Pay It Forward Stories 2020

I gave my card to Imagination Theatre, a child non profit theatre group. The arts are sorely lacking for children in the
area where I live. The donation will be used for sets, scripts and rights, for K thru 12 year olds. The group puts on 4-8
performances a year and involves from 3 to 45 children at a time.

I decided once again to give the pay it forward card to Watkins Children's Center in Missoula. Their charity events have been seriously curtailed or cancelled this year. They were very happy to get it.

I want to thank the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this amazing program. I gave this card to my mother-in-law who recently lost her husband of 58 years to cancer. This helped her with funeral costs.

I would like to sincerely thank the Washington family for their continued generosity. I presented my giving card to the Youth Ministry at my church, Crosspoint Community Church. Our Youth Group has been working very hard to raise money to take a trip to the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter. The $500 gave a big boost to their efforts and will help them achieve their fundraising goal much quicker. The gift card was an absolute blessing that will help advance the education of our Youth Group while also advancing the good works of the Lord.

Thank you again!

Well first off, I am a veteran of the US Air Force. I chose to give to the USO this year for a couple of reasons. Of course they support our active military members by providing aide, assistance and entertainment when they are on the move all around the world, not just in the U.S. They provide rest, food and layover facilities at most if not all International Domestic Airports for the enlisted personnel and their families. They provide entertainment and support at overseas locations for the troops. One thing they did recently for instance, they sent out people dressed like the Easter bunny to Military installations like Travis AFB in northern California and delivered Easter baskets to the children living in Base housing. My daughter and son in law are stationed there with their 3 daughters. It was very much appreciated. So as you can see the USO is one of those organizations that deserve our support. I give to the USO on a regular basis.
God Bless!

I want to first start by saying "Thank you!" to the Dennis & Phyllis Washington foundation for granting me the opportunity to help a local family in our neighborhood. It's hard to express how rewarding it is to work for a company that gives so much back to the community. I gave the "Pay it forward" card to a local family who had their baby very prematurely. Being blessed with two healthy children of my own, I can not imagine the mental and financial challenges they faced having Mom and baby in Billings and the Dad and other children at home for a couple months. The arrival of the pay it forward card seemed to be perfectly timed and I was able to award it to the family for their belated baby shower just days later. Thank you again to the foundation for providing me the opportunity to make a difference in someone's lives.

Hello, I gave this giving card to a really good friend of mine who has helped me in some of the most difficult times of my life. His name is Frank Winnberg of Trout Creek Montana. Frank is a Vietnam Veteran, He's active in the community and in his church. I am truly blessed that this man is in my life.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to bring some happiness to Frank.
Sincerely Zachary Archer

I chose to give my Pay it Forward card to Youth Homes.

Because of the Youth Homes organization, over 12,000 at-risk children in Western Montana have be given the opportunity to experience childhood in a safe and secure place to call home since 1971. Each day they serve over 300 children and families through their emergency shelters, therapeutic group homes, foster care and adoption programs and counseling services. Over 90% of these kids improve their grades and stay in school and nearly 95% graduate or get their GED. Most importantly, the Youth Homes provides kids the chance to be a kid and work on building healthy relationships that will be their base for moving forward as a healthier and happier adult.

For the past several years I have run the Missoula Marathon as part of the Run 4 Kids team. Though this, I've had the opportunity to list to several of the kids tell their story and to hear how appreciative they are to have members of the community offering to help them. We are so fortunate to have a group like Youth Homes to advocate for these kids.

Thank you to the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation for this opportunity to Pay it Forward.

I donated the Giving Card to a local schools backpack program. The program helps vulnerable families, here in our community, that face tough decisions to feed their kids or putting gas in their vehicle to get to work. The funds were used to buy shelf stable food for 3 families with kids ranging in age from 6 to 17. All of the families expressed gratefulness and expressed a small sense of relief.

