends and family sometimes sort of expect the help, or I should say most people are more greatful for a strangers helpful hand than a family or friends help. Unfortunately, it appears the ill husband deteriated rapidly and won’t even be well enough to move into a house. Still waiting to hear if the wife will need it. If not this act may well end up helping a third person I guess. In the meantime my dining room is a storage unit, but it won’t be forever.

A couple times a week i volunteer for a group called Musicians on Call, guiding a volunteer musician around a Nursing Home on the lower west side of NY. We go room to room asking if the residents would like to hear a song. Some people are excited right away, others kind of shrug. But even the people who seem down the most end up tapping a foot or singing along and smiling and clapping by the end. Music really does heal. Pay it forward!

Our elementary school couselor and I decided that we wanted to share the “Pay It Forward” idea with my 5th grade students. So as part of “Social Studies,” the counselor came in and presented the idea along with showing clips from the movie and having the children brainstorm ideas of ways that they could “Pay It Forward.” We gave them a month to put an idea into action. They will return to class at the end of May with the results of their “Pay It Forward” Project. The students were so excited that the day after the presentation that is all they wanted to talk about! It was inspiring to hear their ideas on how they (at age 10 and 11) could pay a kindness. We turned it into a math lesson too by showing how many kindnesses would be paid if each of the 60 5th graders “paid it forward” to 3 people. WOW! We are hoping to celebrate the day in a bigger and better way next year!

Gina
Pittsburgh, PA
P.S. I love the t-shirt idea from Mrs. Donney’s post!

We have a friend who is now under hospice care and in the final stages of his battle with cancer. I am looking for people interested in sending a simple “Hi there Steve”message on a postcard from their town…anyone here who will do this and brighten his day? (and it makes for great conversation when I visit him…’have you been there,… ever heard of this town, been in this state’? etc)…send him an anonymous message:
Steve Hart
c/o James Urquhart
191 Eckmann Place
Petaluma CA 94952

And thank you!!!

The Pass It Forward Philosophy has now been adopted by over 200 countries! For more information please go to http://www.aunitedworld.net/pifstories

I just donated a Basket filled with scentsy in it to a benefit for a man who is battling lung and brain cancer. The money from the auction will be given to his family. <3

Today, my little sister and I bought a dozen roses and passed them out to the elderly people at a local nursing home. The manager on duty was so surprised that we weren’t doing it as some sort of school project or something, she couldn’t believe we were just two people, choosing to do something nice. The nursing home residents were absolutely tickled pink! Several wanted to pay us for the flowers, which we politely declined. Little sis and I already agreed we are doing Pay It Forward day again next year!

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL PAY IT FORWARD DAY, 2011!! Here in West Boca Raton, Florida, USA….at West Boca Raton High School, we displayed posters announcing that it was Pay it Forward day around the world…we asked every student to do something kind for someone today and we passed out Pay it Forward Bracelets (courtesy of Charley Johnson) throughout the day!!! Our school also made the T-shirts that many people around the USA wore today to celebrate Pay it Forward Day!!! We are very honored to be a part of a wonderful DAY!! Sincerely: Mrs. Donney and the West Boca Raton High School Pay it Forward Club!!!

Four and a half years ago , I lost my 24 year old daughter in a tragic accident. she was am amazing young women with a heart of gold. Since her death , I honor her life with a “Polar Plunge ” accepting donations for a local fund for needy families for Christmas. And each June , I give a scholarship to a graduating senior headed for college who tells me how they mad ea difference in someone else’s life. I miss her smile everyday, but feel great to be able to keep her memory alive .

I am in the middle of a book called “The Chocolate Diaries.” It is a book meant to help uplift people and has some great ideas for things to do when one is hurting emotionally. Today one of my friends mentioned she is really hurting. I will be sending her the book, along with a journal and a package of chocolates just as soon as I finish it!

I would like to thank the lady who paid for my lunch tab today at Bob Evan’s Restaurant. She brightened my day and gave me the opportunity to explain the ‘Pay It Forward’ concept to my son. What an awesome Feel Good moment. Thank you so much!

I live in KC., MO. and work downtown for a large company. today someone paid it forward on the vending machine at work, by letting someone else pay for your snack from the machine. the person that brought something before you. thier change comes back down after they select a snack , to leave the money, for someone else to buy something. if that person leaves the change in the change slot for the next person. Which I thought was very nice, to pay it forward to allow someone to get a snack. The pay it forward was on the vendeing machine. Not sure if it was the vending machine company , or my employer. But I think it was very nice , because today was a day when I had no lunch money for lunch. Thank you for the Pay it forward note on the machine

Today on Pay it Foward Day 2011 I invited a lovely homeless man out to lunch and he accepted! We spent some time talking about his upbringing, why his house was not a home and why he chose to live in shelters, cars and on the street since being a teenager. It left me grateful for my stable and happy family upbringing.

