Pay it Forward Stories 2019

This is my first year doing the Pay It Forward Program. I used this opportunity to reach as many people as I could. There were several people that I came across on my way to work in Billings that have had a pretty rough life and did not know where to turn for help. One family I came across was living in their vehicle with 3 children, the youngest being 3 months old. They were out of gas and parked in the Walmart parking lot in freezing temperatures. I spoke to the mother who told me that they were traveling to Washington for a family members funeral and ran out of funds along the way. I used the card to buy them what they needed from diapers and wipes to food. I filled their vehicle with gas and before leaving they gave me a grateful hug. After a couple of similar interactions with people in similar situations, this gave me the idea of putting together care bags for the people who are homeless with practically nothing to their name. Along with the help of my awesome kids we put these bags together. The bags included things like body wash, shampoo, toothpaste with toothbrush , cleansing wipes, a blanket, socks, hats and gloves for winter, and some snacks. We made a total of 20 bags, and handed several out to people in the downtown area. The rest of the bags were taken over to Montana Rescue Mission in downtown Billings for people that come to them in need. The remaining amount that was left over I used to pay for several people's in store purchases at random. Overall a great experience!

This year I decided to give the card to an individual. This particular individual was a single mom who sacrificed everything for her kids and now that they’re grown up, she’s struggling to get by with day to day expenses. I hope the pay it forward card was a blessing to her.

I gave my card to an individual who has been suffering from a variety of medical issues and has been exhausting their savings for the accumulating medical expenses. This card will come in handy for them in keeping up with day to day household items while they focus on the medical expenses.

I chose to Pay It Forward (and backward) to the Wounded Warrior Foundation to support the men and women who have honorably served in all branches of the military during my life. This includes the Vietnam War, the Gulf Wars, Afghanistan, the War on Terror and many unnamed squirmish's in between. These men and women who have given it all or have suffered so much for my and our freedom need as much honor and support as we can provide. God bless these men and women and America.

First off, I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to participate in this wonderful program. This program has helped three different families. One member of each of these families has a major health problem and the bills are difficult to pay. These three members are Lisa Schmid, Goran Mandich, and Chedo Krsich. They are so extremely grateful and appreciative of this program. They thank the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation for all their help.

I was excited and honored to donate the giving card to my daughters pre-school, Spirit at Play, in Missoula, MT. It has been extremely rewarding to see the development and growth of all the children over the years. I'm thankful to have the opportunity to "pay it forward" to this wonderful organization that has such a tremendous impact in the development of our youth.

Thank you to the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation. The Pay it Forward program is an extremely generous way to remind all of us to focus a little more on others.

I gave the Pay it Forward card to a friend of mine who recently struggled through several surgeries. Although not life threatening, she endured three surgeries - an initial surgery followed by two more unplanned procedures due to infection and other complications. As a single mom, the impact of more than two months away from work and the additional medical bills put a very real strain on her personal finances. It was nice to be able to help her out in this way.

Thanks again for promoting such a positive culture of giving.

I chose to give my giving card to my daughter who had a little boy born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and had to live over in Seattle for 7 months. My grandson Daxton underwent 3 open heart surgeries in his first 7 months of life and due to that my daughter had to move to Seattle to live there in between heart surgeries. He is now home and thriving, however he will have to have another open heart surgery between the age of 2 and 5 years old. He is seen by a cardiologist quite frequently right now who is an hour and a half drive from our home. I chose to give it to her to use for medical, living, and travel expenses.

Thanks to the generosity of the foundation, I donated online to the Montana Wilderness School (MWS). MWS strives to provide world class outdoor education to students from over the world, regardless of their ability to pay. I'm a firm believer that living in Montana is something to be celebrated, and having the necessary skills and education is key to doing it safely. MWS provides those tools for kids across Montana each summer during their various expeditions. Because of the support from the foundation, I was able to help make sure no kids are turned away from the program. Paying it forward indeed.

-Ross

The Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation has done a wonderful job giving back to individuals and organizations of many communities. I want to say thank you for involving your employees in The Pay It Forward program.

I decided to pay it forward to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Cystic fibrosis is a life-shortening, progressive genetic disease that affects a child’s digestive and respiratory systems. It requires daily medication, therapy and monitoring. Due to minimal federal and pharmaceutical funding, cystic fibrosis research is largely dependent on private donations. Many strides have been made to improve the life expectancy of cystic fibrosis patients, however a cure is out of reach without continued donations.

The 6th Annual Cystic Fibrosis March Madness Calcutta was held in Butte on March 20th. This fundraiser has raised close to $100,000 for cystic fibrosis research since its inauguration. With the pay it forward card, I purchased $500 worth of merchandise to be auctioned off in a live auction. The merchandise went to the highest bidder for $550, with 100 percent of these proceeds going towards research for cystic fibrosis.

