Pay It Forward Stories 2020

Hello. My name is Keri Maart and I work at Franklin Elementary School. I run their Family Resource Center and I work with our homeless and at risk populations. Family depend on me to help them with basic needs in order for their children to attend school everyday. This could be busing options, food insecurities, housing referrals just to name a few. When the closed have been shut down due to COVID-19, around three- quarters of our families worry about the added pressure of breakfast and lunch that they school usually supplies. I am actually working on a school bus that delivers lunches to all District 1 Children. I used the money to purchase 20, 25.00 gift cards to Albertson's, that families can use to purchase meals for their families, and I will be giving them away tomorrow on my bus route.
Thank you for everything!!!!

I was chosen to hand out a Pay It Forward card from the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation for 2020. For my card, I chose Lynette Harrington. Her daughter Kodi is a personal friend. In early January, Lynnette had a massive stroke. She was rendered paralyzed on her left side. Lynette is retired and was also taking care of her elderly mother at the time as well. Lynette and her mother both had to be moved into assisted living as Lynette rehabs from her stroke. With the money, Kodi was able to purchase an electric recliner and walker to help her mom in her rehab. She is doing well in recovery at this time. I received a card from Kodi thanking myself and the foundation. I want to personally thank the foundation as well for giving me this opportunity to help people in need. I have been chosen many time for this great honor. This brings so much joy to people who are in need.

Thanks again,

Tom

Bitterroot Winter Special Olympics is a local organization helping local people using local volunteers and donations. Started in 1981 with twelve athletes, a handful of volunteers provided a cross country ski venue for adults and children with physical and mental challenges. Since then it has grown into a very popular winter event and will host it's 40th annual games in January of 2021.

In January of 2020 the Bitterroot Winter Special Olympics hosted 126 athletes representing 16 schools and other organizations, with over 200 coaches and support people and an additional 200 plus volunteers. Cross country skiing, downhill skiing and snowshoe races were the events provided at Lost Trail Powder Mountain over a two day period. A banquet and dance was also hosted by the Olympic organizers at the Bitterroot River Inn.

Bitterroot Winter Special Olympics raises the majority of its funding by hosting the annual Hacker Golf Tournament at the Hamilton Golf Club in September each year. Additional donations from local businesses and individuals help provide the funds needed to keep this popular event going every January.

The Bitterroot Winter Special Olympics is truly a grassroots organization promoting competition, friendship and joy between athletes, coaches and volunteers.

My mother in-law, Marla Hennequin, has been a volunteer on the steering committee for 34 years.

I was selected this year to receive a Pay It Forward gift card. I donated the $500. gift card to Missoula Aging Services, Meals on Wheels, which is needed for the caring and compassion for the elderly as well as the food they deliver. I appreciate the opportunity and more so for the program. Thank you to the Dennis & Phyllis Foundation, you make a huge difference in my community.

I gave my $500 card to the Helena Food share for kids packs for lunches with the kids being out of school I wanted to make sure the kids are still being fed in these trying times.

I donated my Pay It Forward card to the Belmont Senior Center. During this pandemic, many seniors rely on programs like Meals on Wheels provided by the Belmont. In speaking with one of the employees, she said many seniors are confused, bored, etc so she was excited to put this extra money to good use during this crisis & I was happy to be able to provide it.

The giving card was given to a sweet family whom you would never suspect might have a tight financial budget, unless you know them personally. The father works in law enforcement and the mother has chosen to be a stay-at-home mom for their four boys, ages 2 to 13. The father has recently had a few mishaps in his line of work which resulted in him having to have knee surgery. Subsequently, he missed a few weeks of work and was on work comp. The mother lives with gastoparesis, which is a stomach disease that makes you pretty much feel like you have a stomach flu that never goes away. When she has a flare-up, she often ends up in the E.R. and then the hospital for 3 or 4 days. On top of the health issues, they have 4 growing and very active boys. Despite the hardships this family has faced, they are a light in their community. They serve the people of their community endlessly and without complaint. I felt they needed the encouragement of knowing there are people out there who really do care about them as well and that is why they were given the gift card.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to help them out!