I am also bought 2 extra umbrellas and gave them to the first 2 people I saw getting rained on in Sydney today. They offered to pay but I said actually please Pay it Forward instead!

I am an AmeriCorps Member who is tutoring middle school 6th, 7th and 8th grade students. I have found there are lots of challenges in this type of sharing. I am starting a “BackPack” project at this middle school with the help of some of the students. One of my 6 grade tutee was surprise to find that a student can be homeless. later, in a tutoring session she reported that a class peer was putting food from the cafeteria into her pockets and would eat it later. The student thought the peer was crazy and weird. I saw this as a chance to be informative instead of projecting judgement. The 6 grade tutee became humble and exhibited compassion toward the peer after I tried to explain what may be her peer curricumstances. She even asked if there was anything we could do? I also find that even though some students may exhibit crulty toward other students, some of these same students are not as bad as they seem when they understand the situations better.

It was a few days before Christmas I was just about to leave work. I had just shut off our office switch board. I grab my things and started to leave when the phone rang. I thought I must have forgotten to turn the phones off. Oh well I thought to myself I’m not answering it I’m going home. I looked down at the caller ID and it was a local number. So I answered it. It was my co-worker all frantic outside the office because it was very cold outside and there was a cat crying and he was possible injured. I sighed thinking why did I answer the phone. I walked outside and there was my co-worker, the cat was walking around and meowing very loudly. He was dirty and covered in snow. He looked just like my cat. I knelt down and called to him. He came running over as if saying pick me up and warm me up. I snuck into the office and made him a home in one of the conference rooms. Other co-workers that had stayed late started to help. We got him a cat box, cat food, water, and a blanket we even made him a bed. He slept there for the night. Some called him Fred others Frank. He had many names. The next day we started the search for Fred’s family. I made poster with his photo, others posted information about Fred online. Soon there were hits. People were calling but no owner just others that had lost a loved pet. Finally I got a hit from one of the websites. A women called I could hear children in the background she said we had her cat. Leary I asked her some security question. We had all grown attached to our office cat I wanted to make sure he was going to the right home. She told me he had been missing for several weeks. We had had a blizzard so she had thought there would be no hope of finding him but she saw his picture online and knew it was him. She came to pick him up. She went into the office where he had been staying and called to him. He jumped into her arms and rubbed his face on hers. As if to say what took you so long. Fred was her cat. His real name was Chang. They lived about 30-45 mins away in another city near a truck stop. She said he had probably looked for a warm place and found himself going for a joyride in an eighteen wheeler. We all teared up. She was so happy. We watched her walk to her car where her husband and two young daughters waited. They all hug the cat. Someone whispered what a great Christmas story.

Hellz Bellz Total Body Fitness was created by two women who wanted to help others get fit while also giving back to the community in which we live. We are both fortunate to have jobs in these tough economic times and realize that a lot of people are too financially strapped to join a gym or fitness boot camp. We also realize that a lot of non-profit organizations are struggling with donations as well. We decided to offer FREE fitness boot camps whereby boot camp participants bring any donation they can afford. All donations will help benefit charity and non-profit organizations. Our motto is: “Get Fit and Pay it Forward!” Please visit our site and LIKE us on Facebook. Together, we can make a difference. Thanks! Hellz Bellz Total Body Fitness

April 28th is just one of 365 days a year that my organization will support Pay It Forward’s worldwide initiative. As the Founder and Medical Director of Embryo Donation International (EDI), one of the few, private, non-faith based, non-discriminatory and full-service embryo donation facilities in the United States providing cost-effective embryo donation options to people around the globe desiring to build a family, I have launched a unique program that allows embryo donors to select one of ten charities to which EDI will make a cash donation after the donors’ embryos arrive at EDI. The charities include Save the Children, Doctors Without Borders, Make a Wish Foundation International, March of Dimes, United Way, RESOLVE, American Fertility Association, American Cancer Society, Children’s Advocacy Center of Southwest Florida and the Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. These nonprofits will receive a cash donation of $30 for one embryo donated, $60 for two embryos donated or $100 for three or more embryos donated. In the vast majority of cases, three or more embryos are donated. Making year-round charitable donations, based on the admirable Pay It Forward philosophy, is my and my dedicated staff’s way to contribute to society today and tomorrow.

So… i don’t really have a story to tell. However I do want to say a few things. The Pay it Forward movie really had touched my life in so many ways. I have been wanting to do a day just like this, just to show others how things can come back in such a positive way. If you love to do things for others , this is one way to do it knowing that when you leave a card, then they will also pay it forward. I am so going to do this and talk to my employer about participating! I really hope that millions will get involved!

