Diana B, New York – with a swipe of my metro card

Love your site and what you are doing!!!…I am a huge fan of “paying it forward” (or R.A.K—random acts of kindness)

Two things I am doing right now:

I give people a free train ride with a swipe of my metro card…..the favorite moments are when a mother is running thru with her kids, the train is in the station AND her card is out of rides….and

         then I tell her I can swipe my card for her….it’s like she won the lottery!! The faces of relief and gratitude are priceless….

After watching a show on Oprah (fall ‘05) on “paying it forward”…….I decided I had to do it….(when Oprah talks I listen!)…….So first I thought of what I wanted to do…..I wanted to help children that are sick or terminally ill.

                   *I chose Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in the Bronx. *I work at a Hotel in NYC so I decided to donate all my sick pay days from that year. *Then I asked co-workers at the Hotel to join in
                        collecting money, toys,books and pajamas. *Then I asked book companies to donate books for the children. * Then we picked a day (2 days after Christmas) where we would go to the Hospital
                        and hand out the toys–raffle off gifts on each floor–provide a buffet for family members on each floor—and also donate over 6 hours of free massages for all the nurses and hard working staff!!Yeah!
                         This past Dec ‘08 was our 3rd year of our Pay It Forward fundraiser for the children, staff and family members of The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore! And we have many more to come!