Pay It Forward Stories 2020

We split ours up this year!
First we gave our nephews kindergarten teacher Mrs Payton from Boulder Elementary in Billings $200 for new school supplies!
Second we gave $300 to our grand daughters other grandma Stacy Abbot who on New Years Day had a brain aneurysm and was life flighted to Denver for numerous surgeries! Luckily she survived and she is still with us recovering great! This was to go towards any bills she had!
We appreciate and thank you for continually letting us be part of this giving program!
Again Thank You
Tom and LeAnne Maurer

This year I gave this card to my Dad, he’s 93 years old and was very appreciate of it. He said it helped him a lot on His Monthly prescriptions.
Hearing from him a few weeks ago, he was very happy to use this as he’s on a fixed income.
Many thanks to the Washington Foundation for doing this.

A gentleman in our church works at an Alternative school in North Carolina. Due to the COVID virus and other circumstances within several families of the school's students he wanted to be able to help multiple families. This individual works three different jobs to provide for his own family and tries to help some of the most needy people at the school where he is teaching. He took the gift card to Walmart and was able to get five $100 cards and distribute them to five different families. The various families included a pregnant teenager, a family who has a son with a terminal disease, a family whose father recently lost his job, a student who is homeless, and a family who recently lost their son to suicide.

In all of these situations the funds were used by the families for basic necessities during all of these very difficult situations. They were blessed and very thankful for the much needed help the gift cards provided. In each case, the financial help was received at a critical time and allowed them to meet their individual needs. The names of the individuals have been omitted due to their privacy.

I decided to use the pay it forward donation by donating it to our community church. They do so many events for our small town and bless so many lives. We were informed that this pay it forward card would go to a youth vacation bible school that will be held in July, for children ages 4 going into 6th grade. The donation supplies everything they will need aside from their registration fee of $5

I donated my card to the Park County Rod and Gun Club youth shooting sports program. I'm on the board of directors at our small local club and myself and another member started a new shooter/ family night last year where we shoot trap once a week and grill out food so families can come out and learn to shoot trap and not have to worry about dinner plans when they get home. The money went towards a large order of various shooting supplies to keep the program going. This year has been even more busy with a large presence of MRL families, friends, and even people from surrounding towns. Your generous donation is extremely appreciated by the club and the families who participate in the program.
Thank You, Phil Tuccillo

This year was a challenge in finding a recipient for the Pay It Forward program because of the Shelter In Place, so the extended giving period was greatly appreciated. The family that we chose to receive the money was a family of three that had been devastated by COVID-19 financially. The mother had lost her job and the father was self-employed and was unable to work in his line because of the pandemic. The family has a 2-year-old boy and was very appreciative of the funds. They will help use the funding to regain financial stability.

The card was given to a young family of 6 (Mom, Dad and 4 children). The mom and dad are in their mid 30's and the kids are under the age of 8. The mother has been recently diagnosed with Non Hodgkins Lymphoma. During this time of COVID 19 the mother was in and out of the hospital with chemotherapy treatments and additional surgeries. She even spent 5 days in the ICU. All of this time in the hospital has been spent by herself, as her husband and family members are not allowed into the hospital. Aside from the cancer diagnosis, there were complications in her lungs. Not having family support has been challenging to say the least. Also, because of COVID 19 the father had fewer hours and work and had to take additional time off to help with the kids. Money has become tight. The gift card was mostly used to buy a certain type of air filter for their home, to help with her difficulties in breathing. It was also used for miscellaneous household expenses.

Thank you to the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation for the Pay it Forward Employee Charitable Giving Program.  Chris Houck, with Envirocon, chose to pass the donation along to the Missoula County Public School Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program, where his nieces attended Jefferson preschool with 7 kids who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have immediate family who are deaf or hard of hearing.  The class is a wonderful learning environment where both American sign language (ASL) and English are used.  The educational support team includes teachers of the deaf, interpreters, speech/language pathologists, and paraeducators who work hard to meet the various needs of the students.  This team does an amazing job of teaching the kids in a fun and exciting way - they've played musical instruments including the drums, guitar, harmonica, and harp; they've worked on pre-literacy activities; they've read so many books; they've sung and signed a lot of songs; they've played outside in the snow, rain, and sunshine; they've worked hard in ASL lessons and activities; they've made a lot of art with paint, crayons, scissors, and glue; and they've learned so much about the seasons, animals, vehicles, plants, camping and on and on!  The MCPS Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program was able to use the donation to purchase a surround Bluetooth speaker, which will allow connection to a variety of technology and have great sound amplification quality in the classroom.  The donation was also used for math manipulatives, a sight word game, some classroom teaching materials, and fine motor skill building tools.  Thank you for your kind and generous donation!  

