Pay It Forward Stories 2020

My wife and I decided to give our gift card to an aide at the elementary school that my wife works at. We call her Ms. Judy. Ms. Judy is a single mother of two who also takes care of her older brother who has Down Syndrome. We met her last year when she became an aide to work one-on-one with a non-speaking mentally disabled 9 year old in my wife's 3rd grade classroom. Ms. Judy's work requirements were to be at school by 7:00 a.m. so she could ride the bus to help pick this student up. She then was to spend the whole day with him and complete her daily assignments with him. These assignments included: Teaching him simple command words and some sign language, helping him eat lunch, helping him be involved in outside play with other children, aiding the teacher for this child's educational standards, and then riding the bus home with him. Ms. Judy did all of this while taking care of her children, her brother, and working two jobs. This past year Ms. Judy was diagnosed with bladder cancer. They caught it early but she still had to complete treatments which often left her feeling sick. While going through all of this, Ms. Judy still came to work because she knew this student needed her. Ms. Judy put her own needs and wants aside to help her student with his special needs. We felt that this dedication deserved recognition.

The gift card was given to the Basin Community Church, in Basin, MT to be used for equipment & repairs and any community needs, individual medical expenses and or basic necessities for individuals that may arise.

I gave my card to missoula youth hockey, they are in need of gear for kids, upgrades to the facility, and probially way more than I'm aware, I have donated a fair bit of time helping with events and the free youth clinics, I left the funds as a whole so they could put them where they were needed most giving the chain of events in the last couple months. I have seen the improvement of self confidence, friendship, trust and the overwhelming sense of joy that msla youth hockey has giving to many kids , I thank you on behalf of myself and missoula youth hockey for the opportunity and the gift that allows them to keep giving! Thank you again ,,Don

The 2020 Pay It Forward Card was bestowed to the organization Cultivating Connections. Cultivating Connections is a non-profit organization that introduces the youth of today to organic farming and directs many other programs that include:
*The Youth Farm Internship: 8 Interns mentored in the arts of organic farming, community involvement, and value-added food processing.
*Salads For Seniors’ project- 100 fresh garden salads a week for eight weeks. Interns harvested, produced, and delivered the salads to Meals on
Wheels of Ravalli County Council on Aging.
*International Youth in Farming Work Safari: 3 interns traveled to Berlin, Germany to learn about and experience a foreign culture and its
agriculture.
*Special Abilities Camp: Eighth year of summer days camps for kids on the autism spectrum, in cooperation with Bitterroot Arts for Autism.
*Kinder-Gardeners Project: 3-part farm visit series for all seven kindergarten classes (over 120 kids) from Hamilton.
*Homies Program: Weekly summer farm visits for youth living at the Linda Massa Youth Home.

Cultivating Connections was so appreciative in receiving monies from the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation - Pay It Forward, especially since all of their spring fund raising efforts were cancelled secondary to CoVid 19.

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I originally donated my card to the elementary schools in Laurel to pay off lunch accounts that had a negative balance. Due to the Covid-19 crisis, the Laurel students and employees are not in school. They are now using the card to purchase food to supply weekly food boxes to Laurel school families that are in need.

Earlier this year, my wife Lisa & I learned of a little boy, Manny, here in Las Vegas that had his wheelchair stolen. His family was crushed with the personal and financial blow the theft caused. Manny has 6 other siblings all being raised by a single mother working hard just to put food on the table and shelter over seven little souls. Manny's physical handicaps and mobility needs require a specialized wheelchair and the replacement cost for his stolen chair was overwhelming for Sarah, his mother. Multiple groups of friends and neighbors banded together and raised money to help give Sarah the financial ability to buy her son a new wheelchair. He desperately wanted, to again, move around and enjoy time with his friends and family. Lisa & I took inspiration from the generosity of the Dennis & Phyllis Washington foundation and donated the Foundation's Pay It Forward gift to Manny's mother along with a matching personal donation. The funds raised from our local off road clubs topped off by the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation's Pay It Forward gift allowed Sarah to pay for a new $4,000 specialized wheelchair for her young son. He is now able to move around with a smile on this face and the world in front of him. Dennis & Phyllis, thank you for your generosity and inspiration through the Foundation to help make our communities a kinder place.

Bill & Lisa Oberlander

I used my Pay It Forward card to purchase grocery and necessity items for a family who has loss of income due to the Covid-19 situation. They were very thankful. Thank you for helping me help them.

I chose to donate my Pay It Forward card to the Veterans Advocacy Clinic at the University of Montana School of Law. This organization is dear to me, and they are serving a region that typically does not get adequate support.