This year I chose to Payitforward to Shan's Foster Farm. Shannon is an individual that works on the front lines rescuing animals in need. She is the person that crawls under the abandoned house to gather up a litter of puppies that are freezing to death. She is the person spending countless hours gaining a feral dogs trust so it can be caught. She is going out multiple times a day to check a live trap in hopes of catching a moma dog whose puppies were already caught. She spends nights up for hours bottle feeding abandoned kittens trying to keep them alive. All of this on her personal time, on her dollar, and in her home. Once she gets these animals caught and healthy she helps to get them to shelters to find them good homes. I wanted to help her out and say thank you for hard work and to help with the costs of doing so. She is an amazing person with a great cause.

A really good family friend find out she had 3 tumors on her brain ended up having to go to Seattle for the surgery so I donated my card to her and her family to help with medical bills. It’s pretty awesome That Dennis and Phyllis give their employees opportunity to do this. It’s a really great feeling to give people in need something that you couldn’t afford. Thanks again for this opportunity to pay it forward.

I have a long time family friend Paige, who is 28 and was recently diagnosed with cancer. She sought medical care for pain and irregular bleeding, but was told the pain was from overworking and the bleeding was due to birth control she was taking. She went back to work and life, but the pain continued to get worse. After numerous tests, they diagnosed her with stage 3 cervical cancer. She has no medical insurance. She is a single mom raising 3 small children. She is currently undergoing radiation and chemotherapy. The last time I heard from the family the tumor shrunk from baseball size to marble size. I gave her your generous donation to help with her mounting medical bills.

Hello All,

First, I'd like to thank everyone involved with the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation, for their generosity, kind heartedness, and willingness to help others in so many ways.

I chose to donate my Pay it Forward card to BABUSA, Bikers Against Bullies. I have participated in some of their events, rides, met many wonderful people along the way, have seen some of their work on bikes which they sell raffle tickets for, then donate the funds to children in many different places.

The recipient was very happy to receive this donation, and assured me that it will all go towards children and the awareness of something which we feel is a great cause.

Thank you.

Thomas Moran

As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, millions of Americans are out of work for the foreseeable future. While many of these people are expected to receive assistance in one form or another from the CARES Act, one group that faces deliberate and explicate exclusion from this bill is sex workers.

I have chosen to give $500 to a fund established for Missoula area sex workers, to help them get through these difficult times. Because sex work IS work, and these folks are frequently overlooked and marginalized members of our community, and don't deserve to be excluded from the assistance being given the rest of us.

"We need this fund to stay housed, fed, and safe, as many in our community are struggling to find work and pay for basic necessities at this time. We are asking for donations from our allies, clients, organizations, and anyone not impacted by the pandemic. Funds received will be distributed to our most vulnerable community members first—those who are BIPOC (black, indigenous, and people of color), queer/trans, have dependents, or are immunocompromised."

"Many of us are survival sex workers. We are facing eviction. We are trying to get on our feet after leaving abusive partners. We are immigrants. We have young children. We’re going to continue to build community and help each other in any way that we can during this time."

The night before I received the honor of giving the pay it forward card a family in my neighborhood lost their home and most of their belongings to a house fire. In a time of need I was able to deliver hope and love to a family who was in desperate need of it. The funds will be used to replace house hold and personal items that were lost.

I am grateful to be apart of an organization that cares so deeply about the communities that we work in, the difference that they make is noticeable!

I gave my card to a single Mom and her 3 young children in Missoula. They were having a hard time making ends meet made evident to me when simple needs like diapers were a hardship. The ability for me to give this card couldn't have been more timely. I am so thankful as an employee within the Washington Companies for the opportunity given by the Dennis and Phyllis Foundation to pour out into our communities. I believe the impact this has on both individuals and organizations that we chose are hard to fully understand but I can say that in this instance it was very much appreciated.