Hi Everyone,
I have been Paying it Forward for years now.So I am going to Pay it Forward to you, right here, right now.
What I do is fundraise in a unique way.If you do the following steps,chances are good that you will find some money or property for yourself or someone you know.
1)Go to http://www.unclaimed.org
2)Click on any State where you have Family,Friends,Business.
3)In the search box,using only the last name box,type in a last name/business name.
The key to this is to always leave the city and first name boxes blank.For example,if you enter just a last name,everyone in the State with that name who has money will appear.But if you enter first names/city names….you narrow the search too much.
here are two examples from the California State Controllers Office:
Date: 4/9/2011 Source: INT Property ID Number: 962454031
Owner(s) Name: PAY IT FORWARD FOUNDATION
Reported Owner Address: 3020 BRIDGEWAY #204
C/O LAUREL COMMUNICATION
SAUSALITO CA 94965
Type of Property: Vendor Checks
Cash Reported: $25.63
Reported By: BARNES AND NOBLE.COM
————————————————————————-
Business Contact Information: INSIGHT NORTH AMERICA INC.
ABANDONED & UNCLAIMED PROPERTY
PRICEWATERHOUSE COOPERS
10 TENTH ST. STE 1400
ATLANTA, GA 30309
(678) 419-1792
Type of Property: CREDIT BALANCE- ACCTS REC
Cash Reported: $29,201.87
Shares Reported: 0
Name of Security Reported:
Date Reported: 10/28/2010
Date of Last Contact: 5/4/2007
Owner(s) Name: GOOGLE INC
Reported Owner Address: 1600 AMPHITHEATRE PKWY
MOUNTAIN VIEW CA 94043-1351
In conclusion,you can help yourself,your family,or maybe even some people you don’t even know.
You know….PAY IT FORWARD!!!

I run a small shop specialising in nappies & personal hygiene products for everyone from Pregnant mothers, infants, children, the elderly & the disabled. I have decided to give a free gift bag (consisting of a number of cleaning products, which everyone uses) to every customer that makes a purchase on pay-it-forward-day. I will be paying for it all out of my own pocket just to brighten up someone’s day Everyone loves a freebee!

We’ll be doing a Free Hugs/Abrazos Gratis Hug-Fest this day – most likely in VARIOUS locations around San Jose & Escazu, COSTA RICA!!!!

Plus a showing of the movie “Pay It Forward” (though NOT showing the ending since it takes away from the INCREDIBLE positive energy of the movie) & potluck that night in Escazu.

Details to come!!!!

Before I had even heard of Pay it Forward, this happened. I ride a motorcycle, and to get into carparks you go around the barrier arm (it is free). After shopping, I went to leave, and realised I’d gone out the wrong entrance! The barrier arm extended all the way across. I was about to back out when someone else pulled up behind me. I was blocking her, but all she did was gesture to move forward. I did, and she swiped her card and let me out. It was a small thing, but I never forgot it. I’ll make sure Pay it Forward day is known here.

my class was doin a pay it forward project so for my project me and y friends dicided to throw a suprise party for our art teacher with 20 dollars

Tyre Pay it Forward Story

I was travelling home in the early evening after completing some finishing work on a condominium I was remodeling for a client of mine. I drove towards the freeway as I usually do and approached the overpass that leads to the freeway onramp. I had to stop for the red-light and as I came to a stop I happened to glance out of my peripheral and noticed an older car pull up alongside me. I looked at the car and then I looked at the tires and noticed one looked pretty bare and worn. I turned toward the driver and was about to honk roll down my window and mention it to them when suddenly the light turned green. We were both several cars back and didn’t make the next light, so when we came to a stop I looked at the tires again and this time I got a better look at both passenger side tires and I noticed the back tire had cables protruding out of the sidewall. Well as I know about tires I felt I had to immediately advert the driver and as I honked to get their attention I noticed a young lady in her mid twenties or so rolled down the window.

She was alone, but I spontaneously felt compelled to help her. I was more nervous about what would happen if her tires blew out and she died or what if my telling her could help avoid a big car accident from occurring on the freeway. I had to speak quickly as I only had about a minute or two before the light changed again. I said to the young lady, “Excuse me, but are you aware that your tires are bare and there are cables sticking out of the sidewall?” she nodded her head awkwardly yes and I then said “is it because of finances that you have not been able to address it?” She nodded, yes again. I said, “You don’t know me, but I would like to help you”. “I’m afraid your tires may blowout at any moment and I would like to help you get them fixed.” She kind of looked at me kind of dumbfounded for moment, but continued to listen. I said, “The light is going to change and there is a tire store that I have done business with for 15 years about two miles from here, if you follow me on the busy side streets I can take you there and they can fix your tires for you.”

