Pay It Forward Stories 2019

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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!

I have chosen to pay it forward to someone who has become an important part of my life. My friend Rachael has a 10 year old daughter named Audrey. Audrey was born with hydrocephalus and spina bifida. Hydrocephalus is a condition where fluid builds up in the ventricles of the brain. Audrey has had several surgeries with the possibility she may need more as she gets older. Audrey has some developmental delays but she doesn't let that stop her. She is smart, funny and a very loving child. Rachael doesn't talk about it with me but I know that the medical surgeries and visits through the years have put a strain on her finances. I hope that she can use this gift to alleviate some of the medical debt that she has accrued.

I donated my Pay It Forward card to The Big Heart Big Smile Foundation in Snohomish, WA. This new foundation is in memory of Kaci Edelbrock. She is the granddaughter of Mike Edelbrock owner of our long time customer Mickelo Construction of Monroe Washington.

Mike was driving back from Eastern Washington labor day weekend 2018 in his motor home with his family members when a front tire blew out and caused a terrible accident. Mike is slowly recovering after lower body paralysis but unfortunately his wife Lois and granddaughter Kaci died in the accident. Some of his passenger grandchildren and adult daughter were also injured. Kaci was the daughter of Boyd and Joni Edelbrock. Boyd is Mike's eldest son and is running the family business as Mike is working hard to regain the hopeful ability to walk again.

I decided to give my card to my mother in law. She had the septic backup as well as the pipes freeze in her house back in February. She is retired, with limited resources.

I presented my Pay It Forward card to the Montana Gold Star Family group. The group honors the Gold Star families within Montana on Memorial Day in honor of their family members who served our great nation in the military and have fallen in battle. They have gave their greatest sacrifice to our country and should be honored. I was invited to observe the Gold Star Family events that occurred in 2018 in Bozeman and was humbled by all the great activities/events and special tribute that was given to the Gold Star Family members. This is a great cause and we should be proud to say Thank You to the families that have lost a loved one defending our country.

In 2015 our son and family were treated like royalty during a Make a Wish trip. At the time of the trip our son was incredibly ill and our family was struggling in many ways financially and emotionally. The Make A Wish Foundation of Oregon and SW Washington was so caring and giving and planned everything down to treats in our hotel room upon our arrival to rearranging one of our "special" days to be repeated due to the fact that our son was too sick to participate in the original planned day. We sent our giving card to Make A Wish to Pay it Forward so another child and their family could spend time together making "wishes come true and memories for a lifetime." Thank you to the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation for making this happen!

I spread the giving around. Whenever I got gas if someone drove up I explained that I work for MRL and we have a pay it forward program and i would like to pay for their gas !! I got hugs , high fives and alot of disbelief but mostly huge THANKS !! I was told I made alot of their days for them!

The card was giving to my mother in-law. So that she could get some meat and groceries and have some extra to do with as she pleases

There is an older woman in our church that recently lost her husband. Her daughter, son in law, and 2 granddaughters came to stay with her and help her during this time. A few months into their stay, they decided they were not able to take care of their 2 daughters any longer and packed up, leaving her alone with her granddaughters one 13 and one 9. This woman is living on a very limited budget and trying her best to do all she can for these girls and even with all of this rarely asks for help. We found that she was in need of some basic food necessities as well as clothing and school supplies for her granddaughters.

I chose to spread my PIF card to three entities. First was providing food and supplies to our local Animeals. They gave me a list of needs and I went and got it for them! My family has a rescue cat from them so we love to help support their efforts. My second choice was Big Brothers/Big Sisters. One of my daughters is currently a Big to a Little and I can already see how this program is greatly needed in our community. And my last donation was to Walk MS/Multiple Sclerosis. My girlfriend's mother passed from MS a couple years ago and we have sponsored a team for the Missoula Walk for the past 6 years.
Thank you so much Washington Foundation for providing me the opportunity to give even more back to our community. I'm proud to Pay It Forward!!

FC Frenchtown is a new non-profit, volunteer based, soccer club for Frenchtown, MT community youth. We strive to make the programs available for as many youth as possible by reducing overall program costs. Currently we have 2 spring competitive soccer teams, ages ranging from 11 - 18. Youth in our programs not only learn team and individual skills in regards to soccer, but general life leadership and teamwork skills. The pay it forward card allowed us to purchase a team canopy (keep the team dry - very much needed in rain, snow, & hail this spring), a wind block for the canopy, a banner (for acknowledging our awesome sponsors, to include MRL), 2 sets of penny's for our teams at practices and game days, 2 team benches, and 6 practice soccer balls. This is the second year we received a pay it forward card from MRL, the card from the first year enabled us to activate a new club, and non-profit organization, under the Montana Youth Soccer Association and U.S. Youth Soccer Association. We are hoping with the offset of equipment costs this year, we are able to add additional youth programs throughout the year and potentially begin to expand our program to incorporate our younger youth. The organization is completely volunteer based, we absolutely could not do what we do without donations/sponsorships, such as yours; we greatly appreciate MRL and Jake Miller for donating a giving card to our organization.

The gift card was given to a parent who just received custody of their children causing increased financial burden. The parent has been stepping up and working hard to provide for the family. The family is extremely appreciative of your generous gift.