I donated my pay it forward card to a family where there dad was laid off and there kid qualified for nationals in the all women wrestling tournament all before this pandemic happened the tournament was supposed to take place in iowa the end of march but with the covid 19 going on I suppose the used the money elsewhere

A close friend, who is self-employed, has been unable to work for most of the winter. They have been caring for a family member through a serious medical condition. The time and resources this friend has dedicated to their loved one has compromised their ability to generate income for the last six months. This money will allow them to focus more on family while they navigate this trying time in their lives.

I chose to give the giving card to a sweet little girl in Butte Montana that was born with Down Syndrome. Her family is very loving and provides every possible thing they can for her to be happy, healthy, and excel in life. Her parents both work full time and devote every spare minute to raising their three daughters. Her therapies are very costly, so the giving card will be used towards them. I felt that a hard working, devoted, and loving family embodied the spirit of the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation. The family as well as my family are very thankful for this opportunity and wonderful program.

I donated the card to a local daycare near my sons school. A lot of the children from k-6 go to this daycare. So I thought this gift would be great for the upgrade in play equipment, maybe an AC unit to help cool the kids in the coming months and if a family is in need of paying a bill. Thank you for this gift for the help this gives to the community.

I chose to pay forward the $500 gift card to Morgan McQuillan. Here is her story:

Morgan McQuillan’s story:

Morgan McQuillan was first diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, at the age of 5 in May of 1999. She was scheduled to start kindergarten in the fall but instead started chemotherapy. In September of that same year, she had a very rare amputation done on her right leg to remove the tumor. Morgan successfully learned how to walk with a prosthetic and went on to beat the cancer. Then 8 years later, when she was 12 years old, she was rediagnosed with Osteosarcoma of the soft tissue. She underwent surgery to remove the spots. At the age of 14, Morgan lost her father to Leukemia. At the age of 15, Morgan relapsed for the third time and a tumor was found in her upper jaw. She underwent chemo as well as surgery to remove the upper part of her jaw and was fitted with a partial mouth prosthesis. Once again, she went into remission. Two years later, during the fall of her senior year of high school, she was rediagnosed with Osteosarcoma, with one tumor in her soft tissue and another one on her pelvis. At this time, Morgan was told her options were very limited as she had built a tolerance up to most chemotherapy and any surgery they could do would be very extreme and diminish the quality of her life. At this time, it was clear that Morgan would never be fully cured of cancer. Rather than the doctors giving up on Morgan, they decided to try an unconventional form of treatment which consisted of radiation and chemotherapy. This was one of many miracles that was given to Morgan, the treatment worked and killed that tumor. Due to the radiation Morgan endured, she began having extreme pain in her pelvis and had to learn how to deal with that. Morgan experienced two more occurrences of Osteosarcoma in her right pelvis by the age of 22. Both times, the tumors were killed with a surgery called ablation. However, this surgery caused her to lose the feeling on the right side of her hip.

In January of this year, Morgan was rediagnosed for the seventh time with Osteosarcoma. The doctors also found a tumor on her small intestine that needed to be removed. Treatment options were once again limited. Morgan was given the option to undergo a surgery called a Hemipelvectomy, which she chose. This surgery removed her entire right hip and the remainder of her right leg. Morgan is still in the hospital to this date recovering from this surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN where she has undergone the majority of her treatment. She is experiencing a significant amount of stomach problems due to the removal of the tumor on her intestine which is slowing down her progress. She is simultaneously going through physical therapy and is now learning how to be mobile with just one leg. She will rely on a wheelchair or a walker to get her around for the rest of her life. The rest of Morgan’s treatment plan is up in the air at the point. Once Morgan returns home, she will be staying at her mother’s house outside of Joliet, MT which is currently undergoing some remodeling to make it handicap accessible for Morgan.

Thank you for reading Morgan’s story.

Submitted on March 4, 2020 by Kate Croft, Morgan’s sister.

