Pay It Forward Stories 2024

I used my card to help my niece Heather and her husband David with exorbitant medical bills related to Heather recently being diagnosed with an extremely rare form of cancer and undergoing chemotherapy and David has a heart condition that will eventually require a heart transplant. Before their medical issues came to light these two wonderful young people had adopted two infants in the last 5 years and are raising them as their own. With the costs of raising a family and the huge medical expenses they are incurring I can't think of a better use of $500.

A hearty thank you to the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation.

I'm giving it to Fallon farms who is a horse rescue. They do amazing work rescuing horses that have been neglected and actually abused by humans. They come in there skin and bones with tumors bad feet and they are scared. They give them a second chance to live a life with love and decency.

As a "Pay It Forward" recipient, I elected to donate to Family Promise of Missoula. Family Promise is an interfaith collective that helps families in crisis by providing for basic needs such as shelter and food. They also prioritize keeping families together as these needs are met. Given the current housing challenges in our community, they address an important need by assisting these families that have been negatively impacted. Thanks to the DPW Foundation for providing this giving opportunity.

I gave my card to my daughter. Through school sports, my grand kids became friends with siblings of a drug addicted mother. Approximately 6 months ago, my daughter’s family was asked to take in these 2 (of 6) children for an unknown period of time. These children had nothing. Virtually the clothes on their backs and receive no financial help from the mother. It has been a tremendous financial burden to purchase beds, clothing and necessities as well as absorb the added expenses of school programs. They are working hard to ensure these two additions to the family have a healthy and stable family environment. My daughter was overjoyed and has expressed her extreme gratitude to the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation for their generosity and kindness.

I have an elderly lady that lives behind me, she has no family. She was diagnosed with cancer last summer. She has been struggling to get to and from her appointments and the pharmacy. We give her rides when we are able to, and try to help her any way we can.
She is very appreciative and one of the kindest individuals I have ever had the privilege of knowing.

As I handed it to her, and she read the card and paperwork, she had tears in her eyes and could not thank me enough.

Thank you for the opportunity to spread some joy and light on such a dark situation!

Thank you, and God bless!
Ray Moody

I donated the $500 to the Missoula Mayfly Project. This non-profit uses fly fishing as a catalyst to mentor children in foster care. My son, Mason, loved to fish. He grew up in Minnesota so did a lot of lake fishing but always wanted to learn how to fly fish. He did get to try it one time on a trip to Montana and I know if he were here with me now, he would be perfecting his fly-fishing skills. Mason died by suicide at the age of 17 in June of 2022. I made this donation in memory of my beautiful boy.

I chose to give my card to my daughter who is struggling financially due to a pending divorce. Her husband's addiction in addition to no longer having the desire to be a dad has brought forth undue hardship. She is a stay at home mom, taking care of her special needs son, getting him to his various therapy sessions in addition to one on one time at home. While caring for him, she has a daughter to get to and from school, help with homework etc.

I know this card will be a blessing and I thank you for this opportunity to pay it forward to a loved one in dire need, especially in these hard economic times.

Thank you, Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation, for allowing us to bless others in your name. I have never worked for a company as giving as Washington Companies and am so grateful for the opportunity to participate.

This year, I chose to use my pay it forward card to give to a local family. I worked with this man for over a decade before he was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2023. Not only were we coworkers, but friends. I knew his wife and children - and cheered on the milestones in his families triumphs and successes along the way. He, the super proud father, always kept us up to date on his children's accomplishments. His cancer diagnosis took everyone by surprise. He is relatively young, and should have many years left - but he won't. This man was an expert in his field. His knowledge was extensive not only in his field of study - but also in many areas - and this made him a very versatile individual. He was always a person his coworkers would turn to for help, and he never refused anyone.
Though he did take steps to prepare financially for their future, those plans were cut short - and thus the struggle to maintain daily expenses plus all of the extra expenses that come along with terminal illness and inability to work have become a burden for their family.
In a heart felt "thank you" he sent via text he expressed his sincere gratitude; not only for some financial relief - but for restoration of hope. In his words, "It is so much more than money, but that is a generous gift that is perfectly timed right now. We are finding it so hard to hope as all the avenues are leading down dead ends. We know that He (God) knows, but that is a request we can't be certain he'll answer. Thank you again so much."
The doctors have offered no hope. The road is dark, painful, and scary. And because of your kindness - a family was able to regain some hope. My prayers continue to be with this family. I feel as if God himself works through this program in so many ways, meeting so many needs, and I'm so thankful for the impact it has had not just for those receiving funds - but those of us who have had the privilege of giving them as well.
Acts 20:35 NLT "And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
Just as Paul spoke in the bible - Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation have inspired many of us to "pay it forward" in our personal lives with our own money and resources. Thanks for being a great example!
With Gratitude,
Amy Hewlett

Amy Hacken is our Administrative Assistant in the billings store she is going to retire to take care of her brother who has Parkinsons disease. I gave my card to Rob Hacken.
Thank you, Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation

I am giving the Pay It Forward gift card to Rob Hacken who has stage 4 Parkinson's. He needs a power wheelchair for his mobility.
He is going through difficult times but staying strong.
He is the brother of Amy Hacken. She is retiring early to take care of his needs.
Amy has been a dedicated employee for Modern Machinery for many years.
I have seen the struggles for both of them.
This gift from the Washington Foundation will go to great use.
I am very thankful to be able to work for a company that cares about taking care of people!

