Pay It Forward Stories 2023

I provided the card to the Montana Tech Food Pantry which supports Montana Tech students that are facing food insecurity. The food pantry helps relieve the stress of students and of the Butte Food Bank. The Montana Tech Food Pantry is anonymous, and the students are able to take products as they need them.

This year I was able to help out a young local family who was recently displaced from their home. They lost almost all of their belongings to extreme mold that had infected the entire house. This beautiful family of 5 (3 adorable kids) has had to completely start over as everything had to be thrown away/destroyed (clothes, furniture, entire kitchen, food, bedding, pillows, books, etc). They were able to use the Pay It Forward funds to purchase clothes for their entire family as they begin the process of rebuilding. Thank you to the DPW Foundation for this amazing opportunity to help those in our community!

The gentleman I chose to help has served our country. Our veterans never receive enough help in my opinion. This particular veteran I've known for over 20 years. Never have I known him to ask for anything, he continues to give freely of his time to his community and his fellow veterans. My hope is that he uses the card to purchase basic living necessities for himself, my feeling is he'll use it to help others in need. Thank you for the opportunity to continually help others, and to pay it forward!

Warriors and Quiet Waters help military men and women in many ways.
"Warriors & Quiet Waters enables post-9/11 combat veterans and their loved ones to thrive and find peace, meaning, and purpose through fly fishing and other inspirational activities in nature."
Some Veterans that have served have come back home and not really "Settled" normally back in to society for a variety of reasons. If this donation can help them connect or help them become whole again and help them forget about their pain, both mental and physical, even for a day or 2 or better yet longer.
Thank you Mr. & Mrs. Washington for your foundation.
Thank you to all the veterans.

My pay it forward card was given to Carolyn Blair. Carolyn is the mother of my coworker at MR, Dena Hamry. Carolyn has been struggling with medical issues over the last couple of years. She was forced to retire early due to her medical condition. She recently had the majority of one of her kidneys removed due to cancer. She now has scans every 6 months and the latest scan revealed an aneurism on her renal artery from her previous surgery site. Carolyn is relying on Medicare to help pay for her treatments, which leaves a lot of the cost to her. She was very surprised and thankful when presented with the card. She said she will use this card to help defray her medical costs.

Thanks to the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation for the opportunity to be a part of the Pay It Forward program! The following is from the recipient of the giving card:

"To the strangers who blessed our family,

Liam and I found out we were expecting our little miracle in September 2022, after being told four years ago I would not be able to have a baby. We waited to tell family and friends afraid of something happening, until we were further along. Once we did, we soon after found out we were having a girl and began the planning process! However the planning was put to a halt and our world stopped on January 19th 2023. At our 24 week ultrasound we were told some devastating news that we had pregnancy complications; severely low amniotic fluid, absent blood flow in both arteries, sever IUGR, with a 1/4 chance of survival for our baby girl. Our faith and trust in God was all that we had left. We agreed we would do everything possible to give her a fighting chance. January 30th we were admitted to Missoulas CMC Hospital, where I was monitored 24/7 and given multiple rounds of medications to help prepare our baby for premature birth, as she was not tolerating being in the womb and would not survive labor.

February 7th 2023 @ 1:04 pm
Emberlyn Mae Doran was born at 1lb 2oz.
Gestational Age was 27 weeks + 1 day, however she was the size of a 21/22 week old.

She has been in the NICU, and we have been staying at the Ronald McDonald House for the past 57 days. It has been a roller coaster ride, with many ups and downs. Emberlyn is now 2lb 15oz, and is a fighter! We still have a long journey to go, but we continue to hold onto our faith and Gods promise; we believe that Emberlyn will be healed and she will live, in heaven or on earth. God gave us her to love; we have, we do, and we forever will.

My husband and I would like to thank you for the “pay it forward” gift cards, it was such a tremendous blessing. Moving forward, we would ask that you continue to keep our family in your thoughts and prayers."

I donated to the LAM Foundation, an organization that supports those afflicted with Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). LAM is a rare lung disease that usually strikes women in the prime of their lives. I chose to donate to LAM in honor of a close friend whose wife is currently battling the disease. They are wonderful people that are facing a very challenging future. I'm very grateful for the opportunity the foundation has provided me to Pay it Forward and support an organization that supports their struggle.

