Pay It Forward Stories 2020

I donated my card to local youth organizations. These cards help with equipment and field rentals.

I used the money at Sams Club to purchase items To help people in the community of Laurel who were effected by the Covid-19 virus.

My sister-in-law is a nurse at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Polson, Montana, so she always has stories that put anything that is going on in my life in perspective. There was one story, one family, and one miracle of a little girl that instantly came to mind when I was selected for the Pay It Forward Giving Card.

Evelyn Sue Anne Wilson was born on June 17, 2019. She was a healthy, beautiful little girl and no one knew the journey she would be on in a matter of days. Less than a week after she was born, her health began deteriorating at home and she was taken to the ER. She then had to life flight to Sacred Sacred Heart Children's Hospital in Spokane, WA in critical condition. In the following days, her health continued to decline as doctors tried everything they could to restore her health. She finally received a diagnosis and was placed on a pediatric transplant list, with a 1a status which is of the greatest need. On September 18th, Evelyn's family received the news that she would be receiving her new heart that day. When describing that moment, her mom said, "I can't even describe the feelings. Elated, relieved. Evelynn was going to live." After months spent in the hospital recovering and being monitored by doctors and nurses, she was finally discharged to go home, back to Montana.

Her family was generous enough to share many more details of her story with me and I truly cannot do Evelyn's story justice. She has been so strong and beating the odds with an adorable smile on her face the whole time. I used my giving card for Evelyn and her family to purchase basic necessities. The picture includes one of the items purchased, a wagon, that makes going to doctor's appointments, the grocery store, and life in general easier, as she still has medical equipment she needs with her at all times.

THANK YOU to the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation for the giving card and the opportunity to pay it forward in my community.

I gave my card to Child Bridge, a nonprofit Christian organization in Montana that seeks to place at risk children into families of faith for foster care with the potential for adoption. 4,000 children are in foster care in Montana. Child Bridge was established in Montana 10 years ago and has found homes for Over 1,100 children. In 2019, they placed nearly 500 children into foster families. They work very closely with families who are looking to get into foster care, with a heavy emphasis on the difficulties of family dynamics in bringing children in crisis into your home. They want potential foster families to be fully aware of all of downside risks in fostering a child/children. They walk alongside foster families to provide resources, encouragement, instruction, counseling, and connections with other foster families. They do not seek or accept any government funding. Their support comes purely from churches and private individuals and organizations.

I was able to once again purchase a bow from Hoyt Archery with the $500.00 gift card. The bow has a value of $1200.00. The bow is donated to the Shoot for the Cure/Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer fundraiser. This is a archery shoot in Townsend, MT. It is always held in July so I do not know how much the bow will sell for this year. The past few times I have donated bows to this fundraiser and they have been able to auction the bow off for $1,000.00 - $1,500.00. So the $500 end up to be $1,000.00 - $1,500.00. Both my Mom and my Sister had breast cancer so I am always trying to find ways to donate to Shoot for the Cure.

This year I donated the $500 gift card to the Coburg Community Food Pantry. Due to the Coronavirus causing the economy to falter, my wife and I figured there would be many people needing help with acquiring food. The volunteers were very grateful for the donation, and wanted me to pass along a big thank-you to the Washington family for providing this. Thank-you for the opportunity to help others from the community in which I live.

In light of the covid pandemic and all of the local families that may be out of work and on hard times. I chose to donate to the Missoula food bank to try and keep it here in Missoula. I hope it helps.

The card Was giving to a family who is less fortunate for bills and or groceries.

I gave my card to LINKS for Learning, the after school and summer program in Livingston. They put it towards summer supplies which have increased due to COVID-19 safety protocols. Supplies they will purchase include extra cleaning/sanitation supplies, individual school supplies to limit shared supplies and help maintain social distancing protocols.
Over 55% of those children who attend LINKS qualify for Free or Reduced priced meals and are from low-income households. All the children's parents are working and are in need of a safe, fun place for their children to be while they are at work.
This $500 will go a long way in helping Livingston's economy while supporting the well-being and development of the children. Thank you!

I gave my giving card to LINKS for Learning so they could purchase t-shirts and needed supplies for the summer program. LINKS is the after-school and summer program here in Livingston. Over 55% of the children in their program qualify for Free or Reduced priced meals and almost all of them come from working families. LINKS provides academic support, enrichment programming, career exploration and community service learning.
This summer it is particularly important because they are the first program to go back onto campus and one of the only programs offering youth services. Their costs are higher this summer because of the safety protocols required to keep both the children and staff safe during COVID-19. Sanitation supplies, basic supplies for each child, PPE supplies and extra staffing have all created a higher budget.
LINKS plays an important role in Livingston's and Park County's economy as well as teaches and supports our children in a safe and fun way.