Thank you Dennis & Phillis Washington:
For the Pay it forward I chose:
Hazel and Owen Tyler with Paws up Safe Home.
In the beautiful valley of Potomac MT
these amazing elderly couple take care of the Lost, Abandoned and Abused Animals
I had a hard time contacting Hazel because of the Convid-19
but we did meet car to car talking she told me some wonderful stories about all the animals she and her husband take care of she was surprisingly fun and energetic. She invited me to come up and see her land and tell me more stories about all her critters in the summer time.
thank you very much for the chartable donation for these wonderful generous people.

i chose to give mycard to Gates of Freedom is a Christian non-profit 501(c)3 organization that is dedicated to serving our communities and focuses its ministry around helping troubled teens and young adults. It was founded in 2009 out of the needs that exist in our society. Today, Gates of Freedom is an active part of the community by providing spiritual support to general youth, teens in critical situations, and young adults in correction centers across the State of Washington. Gates of Freedom conduct community outreach and education, and serve at the Men’s Recovery Center in Enumclaw, WA. Over the years, hundreds of inmates and recovery center students have heard the Good News that Jesus can help them no matter how far they have gone in their lives, and many have received a new life and hope for the future.

I would like to thank Dennis and Phyllis Washington for the ability to pay it forward to a cause that I am passionate about. I decided to reach out to the Montana Hunters Education Instructors in my area and ask what they are in need of. Jackie and Allen Speck, two local instructors, informed me that they were in desperate need of first aid kits. These kits are not paid for by the state of Montana, and these two instructors usually spend their own money to ensure that every youth hunter that completes their course receives a waterproof first aid kit. One of the key safety points that they teach the future hunting youth of Montana is the importance of always having a first aid kit in their backpack at all times in case of an emergency. I was amazed that these are not paid for by the state of Montana. We reached out to Cabela's and they gave us a special price on these kits, which allowed us to purchase even more of these kits to be distributed. Cabela's also donated some safety orange vests to distribute to the class participants. All of this would not have been possible with out the caring philanthropic work that the Washington family engages in every year. I was honored to be a recipient of the 2020 Pay It Forward program.

Our family chose to donate to the Second Harvest food bank. This donation is estimated to help provide as many as 2400 much needed meals. We felt like this generous gift would be best used to help feed the many struggling families throughout our community. The recent Pandemic has put an incredible amount of stress on food banks across the country. Many hard working American families are in a situation unlike anything they’ve ever experienced. This is the first time many of these families have ever had to look for an outside hand for help. Our family felt very honored to be chosen for this years Pay it Forward program. This was a good learning experience for our youngest child in the importance of charitable giving. We all chipped in and with a couple extra chores around the house were able to bring the total meals provided to 3500:) Thank you and God bless.

~The Clinger Family~

I gave my Pay It Forward donation to the YWCA of Missoula. The YWCA is "...dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. The YWCA opens doors to opportunity and self-sufficiency for women and families facing poverty, violence and discrimination. With over 100 years of experience, the YWCA is the leading organization in Missoula for moving women and families out of crisis and empowering them to achieve lasting independence".

In the unprecedented times that we face today with COVID-19, there is no better time to give to local non-profits. When I contacted the YWCA, Missoula wasn't under the stay-at-home order yet, but started to understand the importance of social distancing and sanitizing in combating the virus. I was able to reach out to the YWCA through email and we were able to meet in person to give my Pay it Forward donation them, even though they were closed to the general public. They were incredibly appreciative for this donation. I was told that because of COVID-19, they had to close their thrift stores, which provides vital income for their services. Currently, they are planning to use the donation to help cover extra costs such as sanitizing products for their shelter.

Thank you for allowing me to give back to my community, especially during such an important time as this.

- Olivia

I was glad to donate to two different places. I split my 500.00 dollars and donated to the SCRAPS animal shelter for much needed supplies. They were going to have to shut down due to low funding and no supplies. I donated the other half to meals on wheels here in Spokane. During this odd time we are going through I thought that the elderly will need some assistance with a warm meal.