The Sandy Robotics club is a place where anyone is welcome. These kids team up, learn computer coding, building and engineering skills, problem solving skills, and so much more that is relevant to the jobs of today and the future. There is a new game each year, and the teams have to design, build, and code their robot to perform successfully against other robots from all over the world. Frequently many of our teams go on to compete at the World level Championships.
Though they are based at Sandy High School in Sandy, Oregon, they receive absolutely no funding from the school district. The kids work hard to fundraise and obtain corporate or private sponsorships, so the Pay It Forward donation has been an amazing asset. With the Pay It Forward donation we have been able to purchase many new parts for the club to build with, and tools to assist with assembling the robots. Thank you.

Rick is a social worker and former brother of a religious order in the Catholic Church. He has been working in social justice at Saint Leo's church for 20 years now. He works with a number of groups. One of them is L’Arche, which is a living community of people facing intellectual disability. He teaches them skills, such as gardening, beekeeping and producing products to support their living community. He also works at Saint Leo’s church with the disenfranchised. He supports people who all have struggled with housing and multiple other social and financial challenges. If they’re looking for a job, he will help them get a bus pass so they can get back-and-forth to their interviews. He runs a clothing exchange, where people can get clothes if they need clothes for their work or just cannot afford a sweater or coat in the winter time. He keeps a stock pile of blankets, coats, socks, and other immediate necessary things for the homeless, who are all through the community in which he works. He works tirelessly with a very challenged community.

I chose the Meadow Hill Middle School Orchestra to receive my Pay It Forward card. The MHMS Orchestra program does an excellent job bringing music education to students in Missoula. Mr. Johns runs a great program, and clearly helps his students develop a love for music.

I chose to donate my giving card to the Learning With Meaning, a local Missoula School and Community Center. LWM is a community of learners, offering several experiential learning programs for kids and adults. eNDVR is our program for homeschoolers, offering classes and resources for students from Kindergarten through 8th grade. Aspire is an independent school for grades 6-12 with a focus on experiential and self directed learning. The Makerspace is a space for community members of all ages (even adults) to dream and create. Our summer camps bring deep and exciting learning experiences to Missoula area students.

LWM will be using this giving card to purchase supplies and various items for the eNDVR program. Giving multiple teachers opportunities to get needed supplies for their students that usually they can't afford. Some of the items they have already gotten for the outdoor classes include Critter Cages, Insect Nets, and Carving Knifes. With more to come as they are needed.

A gentleman in our church was injured on the job which caused him and his family to fall on tough times financially. They were very excited about the Pay It Forward card. It gave some relief and hope in the midst of tough times.

Our cousin's husband passed last spring from cancer at the young age of 31. His mother had already been through a bout of breast cancer in the past. She was yet again diagnosed with cancer early this year and immediately started treatments out of the state. We gave them the giving card to help with the costs of the treatments and the travel costs associated.

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.

With the Pay it Forward card I was able to purchase merchandise that was auctioned off at the Butte Cystic Fibrosis Fundraiser. The items auctioned off totaled $650 dollars with 100 percent of the proceeds going to cystic fibrosis research.

Below is a letter written to the Butte Cystic Fibrosis fundraising team from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation President:

I want to thank you for your unwavering commitment to our mission. This year, there has been much to celebrate and many reasons to be grateful. Not only did we achieve scientific advancements on behalf of people with cystic fibrosis - we were also able to gather together joyfully at CF Foundation events nationwide. Our collaboration with the CF community and bold commitment to innovation continue to drive exciting progress forward.

Today, people with CF are living longer than ever before. For the first time, the median life expectancy has reached 53 years. We expect that number will climb as we continue to treat people with CF with transformative medications in the years ahead, and as they have an opportunity to start these medications at earlier and earlier ages.

Meanwhile, we continue to advance our all-important Path to a Cure initiative to ensure every person with CF will have a therapy for the underlying cause of their disease, and ultimately a cure. This initiative has so far resulted in funding 35 major industry research programs with leading biotech and venture capital firms to bring the world's best science into CF, with several genetic-based therapies now moving into clinical trials. We also continue our work to study the effects of CFTR modulators, expand the number of people eligible for treatment (including younger children), and pursue the next generation of modulator therapies, with 11 different studies currently underway.

All that we are doing to develop transformative therapies for the future would mean little if we did not also have research and dedicated multidisciplinary care teams to support people with CF in the challenges they face today, so they can spend more time reaching life milestones and doing what they enjoy. We continue to fund both research to combat complications associated with CF, with a focus on infections and advanced lung disease, and the care teams at more than 130 CF centers nationwide.