Thank you for allowing me to be part of such a great program.
Craig

I was able to give my card to a young mother of two who recently had to take custody of her sisters Four children ages Five to Two.
She is having a terrible time trying to get assistance and hold down her own job that she was just hired at. So needless to say times got tough and this Five hundred dollar gift card went a long ways to put food in little mouths and diapers on little bottoms. I would like to thank The Dennis and Phyllis Foundation for the opportunity to help so many in need people during this very unique and trying time.

I donated my Pay It Forward card to AniMeals, a no-kill adoption center in Missoula.

I gave my card to Jessica a nurse at the Laurel care center where my mother in law lived until she passed in May of 2020. Jessica went above and beyond many times in the 3 years my mother in law lived there. It has been a struggle for her being a single mother that had recently created a severe financial hardship. We also matched the grant and gave to 5 other people that were instrumental in her care. Many thanks to the DPW foundation for this opportunity.

Havre Trails is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that works to promote hiking, running, and biking in Havre and the surrounding Hill County area of Montana. Traditionally, Havre Trails hosts a summer hiking series of up to eight hikes with nearly forty participants per hike. However, due to the COVID-19 crisis, Havre Trails decided not to host an in-person hike series this season to ensure the safety and well-being of all participants. As a creative way to continue motivating community members to get outside for their mental and physical well-being, Havre Trails is hosting its very first Hike Scavenger Hunt! Havre Trails will create a list of local area trails and promote the hikes for community members to walk, run, or bike the trails on their own time and in their own family groups while safely practicing social distancing. Hikers will be able to submit photos of their completed hikes to win some fabulous outdoor-related prizes that were purchased using the Giving Card. The Hike Scavenger Hunt will be promoted throughout the summer months, and Havre Trails will consistently highlight various local trails on its Facebook page. The event will not only encourage health and wellness for area residents but will also bring the community together in a positive way to enjoy our local natural treasures. Thank you to the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation and Washington Companies for giving us the opportunity to host such a fun event that will see hundreds of community members getting outside in a safe and healthy way this summer season!

I split my money between two entities; First is Animeals in Missoula. I restocked their office shelves with business needs and Food for the Cats and Dogs. Second is to the National MS Society.
Thank you to the Foundation for letting me help a couple organizations in need.

The COVID-19 pandemic is certainly an event that has not skipped the heart and soul of Hellgate Elementary nor the greater Missoula area. As a result, the number of at-risk students enrolled at Hellgate Elementary has continued to increase with no end in sight. That makes the generous gift of $500.00 from the Washington Foundation all the more vital to our efforts to assist our students who are in need. Thank you.
We, at Hellgate Elementary, are planning to use the gift to assist several of our kindergarten through 1st grade students who are experiencing difficult family situations as a result of COVID-19. Assistance will range from helping to supply basic clothing needs for the children whose parents have lost their jobs to purchasing school supplies for the children in preparation for the 2020/2021 school year. Without the generosity of the Washington Foundation, the school district would not be able to assist the children to the level we can now. In the adult world. maybe having those basic needs met is not a big deal. But to children, those basic needs are their world and, at times, trying to meet those needs can be terrifying and all-consuming.
Again, thank you for the generous Pay It Forward giving card and for making the lives of the children at Hellgate Elementary better.

My acquaintance C was greatly affected by the shutdowns due to the Covid-19 virus. She works two jobs, as a cosmetologist and a bar-tender. Her hard work paid off and she was recently able to buy her own home. Unfortunately, just about the time her first mortgage was due the state shut down both bars and salons and she was left without income. To add to that her dog had developed kidney stones and had to have a quite expensive surgery, depleting her savings. Her dog had to be put down, unfortunately, but the bill still needed to be paid. Hopefully this money will help during this trying time.

We used the Pay it Forward card to bless the Hedahl family. The Hedahl have 3 boys, their youngest boy Squish was diagnosed with a muscle tissue cancer known as Childhood Rhabdomyosarcoma at a young age. The family has made numerous travels to Denver to and back for Squish's appointment's and cancer treatment. Squish and his family was recently selected to go to Disney World as part of the Make a Wish foundation. We felt that this gift card would help the family give Squish and his older brothers a memory that would last a lifetime. We also learned that Squish is in full remission, which is the best news anyone could ask for. Thanks to the Washington Foundation for making this donation possible to families like the Hedahl.