I am extremely grateful to have this opportunity to give back to a cause that is close to my heart. I have a six-year-old relative in Butte that was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis shortly after birth. Donations towards cystic fibrosis give her and her family hope that one day this disease can be cured.

Thank you!

We gave the card to a family who had heavy medical bills due to surgeries needed for their newborn child. Their baby had severe club feet and needed multiple surgeries.

I donated to Y-Not Save a Sam Rescue in Logan, UT. The reason I chose this non-profit is because of their mission. Y-Not Save a Sam rescues mostly the Samoyed breed of dogs from other countries where they have a slim chance at survival. Yvette does an amazing job coordinating rescuing these animals from various locations throughout the world. Most of these animals would not survive in the current conditions. She has volunteers who help foster these animals abroad before they can be transported to the US. Once in the US she vets the potential adopters and ensures these animals will get the love and care they deserve. As a Samoyed owner I know these animals are the most loving dogs and just want to be part of a family. This is why I chose to donate to Y-Not Save a Sam. Please visit the website to see photos and information on what this nonprofit does for these animals.
https://www.saveasam.org/
or on Facebook at Y-Not Save a Sam

This is a great cause and I think the Pay it Forward campaign by the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation is an amazing opportunity to give to so many deserving causes all of which make the world a better place. Thank you for letting me take part in it for 2019

Sincerely,
Cullen Huntley

I gave my giving card to Jerry Fleege. He has been a member of our church, which my wife and I have attended more than 25 years. Our congregation is a small but close knit group. This is his story :

In February 2018, Jerry was diagnosed with Lyphoid leukemia. Initially his doctor sent him to the hospital for regular visits where his labs were monitored. Beginning in September and October Jerry had two series each month of blood transfusions. He also was started on an oral chemotherapy. On October 17th he also started taking chemotherapy along with a high dose of prednisone. Because Jerry has Type II Diabetes he was put on insulin in addition to his other diabetic medicines. The chemo and prednisone made his blood sugars very high so he had no energy.

Jerry continued working his job as a bus driver for the school district and still was managing to continue his route. On December 11, he left for his route but ended up driving his bus further than his route destination and failing to pick up the kids on his route. By the time he was stopped
by law enforcement he didn't remember how he got there and thought he had kids on the bus. He was transported to the local hospital by ambulance and spent the next seven days there. He left the hospital on December 17th using a walker and being on oxygen 24/7.

At this time he sees his doctor every three weeks. He is doing much better. He is not needing to use the walker much, only occasionally at home. He now mostly needs his oxygen at night when he is asleep. He isn't taking as much prednisone and his hemoglobin numbers are improving!
He hasn't been driving bus and cannot drive a private car until he is off the chemo. His doctor is trying to put the leukemia into remission which hopefully will be accomplished in 6-12 months.

Awhile back Steve Enriquez stopped out to visit Jerry. It was an unexpected surprise when he gave Jerry the Pay It Forward card. We are very grateful for the support we have been given from family, church family and now this Pay It Forward gift. We will be using it to pay medical bills.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!
Sincerely,
Jerry and Jo Lynn Fleege.

I gave my card to a younger family member.She is going to school and trying to raise a family . We all know how hard it is starting out and trying to go to school I told her to use it for whatever she needed it for . She thanks you and so do I . Carmel Ramirez

We decided to split the $500 between Trooper Wade Palmer and Shelley Hays GoFundMe pages. Shelley had died from multiple gun shot wounds while trying to help another in a vehicle. Wade Palmer was found in his police car shot numerous times after responding. The Missoulian gives a more accurate story.

Our son and many young people that we know went to high school with Shelley. Having friends in the police force and family who have been, we felt moved and compelled to utilize the opportunity afforded to us by you to help these two families. Thank you!

I gave my gift card to Watson Children Shelter in Missoula Mt. I just couldn't think of a more deserving cause. When I showed up on a Saturday to donate the card, the girl who answered the door said that spring break was coming and they could really use it for activities for the kids. The smile on her face made my day!

I have my card to a local family, that recently had a death in the family. This gift card help with costs during a very difficult time.

Malcolm was diagnosed with a rare disease called Craniopharyngioma, causing tumors to grow on her pituitary gland. Malcolm is a smart, beautiful and brave 6 year old girl. When first diagnosed she was Med Flighted to Denver where she had to spend 6 weeks to receive radiation treatment, and is continuing to receive treatment. She still has a long recovery ahead of her. This donation will help the family with expenses as they travel back and forth for Malcolm's ongoing treatment. Thank you to the Montana Rail Link family for the opportunity to assist this wonderful family in their time of need.

I have a friend that stayed at SAFE for a few weeks after experiencing domestic violence. She said they saved her.

SAFE - Helping those experiencing domestic, sexual, dating and other forms of violence.