I gave the Ravalli county junior rodeo club the 500 dollar pay it forward... the money was used to buy year end prizes for kids of all ages. This helps with keeping kids active in the rodeo lifestyle... Long live cowboys/cowgirls!!

I decided to Pay it Forward to a special young man here in Butte. Max Demarais is 16 years old and an all around good kid. He had a growing tumor behind his right eye socket causing him to lose eyesight in that eye. Max and Family had to travel to Salt Lake City for radiation and then chemo treatments. Sadly the tumor did not respond to them and had to be removed along with his eye. Max has been very positive throughout the entire ordeal. I fell grateful to be able to help Max's family out with travel expenses on their long trips to Salt Lake. Thank you Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation for making this possible.

I gave my card to a single mother in Butte who has encountered long list of unfortunate, tragic events and yet she still keeps her head up and remains strong for her kids. Her hard work and selflessness is unlike any I've ever seen. I feel like she should be recognized for it but her modesty and pride are going to keep her name anonymous. She was truly thankful and had tears in her eyes when she received the card. What a great way to be able to help others less fortunate during these hard times! Thank you too the DPW Foundation for the opportunity:)

This year, I chose to give my Pay it forward gift card to Frenchtown Elementary school to apply to unpaid lunch balances for kids and families within the elementary school. As I have three kids in school, I know that lunch can be expensive for families and from talking to the principal there were many families that had negative balances on their account. This gift card was able to cover all negative lunch balances prior to kids staying home due to the pandemic. I feel very fortunate to work for the Washington Companies were giving back to the community is a priority.

I decided to donate my card to the Missoula Food Bank to help any families that may have been affected by the COVID 19 pandemic. There are many families who lost their income for months and potentially longer and need help getting meals to their families. It feels good knowing that I could help others in some way.

Since I was new to the Spokane area I did a bunch of research and decided to donate my card to the Serve Spokane Non profit food bank. Serve Spokane food pantry serves an average of 1400 people each month. I felt that because of the pandemic it would be best to help people who did not have the means to get food after their jobs were put on hold or laid off. Serve also works as partners with 2nd Harvest to operate The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and the commodity Supplement Food Program (CSFP-Senior Boxes).

Serve in addition to the food bank also runs a clothing bank which supplies around 1500 pounds of clothing and household goods.

I am very thankful to the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation to have had the opportunity to participate in the pay it forward program, and look forward to hopefully being able to pay it forward again.

Our friend, Kathy Millard's medical crisis began in early September, 2019. Symptoms led to tests and admittance to Sacred Heart's Riverbend Medical Center ICU in Eugene, Oregon, where surgery revealed a brain abscess. It was pretty large, covering the whole right side of her brain. A large piece of her skull was removed to relieve swelling. Paralysis, seizures, inability to communicate, a very stubborn infection, and issues with insurance have been a challenge for Kathy and her husband Paul, for many months. Because of the persistent infection, and the need to drill holes and remove more of her skull to drain the abscess, the bone flap was not replaced until mid-January 2020. She continues her recovery at home.
The Millards themselves, are an extremely generous, selfless family. They demonstrate their faith and love for the Lord by service to others. When we were building our home, Paul and two of his sons showed up without being asked, to help frame our home and later on, to finish concrete. Two of their daughters served in China and Mongolia as long-term missionaries and the whole family has been supportive of international students, missions, and serving others in their community.
Kathy was extremely grateful when I showed up at their door with the Pay it Forward gift card. You can be assured they have Paid it Forward in many ways already, as this is the way they live their lives.
Thank you very much for allowing me to help my friends through this generous program.

I gave it to the philipsburg library. They were placed in an offsite building and had very little, if any, funding. We have been doing fundraisers within the community to keep it operational, but more money is always needed for basic necessities. The money went towards books, afterschool programs and a computer.

Once again thank you for this Pay it Forward program. I split the card for two families this year, each for the meat block. One family I gave the card to before and they were as happy this time as the last. Truly thankful. The second family was surprised and very thankful. Two great families that needed help and it made a world of difference. Thanks again for a great program, and making two families extremely grateful for the giving cards.

Sincerely, Tyke Galle

Back in March before the pandemic took hold. I used my Pay It Forward donation for the continued World Wide preaching work of Jehovah's Witnesses. Our preaching work worldwide, as well as the publications, used to teach Bible principles. Another way the donation will be used is in the building of new places of worship. All this work is done on a volunteer bases. So being able to use the Pay it Forward Contribution I am able to help continue the preaching work by providing the printing and publication materials for such vital work as well as contributing to the worldwide building work.

I was given $200 cash that I used for purchasing a printer for my classroom. This printer will make it possible to prepare materials for my students at school. In the past, I have not been able to use a printer at school and this made it difficult to adequately plan lessons. Thank you for your gift and supporting, my classroom.