For whatever reason she changed lanes got behind me and followed me to the tire store. When we arrived, one of the guys who knows me well immediately came over and said, “What’s up?” I said, “This young lady followed me here; I don’t know her, but want to do a good deed and help her with her tires that have cables sticking out of the sidewall, can you take a look at her car.” They said, “Sure” and took her keys and drove her car into the bay to have a look. The young lady stood next to me not really saying anything, but just had kind of a stunned look on her face as the tire crew did exactly as I asked. They came over about 5 minutes later and said, “All four tires are damaged and the front and rear brakes are completely worn-out.” We started to walk towards the tire store lobby together and as I needed to leave to make another appointment I said to my tire guy, “Change all of her tires, fix all of her brakes, put it on my account and make sure she gets the warranty information in her name.”

This time she started to speak up and asked, “Who are you and why are you helping a total stranger that you don’t even know?” I said, “Who I am is not important, but what is important is what I am about to ask of you.” I said, “I am paying it forward to help you by doing a good deed for a total stranger and all I ask in return is that you help three total strangers in your lifetime in some significant way.” I prefer that each pay it forward moment is completely spontaneous and under circumstances not expected or anticipated at the time, yet you somehow instinctively know that these strangers need your help specifically at that precise moment.” She shook her head yes, started to cry and said she was going to the local Christian college and didn’t make enough money at her part time job to fix her car. I said, “That problem has now been solved.” She reached out to hug me and say thank you. I obliged, said, “God bless,” and walked away. I never even asked her name.

Later that winter I would spontaneously help another young lady stranded in her car in the middle of a snow storm on that same back road route I travelled home on. Her car battery was dead and needed a jump as she sat in the middle of the street trying to start her car to no avail. I helped jump start her car a couple times and after it kept dying I said to her, “A tire store that I go to often is just a couple of miles away and I would like to help you get your car battery replaced and all I ask in return is that you pay it forward one day by helping three total strangers spontaneously in need.” She agreed, and then said, “My dad is a local minister and you are an answer to prayer.” To which I replied, “I’m just a guy with a good heart that was passing by that happened to notice you needed help, follow me.” She did, and the same tire store replaced her car battery, put it on my account and my tire guy just smiled at me and shook his head as I walked away never even having asked her name and that’s the way I prefer it.
I have been paying it forward in one way or another all of my life and I sincerely encourage all of you to do the same. I help people all of the time in my business, but I save my pay it forward moments for times when I am not consciously thinking about it and the opportunity reveals itself spontaneously, that’s when I know.

Thank you for reading my paying it forward experiences.

I look forward to reading yours!

Ashtin Vanderbilt

Tonight a man was walking passed my house and saw me outside and asked it he could borrow $30 to pay for the heat in his house to get turned back on. He had an 8 week old baby at home and was afraid for her health. I am not sure if the story was true or not, but he was a very nice man and if it was true, then his baby will be OK. And hopefully he will do a good deed for another, if presented with the opportunity. *Pay It Forward*

Many moons ago, before this website was created, before the movie “Pay It Forward” started production or had any publicity, before the three words became known as an act of kinkness, the following happened.
Upon leaving Nashville, TN, Franklin to be more specific, I looked down at my Camry’s gages to see that my gas tank was almost on empty. Ahead was the famous Loveless Motel and Restarant, so I knew there was a gas station not even a block from the famous eatery that was packed with hungry families dresses in their Sunday Best, waiting to get a seat inside! Although my husband, Philip, and I, had passed this same scene so many times before, this was the first time I drove this trip alone from Memphis to Franklin and back again.
The gas station was very busy. Gearing up for a long wait, I pulled in behind a car already at a pump. Just as I was about to shift into park, the first vehicle drove away from the fuel pump. Waiving at the attendant, I began to pump the gas. My trusted Camry digested just under $27.00 of liquid energy.
When I finally got to the counter to pay the clerk, I handed him the gas credit card my husband had given me to use if I had to stop. The clerk swiped the card, and a message returned saying that card was not supported at that station! Remembering I had my husband’s bank card, I gave it to the clerk. He swiped it, and a message read. “Please enter ypur PIN!” I couldn’t remember the personal identification number! Frantically grabbing my cell phone, I called my husband, who was at home in Memphis. NO Answer! His cell number. No answer! Philip’s office, and the same, No answer!
Invisioning washing dished all day long as I frantically searched for cash, I realized the long line of customers behind me! My gravely almost bare wallet assured me I did not have enough dough to pay for the gas, so I placed the soft drink I had retrieved from the ice box to the side.
Just as I made another fruitless attempt to call my husband, the man who was second in line behind me stepped forward, handing the clerk a $30.00 in cash. As the clerk gladly accepted the sawbucks, I declared, “I can’t let you do this!” But the handsome gentleman told the clerk to go ahead. As I gasped, my head went completely blank! I could not think! Just as this kind gentleman, who was not much older than me, touched my shoulder, a feeling of warmth rained through my body.
Thirty dollars is a lot of money! I asked how I could ever thank him, and he said to help someone else when they were in need, just as he had thanked me. Pleading for his name and address so I could repay him, the only bit of identity I got from him was he was a cop in Brentwood. He wouldn’t even give me the location of his precinct, other than Brentwood, TN.
Before the three small words became a household phrase, a kind man, at a gas station out in the boone sticks south of Nashville, on a Sunday morning, set in motion, “Pay It Forward!” Never will I forget this man. But ALWAYS, I will try to repay him, the only way he would except. PAY IT FORWARD! Help someone in their time of need!