The Veterans Advocacy Clinic provides free legal services to veterans across Montana. The Clinic fulfills its mission of accounting for the long-term impacts of military service on disabled or improperly discharged veterans through direct legal representation, legal consultation, and outreach. The Clinic works to ensure that veterans receive proper care and compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs and works to resolve improper and inequitable discharges by the Department of Defense.

Since its founding in 2017, the Clinic has represented over 50 veterans before the VA and the DoD and counseled many more.

In addition, the Veterans Advocacy Clinic, as part of the Clinical Program at the Alexander Blewett III Law School, supervises students as they handle veterans’ claims. The Clinic trains students in professionalism and administrative law while instilling the spirit of volunteerism in the next generation of attorneys.

The Clinic plans to use my Pay It Forward donation to complete an outreach trip to an underserved rural area or Tribal Reservation in need of resources for veterans.

Thank you Dennis & Phyllis Washington, first for the opportunity to work at such a great place. It is hard enough to find a good job, but finding one working for a family such as yours, who actually care about their employees is rare. This year I gave my card to a private couple who are in their late 60's and are having trouble "just getting by". This couple has been together for over 30 years and last year the wife had to have back surgery and is unable to work. Being the only one working in the house, the bills have been piling up, so she could start healing, and now after nearly a year, she is getting back on her feet. I wanted them to have the Pay It Forward gift card, so maybe it will get them caught up on a few of their bills, or just to take their minds off the bills and enjoy a little bit of life. Thank you again for the kindness you have shown our community and the over-whelming generosity that help so many people.

Nancy Kenny

2 days prior to receiving the card a family friend passed away unexpectedly. He was young late 30's with 2 young kids. His death really hit home for myself due to the sudden and unexpected death. He was similar age to myself and make you release to cherish everyday you have with friends and family. Don't take anything for granted. Tomorrow is not guaranteed.

Thank you for allowing me to give back to the community.
I have donated my pay it forward card to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Billings.
Where I have been a "BIG" for over 13 years now.
Again thank you for this opportunity to help out.

I chose to donate to the Jadyn Fred Foundation here in Missoula. They help to support families with children who have major medical needs. They have helped many families in the Missoula community and do amazing work.

Donated to a family in need who had some hard times prior to covid19

n the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, a group of Butte women found a way to show appreciation to those on the front lines, while supporting local restaurants struggling from a stay-at-home order.

When Sonia Zachow of La Casa Toscana began delivering meals to health care providers at St. James Healthcare, she wanted to do more to help those on the front lines. So Zachow reached out to Julie Jaksha, regional director of the small business development center for Headwaters RC&D, for help coordinating efforts with other local restaurant owners.

Meanwhile, Jaksha had already heard of another Butte resident, Krissy Kraczkowsky, interested in starting a front line appreciation group in Butte. That’s when she saw an opportunity for collaboration. Together, they formed the Front Line Appreciation Group (FLAG) of Butte.

As I looked to find a worthwhile organization for my pay it forward, my daughter suggested the Front Line Appreciation Group. I believe in these trying times it is important to put our focus on this terrible virus we are dealing with. The idea of providing meals to our heroes on the front lines really appealed to me. So far FLAG has delivered over 1100 meals to our front line workers in Butte. It is an honor to be able to contribute to this wonderful organization. I would like to thank the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation for this opportunity.

I gave my card to a retired Butte area couple that needed monetary assistance with medical bills.

Greetings,
As a response to the “Pay It Forward” employee Charitable giving program, I would like to share how the funds were used.
During these uncertain and trying times in wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, households have been affected in many ways including financially. I took this opportunity to help a few fulfill a happy Mother’s Day. Target gift cards were presented to those who deserve, but are unable to afford Mother’s Day gifts or groceries. Recipients are now familiar with the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation and the correlation with Montana Rail Link.
Thank you for the chance to put a smile on people’s faces through monetary giving, especially when it was least expected.
I’d prefer to keep my story private, however I just wanted to share with those within the foundation.

Thank You Kindly,
Alec Swanson
406-591-2966

To give back to someone who gives so much

In late 2019 I returned to Montana Resources and began working as an engineer. As such, I was pleasantly surprised to be chosen to give a gift of $500.00 to a family in need. This is a great program that the Washington Group has organized.

The donation was given to Tanner Sholey who was diagnosed with synovial cell sarcoma in the summer of 2019. The diagnosis required Tanner to complete chemotherapy and radiation along with surgery to take out the sarcoma itself. The treatment was to shrink the tumor down to a manageable size so surgery could be completed with minimal damage to his arm.

I chose Tanner for the following reasons. Many other individuals in the community had medical issues and were raising more funds than their goal, where Tanner had not yet met his goal to assist with the incredible costs associated with his diagnosis. The main reason Tanner was chosen, was because of his mom, Pam Sholey.