I spoke to a local school counselor explaining that I would like to donate this card to a deserving family in need. This is the letter I received

Thank you for your generous gift of a $500 gift card for a family in need in our community. A single dad in our community is the primary care provider for his kids. In the past couple of years he has slowly gained trust in school staff most notably by sometimes calling to request for extra food for his family. He is currently living with extended family and is frequently in charge of kids of his extended family as well as his own. When he calls for help, it is usually because his car isn’t working. There is no question this dad is trying his hardest and it is very clear his family is his priority. Life just continually knocks this guy around. When the gift card was presented as an option, there was no question in my mind who could use the money. I had the honor of presenting it to him prior to our Easter break. I told him, please use this money to fix your car, buy beds, or whatever you feel like you need for your family. He gratefully, and tearfully, said thank you and that he was going to buy the kids some new shoes and his daughter the “yellow dress she has been wanting from Walmart.” MRL – this gift, was truly impactful.

I chose to help out a member of my child’s team. They were selected to go to state but the family was unable to pay for the entire trip. I used the card to pay for their hotel. After they returned home we used rest of the card to purchase clothes in a new size for the team mate.

First I would like to thank the Dennis and Phyllis Foundation and Montana Rail Link for this opportunity. The first donation made was to Billings West High School. I purchased eight, twenty-five dollar gift cards to be distributed by school counselors to students in need. Study supplies, clothing, and food would be available through these cards. Our next donation was to the Help for Homeless Pets animal shelter in Billings. My family and I were able to make a large donation of dog and cat food, treats, toys, and cleaning supplies. We adopted our pet from this shelter, and were impressed by the passion, dedication, and kindness shown to the animals in their care. It survives solely through donations and volunteer work. They do not turn away any pet, and are their as a result of being abandoned or taken out of abusive situations. Many animals arrive injured, and are provided with immediate medical care as well. My final donation was made to the City of Billings Fire and Rescue Department. They are raising funds to outfit every fire vehicle in the city with a children's crisis kit. This kit provides a stuffed animal, coloring books, crayons,and other items to be given to a child that may have been involved in a fire, accident, or other traumatic incident.

Thank You again for enabling my family and I to help causes that we agreed were important to us, and feel will make a difference in our community.

Christopher Margaris

When I received the pay it forward card, it wasn't real clear who I would give it to. There are so many people that are in need and to narrow it down to one recipient was going to be difficult. I consulted with my wife to see what her ideas might be. After some conversation and no real direction, I told her I was going to pray about it. Once I began to pray about where the card should go, it took only a few seconds before it became very clear that I was going to give the card to my friend and co-worker Doug Fink. Doug has been battling cancer since October. I knew that I had made the right decision through prayer, but it was solidified when Doug called me after he received the card. The amount of financial burden this has caused to his family has been great and he told me that this card was going to help greatly. I am glad that I could give it to Doug to help him and his family lessen the burden. Thank you Dennis and Phyllis Washington for giving me this opportunity.

As a Veteran myself, I chose to use my Pay it Forward Card to help Veterans. Our local American Legion Post 129 in Paradise, Mt. burnt down approximately 5 years ago, it was a total loss. After extensive fundraising, it was rebuilt and opened late last year. With 2019 being the 100th Anniversary of the American Legion Organization and the 70th Anniversary of the Local Post 129 in Paradise, I felt compelled to help my fellow veterans.

I realized that the Post did not have any flags, they were planning on marching in parades in the area, but did not have the flags needed to do so. Usually an American Legion Post will have the United States Flag, the American Legion flag and a flag for each of the Armed Services, Marines, Navy, Army, Air Force and Coast Guard. These are usually hung in the Post and used throughout the year for parades and other events. With the first parade that they are entered for being held June 1, I sat down with the Post Commander and we ordered the flags they needed through the American Legion website.

This will help our local American Legion participate in events in the future with pride. They are also able to show the community their patriotism and pride of serving our great country. Thank you Dennis and Phyllis Washington for allowing me to help the veterans of our community!

I donated my giving card to the Scott Firefighter Stairclimb challenge. My son Tyler is one of the firefighters from Spokane County Fire District 3.

On Sunday, March 10th, 4 firefighters from Spokane County Fire District 3 participated in the Firefighter Stairclimb in Seattle. This is a fundraising event to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. All funding raised for the Stairclimb will go towards research and development of a cure for all types of blood cancers.
This event hosts 2,000 career and volunteer firefighters from departments all over the United States and the world. We will be racing to the top of the Columia Center, the tallest building in Seattle, while wearing full structural firefighting gear. That's more than 50 lbs while masked and breathing air from a bottle. We will be climbing 69 floors with 788' of vertical elevation. This will be my 4th time competing, and I plan reach the top without changing air bottles.
Each firefighter had to raise at least $300 in order to participate in the Stairclimb.
This year the $500.00 helped the Firefighter Stairclimb Challenge reach 97% of the goal, $2,918,797.00 of $3,000,000.00.
Thank you Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation for the generous gift !

My Pay It Forward card went to Tails As Old As Time, an organization based out of Lewistown that rescues older dogs and finds homes for them.
We have two of their dogs living with us, Jane and Patty. Jane was found wandering by the river in Billings a few years ago, while Patty was found in Laurel this last winter. Tails As Old As Time will pay all medical bills for these older rescue dogs, as long as someone provides their 'forever home'. Older dogs are harder to place so it is good there is an animal rescue devoted just to their cause!