SAFE’s mission is to address the fundamental need in the bitterroot community to decrease domestic and sexual violence and its impact in Ravalli County, Montana through the provision of direct services to survivors and their children and by working to minimize those conditions that support violence against women.

https://safeinthebitterroot.arttechgap2.com/about/

I was at a gas station and a family with small children was holding up a sign that read, need gas, God bless. I filled their car with gas.
While I was in Butte the next day, a girl was frantically looking threw her purse and crying, so I asked if I could help her. She lost her prepaid card, so I put gas in her car also.
A few days later I was in Walmart behind a woman with 3 small children that thought the government had put her monthly food money on her card, but hadn't, so I paid for her cart of groceries.

I was happy to have been one of this year's "Pay It Forward" card recipients, and I forwarded it to the National Mill Dog Rescue in Colorado. Here is their story....

National Mill Dog Rescue was established in February 2007, in honor of a forgiving little Italian Greyhound named Lily. Theresa Strader, NMDR’s Founder and Executive Director, rescued Lily from a dog auction in Missouri. Prior to that day, Lily spent the first seven years of her life as a commercial breeding dog, a puppy mill mom. During her years as a breeding dog, Lily spent her days confined to a small, cold wire cage. She was never removed from her cage for exercise or socialization. In her dreary confines, Lily was forced to produce one litter after another with no respite. Like all commercial breeding dogs, she was a veritable breeding machine whose worth was measured in only one way – her ability to produce puppies.

By seven years of age, Lily was worn out. Commonplace in the industry, she had received little to no veterinary care throughout her life, the result of which, for her, was terribly disturbing. Due to years of no dental care, poor quality food, rabbit bottle watering and no appropriate chew toys, the roof of Lily’s mouth and lower jaw had rotted away. Her chest was riddled with mammary tumors and she was absolutely terrified of people. Strader brought Lily and 12 others home from the auction and declares that even for a highly seasoned rescuer, the following months were the education of a lifetime in rehabilitation. That she would take up the cause for the mill dogs was never in question, and the vision for National Mill Dog Rescue was born. Determined that her years of living in misery would not be in vain, Theresa started NMDR, giving a voice to mill dogs across the country.

Run almost solely by volunteers, National Mill Dog Rescue pledged to put an end to the cruelty of the commercial dog breeding industry, more commonly known as puppy mills. Through rescue and education, NMDR continues in its life-saving work while enlightening the public about the truth of pet store puppies. NMDR has taken a national approach to their efforts, and they have rescued and placed 14,001 dogs since their inception in 2007. These dogs are now living as cherished family members across the United States.

After her rescue, Lily spent the remainder of her life as a beloved member of the Strader family where she received medical care, warmth and companionship. In time, Lily found courage and her disfigured little body educated countless people about the horrors of the puppy mill industry. Lily died, at home, peacefully, in the arms of her loving dad with her family gathered around, in May 2008, fifteen months after she was rescued.

I am paying it forward to a local sports team that was started last year. Since it is a new organization, the funds will be used to buy equipment for the team and any start up fees like insurance for the team.

I donated the card to Horse Creek School in Cartwright, ND. Attached is the thank you letter Ms. Tosch

We, at Horse Creek School, would like to say THANK YOU SO much for the generous donation! We are a one room schoolhouse, grades K-8, located on the ND and MT border. The school has been around since the early 1900’s! We are one of the only functioning schools like it around!

I struggle finding funds to properly engage all the grade levels. I will have 6 grade levels next year and will use this money to purchase MUCH needed equipment and supplies for the school! Along with books that are leveled to each age group.

Sincerely,

Ms. Tosch, Iris, Lily, Hitch, Hoyt, Jude, Elice, Henri

My wife and I started out doing random acts of kindness, we would see someone at the gas pump and if they looked as if they could use the help we would buy their gas. We also did this at McDonalds buying someone's meal. Then we gave the remainder to a family of five who's mother is pregnant and the father had gotten laid off. We told them that the Washington's had allowed us to bless them! Thank you for the opportunity to bless others!

Mr. and Mrs. Washington, Thank You for the gift of Pay it Forward.

WeMontana! is a local nonprofit that my family is involved with that is focused on education, specifically music, public speaking, and a even logical thinking class. They are currently offering these classes at no charge. Just in the first semester, there are already 39 in choir and 23 in band. This gift will help with supplies to improve the acoustics for recitals and concerts. Here is their mission statement: "Mission -- We, Montana! is a fledgling nonprofit aimed at making our world a little better by facilitating lifelong learning and engagement in various ways. We initiated a homeschool chorus program in Fall 2018, and will continue that throughout 2019, as well as starting a new homeschool band offering, a public speaking class, and a class on singing techniques. If this is successful, we look forward to offering many other things in the future." This is a community-minded group looking to expand with local talent shows and community gatherings.

Thank You for your generosity and allowing your employees to help with these projects.