Pam and her family are incredible and continuously give back to the community. Recently, Montana Youth Soccer awarded Pam as the MYSA 2019 Volunteer of the Year! Pam volunteers hundreds of hours each year, to elevate soccer for her local club and across the state! Soccer is just one example of how Pam and her family donates to the community; there are many other examples. With all of the volunteer work and time this family has given to the Butte community, I felt it was a good opportunity to give back to the Sholey family. Thank you for this wonderful organization and the opportunity to give back to a family in need.

We used the Pay it Forward card to bless the Hedahl family. The Hedahl have 3 boys, their youngest boy Squish was diagnosed with a muscle tissue cancer known as Childhood Rhabdomyosarcoma at a young age. The family has made numerous travels to Denver to and back for Squish's appointment's and cancer treatment. Squish and his family was recently selected to go to Disney World as part of the Make a Wish foundation. We felt that this gift card would help the family give Squish and his older brothers a memory that would last a lifetime. We also learned that Squish is in full remission, which is the best news anyone could ask for. Thanks to the Washington Foundation for making this donation possible to families like the Hedahl.

My acquaintance C was greatly affected by the shutdowns due to the Covid-19 virus. She works two jobs, as a cosmetologist and a bar-tender. Her hard work paid off and she was recently able to buy her own home. Unfortunately, just about the time her first mortgage was due the state shut down both bars and salons and she was left without income. To add to that her dog had developed kidney stones and had to have a quite expensive surgery, depleting her savings. Her dog had to be put down, unfortunately, but the bill still needed to be paid. Hopefully this money will help during this trying time.

The COVID-19 pandemic is certainly an event that has not skipped the heart and soul of Hellgate Elementary nor the greater Missoula area. As a result, the number of at-risk students enrolled at Hellgate Elementary has continued to increase with no end in sight. That makes the generous gift of $500.00 from the Washington Foundation all the more vital to our efforts to assist our students who are in need. Thank you.
We, at Hellgate Elementary, are planning to use the gift to assist several of our kindergarten through 1st grade students who are experiencing difficult family situations as a result of COVID-19. Assistance will range from helping to supply basic clothing needs for the children whose parents have lost their jobs to purchasing school supplies for the children in preparation for the 2020/2021 school year. Without the generosity of the Washington Foundation, the school district would not be able to assist the children to the level we can now. In the adult world. maybe having those basic needs met is not a big deal. But to children, those basic needs are their world and, at times, trying to meet those needs can be terrifying and all-consuming.
Again, thank you for the generous Pay It Forward giving card and for making the lives of the children at Hellgate Elementary better.

I split my money between two entities; First is Animeals in Missoula. I restocked their office shelves with business needs and Food for the Cats and Dogs. Second is to the National MS Society.
Thank you to the Foundation for letting me help a couple organizations in need.

Havre Trails is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that works to promote hiking, running, and biking in Havre and the surrounding Hill County area of Montana. Traditionally, Havre Trails hosts a summer hiking series of up to eight hikes with nearly forty participants per hike. However, due to the COVID-19 crisis, Havre Trails decided not to host an in-person hike series this season to ensure the safety and well-being of all participants. As a creative way to continue motivating community members to get outside for their mental and physical well-being, Havre Trails is hosting its very first Hike Scavenger Hunt! Havre Trails will create a list of local area trails and promote the hikes for community members to walk, run, or bike the trails on their own time and in their own family groups while safely practicing social distancing. Hikers will be able to submit photos of their completed hikes to win some fabulous outdoor-related prizes that were purchased using the Giving Card. The Hike Scavenger Hunt will be promoted throughout the summer months, and Havre Trails will consistently highlight various local trails on its Facebook page. The event will not only encourage health and wellness for area residents but will also bring the community together in a positive way to enjoy our local natural treasures. Thank you to the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation and Washington Companies for giving us the opportunity to host such a fun event that will see hundreds of community members getting outside in a safe and healthy way this summer season!

I gave my card to Jessica a nurse at the Laurel care center where my mother in law lived until she passed in May of 2020. Jessica went above and beyond many times in the 3 years my mother in law lived there. It has been a struggle for her being a single mother that had recently created a severe financial hardship. We also matched the grant and gave to 5 other people that were instrumental in her care. Many thanks to the DPW foundation for this opportunity.

I donated my Pay It Forward card to AniMeals, a no-kill adoption center in Missoula.

I was able to give my card to a young mother of two who recently had to take custody of her sisters Four children ages Five to Two.
She is having a terrible time trying to get assistance and hold down her own job that she was just hired at. So needless to say times got tough and this Five hundred dollar gift card went a long ways to put food in little mouths and diapers on little bottoms. I would like to thank The Dennis and Phyllis Foundation for the opportunity to help so many in need people during this very unique and trying time.