The success of our efforts is enabled by exceptional leadership. This summer we formally welcomed Steven Rowe, MD - a leader in the international CF research community - as our new Chief Scientific Officer. We also welcomed our new Board Chair, KC White, who is the first person living with CF to lead the Board. KC will build on the remarkable legacy of our former Chair, Cam McLoud, whose dedication and service to our community has helped transform CF.

The future looks bright, but we are not done. Every person with CF deserves to fulfill their dreams.

With your continued support, I am confident that we will find a cure for CF.

Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday season with your loved ones.

Thank you,
Michael Boyle, MI
President and CEO

Thank you, Dennis and Phyllis Washington. I was able to send the gift card to a single mother that was in a horrible single car accident two years ago. She has had to relocated to Salt Lake for the recovery, as she is not able to use for her arms and legs. She is hopeful to be able to help care for and raise her daughter. The gift card helps offset the massive cost of living and medical expenses in Salt Lake.

I gave my card to an elderly couple who I stopped and helped change a flat tire. I noticed that all their tires including the spare were worn out and bald. They told me stories of how hard the times are and how expensive everything is these day especially on a fixed income, the old timer said he had hoped to get new tires last fall and just couldn't afford it. So I decided to give them the card along with some of my personal money to get tires on their rig. They were probably the most appreciative folks I have come across in some time.

I gave the card to a mother of two that was starting a new job and used the card to provide for her kids until she got her first paycheck. Thanks

I provided a soldier and his family with the pay it forward gift card. He was recently discharged from the US Army, his family was recently setback financially with accumulated costs associated with non-recoverable moving expenses, high gas prices, food and lodging during their trip to settle in a new location. The gift card came at just the right time and the family is very grateful.

I chose to give this to a family that was in need in the local community. They were very grateful and said they would use the money locally.

We donated the money to a Jr. Rodeo club in the Bitterroot Valley. They are using the money to buy year end prizes for kids that compete in several events like roping, barrel racing, breakaway roping and steer riding to name a few. This club is a great way to start kids out to prepare for HS rodeo or any rodeos…thank you so much for doing “pay it forward” it helps out tremendously. Very much appreciated!

I chose to donate mine to a youth baseball team, to help with traveling expenses, meals, and any equipment that the team may need. I believe all youth sports are an important developmental stage in young peoples lives, by building discipline, responsibility, accountability, and creating life long friendships. Thanks to the foundation and hope you continue to impact others.

The young family I gave the “pay it forward” card to is a family just starting out, you know the kind. Decent jobs, but just making it. Two vehicles, but just one with full coverage insurance because the other isn’t worth a lot but gets him back and forth to work. New baby at home, with all the love of new parents and “hand me down” clothes every baby needs.
Their garage was set on fire one night by an arsonist who lit four places on fire. Both vehicles destroyed as well as most of the “hand me down clothes” that the baby would eventually grow into.
As insurance companies take the necessary time to investigate and rebuild, the gift card definitely came in handy for basic necessities and any bills they needed help with.

When I was leaving my daughters house in Butte MT on Sunday April 16th, I went to a conoco to fill my gas tank. I could over-hear a man and woman talking on the other side of the gas pump, and they were very upset about what they would do for food and shelter for their family since their house had burnt to the ground. Right then I decided to give them the "pay it forward" card. I gave them the information that goes with the card and told them I was very sorry for their hardship. They asked if they could repay me someday and I told them that they just needed to pay it forward. I wish I could have helped them more, but I just had to turn it over to God.

Mission summer Rec baseball provides a baseball league each year in the Mission Valley. This year there were 78 participants in St. Ignatius. Due to socio-economic hurdles, league fees are kept low. The donation funds were used to supply 2 teams with jerseys and buy some cleats for kids who were in need.

I chose to donate my card to the St. Patrick House in Missoula in memory of my Grandma Judy who passed away from brain cancer. St. Patrick House provides affordable lodging for out-of-town patients and their families while they are receiving treatment at local medical facilities. My grandma had to travel to Seattle for each chemo session and she was able to stay in a facility like this one. It made a big difference for her to be in a comfortable setting so she could rest during her treatments. This donation will allow other families a small amount of comfort during an incredibly difficult time.