To give back to someone who gives so much

In late 2019 I returned to Montana Resources and began working as an engineer. As such, I was pleasantly surprised to be chosen to give a gift of $500.00 to a family in need. This is a great program that the Washington Group has organized.

The donation was given to Tanner Sholey who was diagnosed with synovial cell sarcoma in the summer of 2019. The diagnosis required Tanner to complete chemotherapy and radiation along with surgery to take out the sarcoma itself. The treatment was to shrink the tumor down to a manageable size so surgery could be completed with minimal damage to his arm.

I chose Tanner for the following reasons. Many other individuals in the community had medical issues and were raising more funds than their goal, where Tanner had not yet met his goal to assist with the incredible costs associated with his diagnosis. The main reason Tanner was chosen, was because of his mom, Pam Sholey.

Pam and her family are incredible and continuously give back to the community. Recently, Montana Youth Soccer awarded Pam as the MYSA 2019 Volunteer of the Year! Pam volunteers hundreds of hours each year, to elevate soccer for her local club and across the state! Soccer is just one example of how Pam and her family donates to the community; there are many other examples. With all of the volunteer work and time this family has given to the Butte community, I felt it was a good opportunity to give back to the Sholey family. Thank you for this wonderful organization and the opportunity to give back to a family in need.

Greetings,
As a response to the “Pay It Forward” employee Charitable giving program, I would like to share how the funds were used.
During these uncertain and trying times in wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, households have been affected in many ways including financially. I took this opportunity to help a few fulfill a happy Mother’s Day. Target gift cards were presented to those who deserve, but are unable to afford Mother’s Day gifts or groceries. Recipients are now familiar with the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation and the correlation with Montana Rail Link.
Thank you for the chance to put a smile on people’s faces through monetary giving, especially when it was least expected.
I’d prefer to keep my story private, however I just wanted to share with those within the foundation.

Thank You Kindly,
Alec Swanson
406-591-2966

I gave my card to a retired Butte area couple that needed monetary assistance with medical bills.

n the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, a group of Butte women found a way to show appreciation to those on the front lines, while supporting local restaurants struggling from a stay-at-home order.

When Sonia Zachow of La Casa Toscana began delivering meals to health care providers at St. James Healthcare, she wanted to do more to help those on the front lines. So Zachow reached out to Julie Jaksha, regional director of the small business development center for Headwaters RC&D, for help coordinating efforts with other local restaurant owners.

Meanwhile, Jaksha had already heard of another Butte resident, Krissy Kraczkowsky, interested in starting a front line appreciation group in Butte. That’s when she saw an opportunity for collaboration. Together, they formed the Front Line Appreciation Group (FLAG) of Butte.

As I looked to find a worthwhile organization for my pay it forward, my daughter suggested the Front Line Appreciation Group. I believe in these trying times it is important to put our focus on this terrible virus we are dealing with. The idea of providing meals to our heroes on the front lines really appealed to me. So far FLAG has delivered over 1100 meals to our front line workers in Butte. It is an honor to be able to contribute to this wonderful organization. I would like to thank the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation for this opportunity.

Donated to a family in need who had some hard times prior to covid19

I chose to donate to the Jadyn Fred Foundation here in Missoula. They help to support families with children who have major medical needs. They have helped many families in the Missoula community and do amazing work.

Thank you for allowing me to give back to the community.
I have donated my pay it forward card to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Billings.
Where I have been a "BIG" for over 13 years now.
Again thank you for this opportunity to help out.

2 days prior to receiving the card a family friend passed away unexpectedly. He was young late 30's with 2 young kids. His death really hit home for myself due to the sudden and unexpected death. He was similar age to myself and make you release to cherish everyday you have with friends and family. Don't take anything for granted. Tomorrow is not guaranteed.