a couple of wees ago a friend randomly posted a photo of a piece of my jewelry on your pay it forward day – within minutes i had over 850 hits on my website….this was the greatest gift as i am a new business and her gesture gave me the encouragement to continue to work hard and appreciate all of those people that have helped me on my journey. i was so overwhelmed by the effect her gesture had on me that i have continued along the “pay it forward” guidelines and try to promote someone each day that needs encouragement – whether it be emotional support or a plug for their business efforts – whatever- i remember to do something that will help someone along their journey. mine has been gratifying thus far and the boost of encouragement that i received on dec 1st will keep me feeling good for a long time. thanks for creating the pay it forward day….what a lovely idea.

For me it started in 1975 when I was asked that question… What do you want to be when you grow up? Well I thought I could be anything but I just did not know what… For most kids you can be an Astronaut, Fireman, Doctor Etc… For me it was harder for some reason.

My mind was going crazy… I was not sure of what I wanted to be much less come up with an answer for my teacher. This was a lot of pressure for a kid my age… Ultimately all I knew is that I just want one thing in life which is to be truly happy and to help others… I knew that if I did kind things for people it would make them happy.

Today my passion is growing and I’m changing the world by the power of three. I started Paying It Forward… A Business Philosophy and the Facebook charity page to bring awareness. Join me on LinkedIn… Support The Power of Three…

it’s not really a story. but i begin with spreading awareness through my blog among malaysians who aren’t expose to this concept…hope u will take a look at my post..=)

http://michelicious-mich.blogspot.com/2010/12/lend-me-your-hand-pay-it-forward.html

Nothing too special on my part. It was cold and raining HARD one day. I simply picked a girl up a few blocks from campus and gave her a ride to class. I told her to “pay it forward” as she was getting out of the car.

I work in a Publix grocery and have been ther 13 years.. I was trying to decide what to do and figured I would surprise someone by paying for ther groceries.. It was 7 in the am and as I was getting coffee a lady came up to one of the registers.. I ask if I could pay for her groceries and I thought she was going to die.. She was so greatful and I felt so good all day. I told her all I ask in return was to pay it forward!!! Feeling good on Florida!!!

ON SATURDAY MORNING AROUND 11:30 AM, MY DAUGHTER, MOTHER-IN-LAW, AND I WERE DRIVING DOWN TO MY HUSBANDS WORK IN PALM HARBOR, WHEN WE SAW THIS OLD MAN, WALKING DOWN THE ROAD. YOU COULD TELL HE HAS WAS HOMELESS, AND KIND OF FEELING ALONE, SO I TURN THE VAN AROUND AND WENT BACK TO FIND HIM, ONCE I DID I CALLED OUT TO HIM, GAVE HIM $5.00 AND TOLD HIM TO HAVE A GREAT XMAS. I THEN TURNED BACK AROUND TO GO BACK TO MY CAR, STOPPED AND LOOKED BACK AT HIM, AT THIS TIME HE HAD DROPPED THE TWO BOTTLES THAT HE HAD IN HIS HAND. I CALLED BACK TO HIM AND TOLD HIM THAT I HAD A BAG FOR HIM RAN IT BACK TO HIM AND PICKED UP THE TWO BOTTLES THEN GAVE THE BAG BACK TO HIM. HE STOPPED LOOKED VERY SHOCKED AND GAVE ME A HUG. I HAVE TO SAY THAT WAS THE BEST HUG I HAD ALL DAY. I HAVE TO SAY THAT MADE ME FEEL SO GREAT.

i couldnt attend ur day ~ found out 2 late ~ but believe random acts of kindness and “paying it forward” should happen as frequently as possible and am soo thankful that more and more ppl are turning to being kind rather than angry and bitter =] maybe just maybe we are all being payed forward by someone huh???