Each year I am little torn as to where I would like to donate on a personal level. I often wish that I was able to give more so that I could spread my donations across more than one charity. This year I was able to do that thanks to the Pay It Forward program. I chose to give to multiple non-profits in the Missoula, MT area through Missoula Gives, an annual giving event organized and hosted by Missoula Community Foundation. This event allows givers access to over a hundred Missoula and Bitterroot Valley non-profits. Missoula Gives 2020 was a 26-hour online fundraiser that raised over $800,000 for the area's non-profits. I feel very lucky to be a part of a company that provides me the opportunity to give back to my community, especially during a time that has been very hard on individuals who may rely on non-profits and community resources. Because of the Pay It Forward program, I was able to give to 4 local organizations this year!

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.

For the second year in a row, I decided to pay it forward to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Last year (2019) I was able to auction off merchandise purchased with the $500 giving card at the Cystic Fibrosis March Madness Calcutta and raised $550, with all the proceeds going towards research for cystic fibrosis.

Due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak this local fundraiser was not held in 2020. I contacted Rick Anderson and Kotie Dunmire who are the event coordinators for this fundraiser. They helped get the pay it forward card donation directly to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Cystic fibrosis is a rare and fatal genetic disease. The disease causes persistent and debilitating lung infections and stops the absorption of food, which often leads to premature death. Due to minimal federal and pharmaceutical funding, cystic fibrosis research is largely dependent on private donations such as the pay it forward program. Many strides have been made to improve the life expectancy of cystic fibrosis patients as the average age of survival has doubled in the past 30 years. However, a cure is out of reach without continued donations.

I am extremely grateful to have this opportunity to give back to this cause.

Thank you!

I chose to donate my Pay It Forward card to the Butte Emergency Food Bank. Growing up in Butte, I was fortunate enough to participate in community food drives and see the positive impact the food bank has on families in need throughout the community. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to help the food bank out at a time when so many community members are relying on them for their next meal. Thank you to the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation for giving employees such a wonderful opportunity to have a positive impact on the communities we live and work in.

We used this card to purchase food for a local food bank in Redmond, Oregon. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, many people have been strained financially, and many food banks have struggled to remain stocked with food for the community. This card has but a great deal of food on the shelves to be distributed among the community. Thank you!

Dear Bill:

Thank you for your very generous, "Pay it Forward", donation of $500.00 to the Livingston Food Resource Center.

Since the middle of March, the LFRC has experienced and increase of 250% in the number of households to which we are providing emergency food support. In May alone, we helped feed more than 1,200 households. And, we have seen changes in the demographics of the households served: we are seeing younger and larger families, nearly 60% of which have children.

Your donation was used to buy food, mostly milk from Town & Country grocery store, for distribution to these families we are helping.

Thank you again for your support.

Sincerely,
Michael McCormick
Executive Director LFRC

I gave my card to the Marine Corps League Detachment (MCL) 1132 in North Augusta, SC. The main goal of the MCL is to provide assistant to military (veterans and active duty) members and families. Some of the programs they are involved with are the Toys For Tots, Volunteer work at Augusta, GA VA Hospital, school scholarship program and provide financial support to multiple units at the VA Hospital. The detachment also helps in the local area by supporting meals on wheel. The money to support this organization comes from donations.