I gave my card to the Delaney Doherty Memorial Scholarship Foundation. This foundation is in honor of Delaney Doherty, a 17-year-old young lady who was taken too soon, when another driver took her life in a motor vehicle accident on 08/03/2023. Delaney’s dad, Mark Doherty grew up in Butte and he and his wife Chantel started this memorial scholarship foundation to try to turn something so tragic into something good. As they said on the memorial page, they wish to keep paying it forward in their daughter’s memory by giving that light, love, and spirit that their daughter Delaney so effortlessly shined by awarding scholarships in her name and honor.

Thank you to the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation for their generosity!

I decided to give my go Pay It Forward card to an organization called Mariah’s Challenge. Mariah was a little girl out walking by her house when an underage drunk driver ran over her and killed her. Leo McCarthy started this program.
It’s a nonprofit organization that fights underage drinking and driving.
In the end if a child chooses to take the challenge and succeeds, they can put in for a scholarship and that scholarship goes towards funding for their schooling expenses.

My recipient was standing in his kitchen when his wife noticed his skin turning a concerning shade of yellow. She rushed him into the Emergency Room where he was life-flighted to Kalispell shortly thereafter. It was there that he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. A benefit dinner fundraiser was set up on Saturday, February 24th. I attended the benefit and gave the couple the Pay it Forward card, which the wife immediately started crying and said thank you repeatedly. The funds raised will be utilized to offset lost wages, doctor appointments, chemotherapy, surgery, travel expenses, and more. It was nice to be a part of the community rallying around this beautiful couple in their time of need.

Mr. and Mrs. Washington - Thank you for the gift of Pay it Forward. The card I received was given to Amy and her brother, Robert. Robert was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease a few years ago and needs more care and help going forward. Amy is our Admin Assistant and is retiring to be a home caregiver to her brother. Amy represents the core values of the Pay it Forward program. The card will help to cover expenses and equipment that Rob will need going forward. We will miss Amy but admire the selfless love she has shown and wish them the best going forward. Our prayers are with them both.
Thank You!

I gave my card to my brother-in-law who is retired and living on a fixed income. He takes care of his grandchildren after school until their mom gets off work and all day in the summer. He is a very good grandpa and provides snacks and toys for activities. During the summer he takes them to Stodden Park to swim and to use the playground. As you can imagine this cuts into his income having five grandchildren to keep occupied. This will help him out so much.

Thank you so much.

I gave my "Pay It Forward" card to my son's robotics team, Team 4662 Byte Sized out of Scappoose High School. The team was struggling this year as all of the previous team members were mostly comprised of Seniors and their parents that had graduated last year. The team now has mostly all new team members and mentors. This money can really help them with getting needed parts for the required robot build they need to make this year for competition. The team was super surprised and excited by the "Pay It Forward" gift.

I selected AWARE, a statewide nonprofit organization that offers quality, community-based support for people with mental health and/or developmental disabilities and families with children ages 0 to 8. This non-profit serve all 56 counties in Montana and close to 5,000 Montanans benefit from their important services. The work they do is incredibly hard, and the organization is mostly reliant on state Medicaid for reimbursement. On top of the generous $500 from the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation, I also gave $500 of matching money as an individual donor.

As a "Pay it forward" recipient we're are giving the card to the Kennedy School here in Butte America. Kennedy is the last standing school on the hill. The school plans on using the money for their robotics team and STEM projects. Thank you very much to the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation.

I gave my card to a family member that recently ended up having a pretty traumatic accident. He had to spend some time at a hospital in Denver, but is now recovering at home.

I donated my card to a co-worker that is currently experiencing a family emergency.

I gave my pay it forward card to a family friend that has been battling cancer for a lot of years and has to travel back and forth to Salt Lake City. Unfortunately he has gotten the news that the cancer has spread. He was truly honored when I presented him this card and very thankful. He told me he was going to use it to stock up on some great food since he hasn't had the funds with the cancer treatment and traveling to really have a full fridge. I am also honored to have the opportunity to pay it forward to a great person. Thank you.

I gave the card to Mountain Home in Missoula. Their Mission Statement is "to provide a safe home and nurturing community where young mothers discover their strengths and children thrive". It's a great organization that helps young mothers in need.

My sincere thanks to the Washington Family and the Foundation for the Pay It Forward card. I gifted the card to the Valley Christian School (VCS - Missoula, MT) 8th graders who will be taking a trip in the spring to Washington DC for a week. Each year, the VCS 8th graders travel to DC with a faith-based tour company to learn all about our great nation and the people who helped build it. My son was able to be a part of the trip last year and he has said it was one of the most impactful trips that he has ever taken. They pack so many sites and experiences into the week. The kids are on the move from 8am to 10p every day. While the kids fundraise and receive donations from family and community, there is often still a gap in funding/affordability for some. The card will help bridge that gap and take some of the financial burden away. The lady that leads the program for VCS was so thrilled to receive the card. Absolute blessing. Thank you!

I chose to pay it forward to my retired parents. They live on a fixed income and are struggling with the increase of energy costs. This was used to help pay their energy bill and will help them dramatically. Thank you Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation.

This year I was awarded the opportunity to pay it forward. I have had this opportunity a few times in my 13 years at Modern Machinery. This year was my favorite. Earlier this year we had a bad snow/ice and wind storm hit our area hard. My neighborhood was one that had made the local news due to downed trees and power lines. Houses were damaged and it was very sad to see. I drive by this one house everyday on my way home and noticed they still had a tarp covering damage to their roof. I do not know this family and have never met them. This evening I stopped by and knocked on the front door introducing myself. Shocked and unaware I proceeded to tell them why I was there. The man’s name is George and he was ever so thankful and in such shock I don’t think he really grasped the words that came out of my mouth. Being able to help a neighbor and meet a person I never knew was great. I am just as thankful as he was to be able to have this experience. Thank you so much for this opportunity. Giving is the greatest gift.