SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. – Making headlines all over the world including as far as Japan, a local act of kindness is inspiring others to keep paying it forward.
Since gifting a Sun Prairie waitress a $1,000 tip on Christmas Day, the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County has been inundated with calls and media coverage from across the country, including on CBS News.
The massive tip was a part of the organization’s Pay It Forward campaign, something they’ve been doing for more than a decade. Club CEO and president Michael Johnson said for the campaign, this kind of attention is a first.
“I’m getting emails from people all over the country saying, ‘I want to do this at my local Boys & Girls Clubs,” Johnson said. “I want to do this in Chicago or Phoenix or New York City. It’s amazing what you all have done,’ so I’m glad it’s resonating with people.”
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On top of the $1,000 tip, the group has given away a car, bought hundreds of gifts for kids, helped people pay rent and sent families on shopping sprees—all people in need.
Johnson said volunteers spent hours going over applications to make sure the people who need the help the most are supported, and while they didn’t do it for the attention, Johnson said he’s grateful his team is getting some recognition.
Among those helpers was Corinda Rainey-Moore, who’s been a longtime volunteer. She said for her, going through the hundreds of applications really puts things in perspective.
“For people to put themselves out there like that and be vulnerable to ask for help,” she said, “to me, that takes a lot of courage to be able to do that, but it also shed light on how people are really struggling.”
Rainey-Moore and Johnson want to remind people that they don’t need to wait until Christmas to give; in fact, they run the Pay It Forward campaign year-round.
They said the need for those efforts in the Dane County community is still so great, so they are encouraging people to continue sending in donations to help those they couldn’t get to over the holiday weekend.
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