It is difficult to express the gratitude I feel for the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation. Their contributions to the people of Montana and communities around the region, have made a real difference in many lives. The Pay It Forward program is just another wonderful example of the generosity of the Foundation and the Washington family.
In 2011, my family and I lived in a small community in eastern Montana. Our three children were attending high school and our lives were full of excitement and energy with all the school activities and sports. Our son was big into football and entered his freshman year as the starting quarterback. During the second game of his sophomore year, he took a direct hit to his lower abdomen and was knocked out of the game for a few series. We initially thought it was the wind getting knocked out of him. After almost 24 hours of excruciating pain and multiple trips to the emergency room, he was diagnosed with a ruptured pancreas. He was immediately life-flighted to Seattle, where he then spent the next two weeks recovering.
While we were gone, we had to phone some friends to take care of the two children we left behind as well as the many chores stacking up. When he was finally released from the hospital, we made it back in time for the school’s homecoming parade. The town honored him not just at the parade, but also during the half-time activities. We were honored that the town had come out in support of our family.
What we didn’t find out until later, was that while we were away in Seattle, the community had organized a fundraising auction to help with our son’s medical bills. The WHOLE COMMUNITY turned out to help with meals, donations and time. It was an amazing and very emotional time for our family. It is something that will live on in our hearts forever.
Fast forward to 2020. A former classmate of our children was diagnosed with a condition that required surgery out of state and follow up treatments. When it was announced that I had received the Pay It Forward gift, I could not think of a better person to give it to. I tried to connect with her in person but was unable to. I sent her a letter that in part read:
“When we heard about your situation, we could not think of a better person to give the card to for a couple of reasons; you are a hard-working, dedicated person and having an extra $500.00 could go a long way! Secondly, we will never forget how the community of XXXX came together for us when XXXX was injured during a football game. The outpouring of support was overwhelming and I’m sure you and your family were part of it. You are the perfect person to “pay it forward” to!
We wish you the best in your recovery from your successful surgery and know you are in our thoughts and prayers! Take care and God bless!”
Being able to share with those who are going through a difficult time is a true blessing. Again, words cannot express the gratitude we have for Dennis and Phyllis Foundation and the Washington family. Thank you for the opportunity to give back to our community and fellow Montanans.
-Mark

I will be submitting my Pay It Forward donation to the Missoula Food Bank. I had the opportunity to volunteer for the Missoula Food Bank a few years ago and was inspired by their mission to end hunger in our community.

See below:

Childcare
Every Egg
Tim Noah Thumbnail Theater
Moving expenses
Walmart grocery card

I donated the card to my childrens school, Poly Drive Elementary. With the donation being right in the middle of the Covid 19 pandemic, myself and the school principal had very few words exchanged. She told me the funds would mostly be used for the beginning of the 2020 school year, ordering new books for the library. The school was also going to try to donate some food supplies for all of the sack lunches being provided to children at the time.

My name is Stacie Abbott and my daughter in law is Abigail Maurer, daughter to Tom Maurer. On January 1, 2020 I had a brain aneurysm rupture at my home. Luckily my youngest son Cole was home and called 911, I was care flighted to Swedish Medical Center in Denver, Colorado for emergency surgery and my middle son Hunter, Abigail's husband was able to fly with me to make medical decisions. I spent one month in the Neuro ICU at Swedish and another week on the Neurology floor before being transferred to Craig inpatient rehab facility for three weeks and then I was released to outpatient therapy and able to travel back to Billings, MT and be home with my family. I have truly been blessed and will keep working on my recovery over the rest of the year. The donation from Tom Maurer and family went to help pay for medical expenses. Thank you Tom and the Dennis & Phyllis Washington foundation for making this possible. You will never know how much of a blessing this has all been.

Thank You ~ Stacie Abbott

I donated to St Vincent de Paul a non profit organization with a goal to prevent people from becoming homeless and destitute through rent and utility assistance. They also feed the people who are homeless, providing breakfast and lunch to all those in need as well as providing clothing and laundry facilities. They also help those people with addictions try to overcome them and lead sober productive lives. With the Covid 19 pandemic the needs are even greater than before. Thank you Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation for allowing me to be able to Pay it Forward.

I donated my card to Watson's Children's Center in Missoula. They are a shelter for children from infants through age 14 that have been removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect or other family crisis. These kids stay at Watson's on an average of anywhere from a few days up to 60 days. Normally we do a "Ride for Shelter" bike ride fundraiser, but due to COVID it was canceled but made into a "virtual" ride. There are many excellent charitable organizations out there but this one always comes to mind first for me because it helps the children.

Thank you for wonderful opportunity to help others. With the amount of local families struggling during this uncertain time due to COVID-19, I chose to give my card to a family of 5 children. The father has been out of work but still volunteers his time coaching his daughter's travel softball team. This gift will help them ease a little of the burden and help allow their kids to still participate in this baseball/softball season.

Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation,

The Foundation that I chose as my charitable donation was the Poverello Center that provides food, shelter, clothing and other essential services (especially, “Hope”) to our community homeless population in and around Missoula Montana.
During the COVID-19 Pandemic one of the critical problems for the homeless and the community has been the shortage of personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves to keep everyone safe. This donation certainly came at a critical time for the community and was certainly appreciated and helpful.

The Poverello Center delegated the money toward providing basic needs to the people in the area and to help the employee’s and occupants of the facility purchase their necessary protective equipment to keep them safe.

Thank you, Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation, for this Pay It Forward Charitable Giving Program! What a wonderful way to help the community and the employees of the Washington Companies.