Corinne's Pay it Forward

Pay it Forward 2014
(By: Corinne, Alieha, Rose May, Marla Mae, Tiana & Joyce 8-16)

Part 1

Paying it Forward is when you do an act of kindness towards someone else (preferably 3 people). In which that act of kindness makes an impact in their life, making them want to help others also and make an impact in someone else's life, the way you did with them. So they also do an act of kindness towards someone else, and it keeps going. This is called a ripple effect, and this ripple effect looks like this....

So paying it forward means passing on a good deed to 3 people, and them passing it on to another 3 themselves, making it 9 people (who gets helped), and so on..... 


Part 2 

What was your Pay it Forward act of kindness?

My pay it forward act of kindness was to buy brand new toys and donate them to the Children's Hospital with my friends. Some of us wrote cards and thank you notes for the nurses for all their effort and care towards the children!

Why did you choose this activity?

I chose this activity because I wanted to help children, and so my friends and I thought to go to the Children's hospital so that way we'll be helping the children and also reminding the nurses and workers there that by just going to work everyday they're already making a difference in so many lives, by taking care and watching out for the children as if they were their own.

Who did you help?

We helped the children in the hospital,  so they could start off the new year with brand new toys. Also, because I know that they must be going through a lot being in the hospital, and the only way to get your mind off all that, is to play and just have fun, because you won't be a child forever. And we also helped the nurses by reminding them how grateful we are to have them, even though we don't really say it, they should know that we owe them tons for being like a parent to us because they really are difference makers and they should be reminded that everyday!

What did you do?

My friends and I went to the Children's Hospital and donated new toys for the children. We also gave the nurses and workers some thank you notes we made ourselves. Then we explained to them why we did it, and what they can do to give back to the community. We told them it was called "Paying it Forward".

When did you do your act of kindness?

I did my act of kindness on January 4th, 2013, along with my 5 friends; Alieha, Rose May, Marla, Tiana and Joyce.

Part 3

How did your act of kindness go?

My act of kindness went very well, better than I thought it'd go anyways. Since not everything was properly organized and prepared, but it went great!

What happened?

We went to the third floor of the Children's Hospital since the other parts were closed on the weekends. Then we told the lady at the desk that we wanted to donate toys, and we showed her the items we wanted to donate, and her jaw dropped open, she was in disbelief, due to the amount we wanted to donate. We explained to her that we did it for a project called 'Pay it Forward', and we told her what paying it forward meant. Then we told her to Pay it Forward to others. Then she called the other nurses for a picture, and she asked us for our address to send us a thank you note from the Children's Hospital. Then she thanked us once again, and said that they'll definitely pay it forward! 

How did you feel?

I honestly felt pretty worried at first, because earlier that day I called the Children's Hospital just to make sure we'd be able to donate that day, I ended up calling 5 different numbers 'til someone actually picked up and gave some details on where to go, and about their donation policy (which we already knew). But as soon as we told the lady at the hospital that we were going to donate toys they were very pleased and I felt so accomplished and achieved. I was so happy!

How did the person or people react?

The lady and nurses were very amazed, and happy. The lady even called all the nurses for a picture! They were so wowed that grade 8 students were making a difference, and helping shape our community.

Did you ask the person or people to "Pay it Forward"?

Yes, we explained to them what paying it forward meant, and how it was part of our project. We also told them how its like a ripple effect.

How did they react to your request?

They reacted by saying "We'll definitely pay it forward, wow!" They said it was a great project and how grateful they were with our donation. They were so speechless! They even asked us to give them our address so they can send us a letter.

Part 4

Why is the idea of "Pay it Forward" important?

The idea of Paying it Forward is important because it's a ripple effect of good deeds being passed on to more and more each day. This ripple effect grows larger and larger, it shows us how much people care and how they want to give back to their community in any way possible. Soon or later this ripple effect will... who knows? ... be the change in our world! 

Has your act of kindness made a difference?

I don't really know, but all I know is that I'm proud of what I did. I know that everything starts small and grows big! And hopefully this deed will start a ripple effect itself. But next time, I want to do something bigger, something I know might actually shape our community and patch its holes. I want to do this because I want to be like the little boy in the movie (Pay it Forward), he gave something to his community, and he died proud of it. I don't want to live a life, I'll regret at the end! I want to make a difference!
Anyways, I got a little carried away there..... Maybe now it might not have made a difference.. yet, but I know it will one day!