I decided to give my three children Pay-It-Forward money for them to use.  I sat down with them and told them about PIF.  They had seen the movie some time ago and were very familiar with the idea of personally helping others in need.  They seemed very excited by the idea at first, but I didn’t hear much from them for several months. 

My youngest daughter Sarah had her eye on a new puppy.  She had spotted a little Shih-Tzu puppy at the nearby family-owned pet store and had made friends with the little dog.  Sarah had named the dog she went to visit “Hershey” because of the chocolate spots on the dog’s coat.   

Sarah had been working toward a puppy.  She had been given the goal of earning all A’s and B’s during the school year with the reward of a new dog if she produced.  She had produced  -getting straight A’s twice and overall for the year.  I wasn’t so sure this little dog Hershey was the right one for our family, but Sarah continued to want to visit Hershey at the pet store -at least twice a week for a month and a half. 

I have a friend whose mother lives alone and had a very special dog – a real companion who was with her owner 24/7 and was the focal point of her daily life.  Unfortunately, the poor little dog had recently passed away.

You can probably guess the end of this story.  Sarah heard my conversation about the poor little dog and over the course of a few days decided she wanted to give Hershey – the dog she had wanted – to this stranger who Sarah had never met.  Sarah talked to her sisters too since their resources would be needed to raise three quarters of the price of Hershey.

The pet store owner was told what the three children were doing and graciously lowered the price of the dog so the girls could buy the little puppy.  Treats, food, and a leash were also provided for the dog.

The day to present Hershey arrived.  There were at least ten members of the mother’s family present along with our entire family.  I started out by explaining Pay-It-Forward and how our company and family believe we are to be as servants to those we find in need.  Our hope is that those we help will in turn decide to adopt a servant-led spirit and Pay-It Forward for others.  Then Sarah led the way and told the mother how she had heard about the mother’s dog who had passed, how Hershey was found, and how her sisters and she had wanted to support the cause.  Without anyone saying the mother even figured out how special Hershey was to Sarah.

Words never serve to express times such as these, but suffice it to say that there were no dry eyes in the living room of the mother’s house that day.  Hershey was welcomed into a new household that day and I believe a number of people were inspired for the future because of the kind hearts of children.

Hershey’s new owner is already looking for ways to Pay-It-Forward.