Since I haven't read a book in about 100 years, either, I didn't quite get to the book that inspired this whole phenomenon. Regardless, I dig the concept. So..... waddya say, mamas? Let's Pay It Forward this holiday season. I already owe one back since a woman I don't know bought me a coffee refill yesterday because my wallet was completely empty (and the guy behind the counter wasn't going for my proposal to come back later with the $.50 - even though I go in there like 1,000 times a week). But if I return that favor I'm sort of paying it back, not forward.
Of course all this is just a new name for an old, old tradition of being kind to others. But my take on it for the moment is to do something I wouldn't otherwise do - to push me beyond my normal "helping zone." So in the next month (and hopefully beyond) when an opportunity presents itself for Paying It Forward, I'm gonna do my best to step up the plate, to be an Activista in a different sense of the word. You??
There's even a web page for the Pay It Forward Movement (there's one for kids, too!). And last but definitely not least, the Pay It Forward Foundation (yes, all stemming from the 2000 book) offers mini grants (up to $500) for K to 12 school projects. Check 'em out. Here's how they describe the grants:
Pay It Forward Mini-Grants are designed to fund one-time-only service-oriented projects identified by youth as activities they would like to perform to benefit their school, neighborhood, or greater community. Projects must contain a “pay it forward” focus – that is, they must be based on the concept of one person doing a favor for others, who in turn do favors for others, with the results growing exponentially – to be considered in the grant making process. Grant applications are reviewed and considered by a Selection Committee three times a year.
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