I am fortunate enough to have a job that provides a nice supplimental income for my family’s needs and wants. Just recently, one of my clients was so kind to include a substantial Wal Mart gift card with my check. Thinking of several things I could use it for , I came home and asked my son what he thought we should do with it. Welll, he told me that they were collecting canned food and socks for the needy at school and suggested we go to Wal Mart and buy as much of them as we can with it. And that’s exactly what we we did…Happy Holidays to All!

my husband and I gave birth to a baby boy two months ago. He was on this earth for three hours and 13 min. before he joined God in heaven. The nurse gave us the clothes that our son wore in the hospital. We are going to the hospital this weekend to pay it forward with clothes we will donate for other parents. This is going to be an annual tradition for us. Better late than never. I had to be right with myself before I chose to do this.

12-1-10 — Gave $10 and a hug to the homeless woman on the train; prayed with a friend; prayed for a friend -Carlsbad, California

Today I was exchanging some Christmas lights at Kmart, and saw a baby doll behind the customer service counter. On it, there was a note that said, “hold for 2 hours for Martha”. So I bought it for her, and told the clerk it was my “pay it forward” deed, and to tell Martha Merry Christmas. The clerk said she had heard of it, and was still thinking of her deed. I told her I was thinking of buying someone a cup of coffee, but when I saw that baby doll, I knew some child would love that for Christmas, and that’s when I knew that was my turn. Let’s hope everyone does this, makes the world a better place, and it makes your heart feel so full when you do it.

Tonight while I was working as a server at a local restaurant 3 people came into my work, 2 guys and a girl, they were pretty young like probably mid 20’s. They had a coffee and a hot tea. When they left I went to get my tip, it was a 1 dollar bill and a 100 dollar bill inside folded up. This has made my whole month :] I didnt even know about this “pay it forward” day. I will give my good deeds to others aswell now.

Someone stopped me as I was walking down the street and gave me a Pay it Forward gift card for Starbucks. This definitely made my day! Thank you Janet. I will most certainly pay it forward! What a wonderful idea!

In my life, I always helped others. I always bless motorcycles drivers for they speed; i ask them to cool. I work at the Portuguese Red Cross In Portugal in a small village near the sea called “Parede”. My work at the moment is just this: 3 times per week I go there and make a therapy to this lady. She needs it. She calls me “friend”. What I receive is just enough for the gasoline for my, nothing else. I have been doing this for about 3 months. I feel Happy. Today I am going to pray for her recovery. I do it every week without her knowledge. I pray to God so that she becomes cured. I do it with Love even thought I have no work. “God blesses us”

15 years ago my only daughter was killed in a horrific car accident.My daughter was a shared child & my birth family blamed me for her death, I have not seen my birth family since,it was a terrible time for all & when I could afford it I placed a beautiful plaque on her grave.Sometime later her plaque was stolen & a phone call confirmed what I already knew & sadly it was a member of my own birth family that had stolen her beautiful plaque.Earlier this year I contacted the funeral home & met a man who helped me get permission & organise a more beautiful plaque to be placed for my daughter.I have never met this man in person but the kindness that he showed to me as a stranger made me feel even though my own family have always hated me for loving my daughter that I really was worthy to be cared about as a human being & my daughter deserved to be recognised as my daughter.Her plaque has now been placed once again & I knew that I needed to pay forward the love & kindness shown to me.I will never forget the kindness of a complete stranger & hope that I can be half the person in my daily life that he was to me.

My daughter told me about the random act ok kindness card and told me she was going to do something kind and that when she was done doing something kind for me I had to do something kind for someoneelse. So she raked the leaves and helped clean the house with her sister. It is time for me to pay it foward.

I have dedicated my life to seniors and really any one that is in need. I have passion for life and with that i pass smiles all day and try to make people feel the best they can for that day. This is me every day not just once in a while and my grandson has this personality also so lets keep on the great work and we will live a great life with lots of love around us.

I recently agreed to queue with lots of football supporters at
6.30 am on a Saturday morning to buy two tickets for a very important football match on behalf of my nephew who is a massive fan of Portsmouth Football Club, (PFC) – he lives 190 miles away from their home ground.

I’d been in the queue for over an hour only to find out that I didn’t have the £3 in cash I needed to pay for the booking fee when a lovely, kind young man in the queue behind me offered me the £3 without hesitation and refused to give me any contact details so I could pay him back.

Hello, I don’t have a story yet, but I did start a Pay it Forward group in my area where people can pay school supplies forward to students, teachers, and schools. Being in the school system, I can tell people the affects of the pay it forward movement.