I was able to give the money to the Dupage Care Center where my father is currently at. During these trying times with the COVID-19 pandemic they were able to purchase dinners for the residents and staff. The change in menu was well received and all thoroughly enjoyed it.

Our friend, Kathy Millard's medical crisis began in early September, 2019. Symptoms led to tests and admittance to Sacred Heart's Riverbend Medical Center ICU in Eugene, Oregon, where surgery revealed a brain abscess. It was pretty large, covering the whole right side of her brain. A large piece of her skull was removed to relieve swelling. Paralysis, seizures, inability to communicate, a very stubborn infection, and issues with insurance have been a challenge for Kathy and her husband Paul, for many months. Because of the persistent infection, and the need to drill holes and remove more of her skull to drain the abscess, the bone flap was not replaced until mid-January 2020. She continues her recovery at home.
The Millards themselves, are an extremely generous, selfless family. They demonstrate their faith and love for the Lord by service to others. When we were building our home, Paul and two of his sons showed up without being asked, to help frame our home and later on, to finish concrete. Two of their daughters served in China and Mongolia as long-term missionaries and the whole family has been supportive of international students, missions, and serving others in their community.
Kathy was extremely grateful when I showed up at their door with the Pay it Forward gift card. You can be assured they have Paid it Forward in many ways already, as this is the way they live their lives.
Thank you very much for allowing me to help my friends through this generous program.

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.

With the support of the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation Pay It Forward program, and the generous gift recommendation by Susan Twiford from Montana Rail Link, Missoula Aging Services (MAS) used the funding to provide food during our annual March for Meals campaign which supports the MAS Meals on Wheels program.

This year, the March for Meals campaign occurred right during the COVID-19 pandemic, making this contribution especially important as MAS has seen an increase in need due to the vulnerable older adult population we serve. Because older adults are most at-risk for the virus, many of MAS clients and older adult community members have been required to shelter in place, and are unable to go out for food, while their caregivers must also social distance to keep their loved one safe. We have met this increased need for older adults and have expanded the program to people under the age of 60 with disabilities who were required to contribute to the program before the pandemic. In the Underage Meals on Wheels Program, meals are now being provided at no cost to those 60 years old and under who didn't qualify for cost-free meals before. To remove barriers to service, both hot and frozen meals are being delivered directly to those in need and meal number restrictions were reduced to ensure that all needs are being met. The result of this decision was a large influx of new clients and a massive increase in numbers of meals delivered. Since the reduction in limitations and suspension of expected payments, Underage Meals on Wheels numbers have grown from 15 clients to 33 clients per week, and an average of 300 to 400 meals a month before the pandemic, to over 1400 meals per month. This is an increase of 263% in meals and over double the number of clients. All Meals on Wheels numbers have greatly increased due to the pandemic. Prior to COVID-19 MAS delivered an average of 225 meals per day which averaged about 1000 per week; Mas is now delivering 3000 meals per week to meet the basic human need for food of those we serve.

MAS has many compelling stories about how Meals on Wheels has made a significant positive impact on clients in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. One story comes from a rural client living in Seeley Lake. A MAS Care Manager set up Meals on Wheels for the client in need. Her son and caregiver shared with the Care Manager that the client only had $7.00 in her checking account and it was the middle of the month. She didn’t have a microwave to warm her frozen meals, so Missoula Aging Services purchased her one. She now has nutritious meals delivered to her and a way to heat them up while she remains safe in her own home!

In addition to the benefits received by the Meals on Wheels clients during the pandemic, the Meals on Wheels program also helps the volunteer drivers stay busy and have a sense of purpose during these challenging times. One volunteer said delivering meals helps him de-stress and gives him something else to focus on.

Thank you so much to the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation's support of the Meals on Wheels program and the clients we serve during these unprecedented times.

I would like to thank the Dennis &Phyllis Washington Foundation for allowing me the opportunity to "Pay it Forward". I chose to donate my $500 to the Community Cancer fund. Cancer is a mindless beast and it will affect almost all of us during our lifetimes in one way or another.

The Community Cancer Fund is dedicated to fighting cancer in the Inland Northwest by funding local cancer prevention and screening programs, and supporting cancer patients and their families at every stage of their illness and recovery. The Community Cancer Fund has helped kids go to camps to escape the fear and stress of their disease, and it has provided support for cancer patients to receive funding for medications, gas, hotel stays, adult lodging, and cancer screening across the Inland northwest. In short, The Community Cancer Fund has helped ease financial and logistical stresses during a time that individuals and families need it most.

I donated the card to our local SARC office (Sexual Assault Response Center). With limited funding during this pandemic, they needed it to support local women and children.