On my way home from shopping one day i noticed traffic was at a slow down, I thought to myself I hope everything was allright, when I got closer I noticed a dog in the middle of the road, which was hit by a car. Traffic was moving slow but nobody stopped to help the poor dog, I thought to myself Oh my god I have to do something, so I pulled my truck over to the side of the road to see if I could do anything, I ran to some nearby homes to see if anybody knew the owner of the dog nobody did so I went back to my truck and grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around the dog, I tried to pick the dog up but couldn’t, and then at the same moment a stranger said can I help, I said please. I told him I didn’t know who the owner was but I wanted to take the dog to the vet, he said he would hop in the back of my truck and hold the dog. Well off we go my heart pounding 500 beats per minute it seemed. It was a cold saturday in March I felt sorry for the guy and the dog in the back of the truck, well off the vet we went the first one was closed so I tried another thank god it was opened the stranger and I rusched the dog into the vet. When we got inside I had told the vet, and said I would pay for the dog if nobody could find the owners, the vet said that they just recieved a call asking if they had recieved a dog that got hit by a car. They called the owners, it was about 10 minutes later the vet said that the dog would be ok just some cuts and scraped I was so relieved. I Thanked the vet but the stranger had already left before I had a chance to thank him. As I was getting ready to get into my car a lady came up to me and asked if I was the person that dropped off a dog that was hit by a car, I replied yes then with tear filled eyes she thanked me and said do you know why there are blue ribbons hanging on all the posts this week, I said no, she replied this is Random Acts of Kindness week my eyes also filled with tears as we said our goodbys. I hope the stranger that helped me on the cold day knows that I couldn’t have done it by myself and thank-you where ever you are.

I have been an advocate of Pay It Forward for a couple of years now. Ever since I saw the movie. Last year, around Christmas time, I had a friend who had just been involved in a violent attack from a neighbor and was put out of work due to the stress and emotional issues. Her husband was the only one working and they were having money issues. I was fortunate to have been chosen by a program to be given $150.00 to help my children out at Christmas time for toys. I took my friend with me to a store and had her pick out toys and clothes fro her two boys that totaled that amount and bought the stuff for her. She was able to put some stuff under her tree last year for her boys. I never asked for anything in return. I did mention to her about paying it forward and helping someone else.

My son is 13 and belongs to a 4-H club, in Dallas OR, (the Achievers). This group of awesome kids has a passion for community service, and giving back, throughout the year they hold a variety of petting zoos, hold a canned food drive, clean up the fairgrounds, and adopt families in need over the holidays.
They all took part in “Pay it Forward Day In some way. My son Zach and his friend Sierra started their “Pay it Forward” project on Friday by making 5 different kinds of cookies and bagging them up to give to their teachers, local business, the mayor, etc, they even made little goody bags for children they did not know at school. On Friday my son and I Started are day by buying coffee at local coffee shop for people until the $20.00 was gone. It was so much fun, and we loved watching peoples reaction, and hearing how we made their day. He passed out the cookies and the candies, and then after school we passed out carnations with “pay it forward day cards attached”. The kids were loving it and so were the people we were paying it forward to. Between the two of them they passed out 150 pay it forward day cards, and will continue to help people through out the weekend. But I think are biggest “Pay it Forward” happened when we were stopped at a traffic light. In OR we have a bottle deposit and as we were stopped at a light we watched a young man chase a 2 litre pop bottle down the street as the wind had blown it, at first it was kind of funny to watch, but the wind got a hold of more of his bottles and soon he was trying to chase down about 15 bottles. We could see the look of despair on his face, it was not funny anymore, we turned the corner got out of the car and helped him get all his bottles picked up. He was so grateful, when we got in the car I told my son, Now that was really “Paying it Forward.
Laura, Dallas OR

Today I bought iced teas from Starbucks for the lady standing in front of me. She wanted to pay it forward right there and buy mine but I told her she needed to pay it forward to someone else. What is interesting is that she bought the last of the iced green tea, which is what I was going to buy. We both had a chuckle about that. She had 2 iced teas and seemed concerned that she had 2; I said no problem. Then when I was paying for the order Starbucks inside my Kroger store (using my Kroger card) turns out I was eligible for a free one. So Karma was working. From there I drove to a friend’s house, helped her pack for a 2-week cruise and brought her back to my house to spend the night because I’ll be taking her VERY early in the morning to the airport.

Started constructing a new web site encouraging a positive outlook and enthusiasm for life. So far I have included, quotes, meditations, metaphysical info, book and movie recommendations, photography of places of travel that inspired and writings! http://www.ancienteye.org

I went to McDonalds for lunch today and when I went to pay for my order in the drive thru, I told the cashier that I was paying for the car behind me. I handed the cashier a note to give the driver when he came up to pay. On the piece of paper I wrote: Pay it Forward, Share a random act of kindness with someone. 4/29/10

So far today I paid $20 toward the purchase of the person behind me at the Walmart check out, after my 90 minute massage at the massage school I purchased a certificate for the same and gave it to the painter/ maintenance guy at our condo complex. The rest of the day will like consist of handing out the 50 plus GRATITUDE rocks I bought at Walmart taody. Perhaps I’ll pay for someones dance lessons at Swing Class tonight. Yehoo, cheers everyone!

I try to Pay It Forward on a regular basis with the Secret Agent L project. But today felt extra special, because it really IS a day to give, give, give! I plan on completing three acts total, but here’s one that I documented:

http://www.secretagentl.com/2010/04/mission-international-pay-it-forward.html

Thank you for this wonderful site and all its resources! Keep up the kindness and the awesome work!

Love and Kindness,
Secret Agent L

I’m so glad that my friend asked me to join. I’ve only done small things. Many times I let someone go in front of me while waiting in the line at the grocery store. I do the same thing when I’m driving.

April 29, 2010 International Pay it Forward Day
All across the entire world, people are doing Random Acts of Kindness??? Today???
That’s an amazing thought!!!!
Well, West Boca High School students spread some love and passed out some cupcakes to people on campus who least expected it. The students also paid it forward by giving away a free book: “Doing Good Works: Small Acts that Make Big Difference” that was given to them. A Pay It Forward Today card was included with each gift. This card told the recipient to go do a random act of kindness for someone else. If nothing else, there were plenty of smiles, and people’s days were made a little brighter.

After hearing about Pay It Forward Day on NPR this morning, while standing in line to purchase lunch at my company’s cafeteria, I declared to the register attendant that in recognition of Pay It Forward Day I would pay for the lunch of the person behind me. Other than the fact that we worked for same company, the person was a complete stranger. And, I had only been with the company a couple of week. Needless to say he was very surprised and happy. Hopefully, he will take the random act of kindness and pass it on!

I didn’t know it was Pay It Forward Day today. I don’t think the woman online behind me at the post office did, either, when she gave me the $5.22 I was short to ship some books & art out.

I offered to pay her back as I live right around the corner. She smiled at me, told me she tries to do a good deed everyday, and praised Jah.

I thanked her, and told her how I often pay the toll for the car behind me when I cross the river after someone did it for me a long time ago.

It made my week. I hope I can put that feeling out into the world:)

The film has a great message of ‘giving to others’….(wow…what a concept…LOL…! )After watching this beautiful film I started giving gifts to others on my birthday & asking them to ‘pay it forward’.

My Aunt is a single mother and a Union Laborer who was just called back to work a week ago. She’s been exhausted trying to get herself and her 6 year old back into the routine after being laid off for months. I’ve known about Pay it Forward but didn’t know there was a Day for it until this morning. I walked over while she was at work and did her dishes. It felt great to do something so simple. I plan to do more every week! Anything I can think of and I will be coming here for inspiration.

Every day I pay it forward by speaking; Hello & Good morning, too someone. This small interaction could make someone’s day. The reward could be a Hello or smile. Please pay it forward and do the same. Hello & Hugs go out to everyone on a daily.

I have previously emailed you about our project. Today Gavin took some treats and made a poster to talk to his class about pay it forward. We created an event on our facebook fan page that has just under 200 fans now and out of that have a confirmed 43 people that will be doing something to pay it forward tomorrow!

We are donating 144 each special edition “SLEVS” to both the Zoological Society of Florida and The Humane Society of The United States.

Someone paid for my families meal going through drive through McDonalds and left a Pay it Forward Day card. It absolutely made my day – I just wish I could thank the person who did it. I will most certainly pay it forward – what a wonderful idea!

Quite awhile back you sent me about 200 “Pay It Forward” bracelets that my company could use at our sales meeting. We just returned from our meeting in Indianapolis..it started 4/11 and we came home yesterday 4/15. My company is a medical/surgical distributor and this is our 9th corporate sales meeting. We sent 75 of our employees. For our team building project on Sunday night we made 10 teams and gave each team $1000. We had a list of charities that might benefit from donations and they could choose any one or more they wanted…we gave them till Wednesday to let us know what they did with the money and we were going to choose the team that did the most with their money, among other criteria. I won’t go into detail, but the event turned out to have so much more impact than we ever could have imagined. We were going to give each team 5 minutes to tell brief stories of what they did, but that wasn’t near enough time!! Needless to say, there wasn’t a dry eye…and as I said before, the whole experience was indescribable…we decided not to choose a winning team and as a matter of fact, the President of our company gave each team another $1000 to give to worthy causes. When you witness something like it together as a group, you go away feeling so much closer and even though there was sadness, we left feeling that we definitely did something to make a lot of lives a little better. This is difficult to put into words, but I just wanted to let you know that what you are doing (spreading the word about paying it forward) is a wonderful thing…and I want to thank you for all you do..I know our meeting has made a lot of us think differently about things and has made us all more thankful for everything we have. Thank you again for spreading the word…I hope you never feel that it’s all for naught…you are doing more good than you know!

Donna Honsberger, Tiffin OH, USA