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The Morden Area Foundation once again partnered with the Winkler Community Foundation to spread kindness for the month of May, the community was encouraged to come up with ways to Pay it Forward all month long.

What is Pay it Forward May: A month long campaign initiated by the Morden Area Foundation and the Winkler Community Foundation together to encourage random acts of kindness in our communities.

Why: Paying it forward is at the core of what we do as a Community Foundation therefore it would be great to get the entire City involved!

What is MAF hoping to achieve: Since paying-it-forward is such a positive idea, we would like as many community members, organizations, and businesses involved as possible. The more momentum we can build, the better our community will be.

How can people “pay-it-forward”: Be kind. Do something for someone without expecting something in return. There is always the option of making a donation to the Morden Area Foundation for the MAF to invest into our General Fund and pay-it-forward to the community year after year through grants.

How can you get involved: There are many ways your organization can get involved such a throwing a special event during the month, offering a free or volunteer service (ex. free car wash) or giving away a special product for a one day promotion. We encourage you to use the term “Pay-it-Forward May” in your promotions. Pay it Forward May promotional material is available upon request from the MAF office.

How will we know what is going on throughout the community: Watch the “Morden Area Foundation” Facebook page. We encourage you to post online what you are doing, use #pifmay and tag the MAF and we will share and cross promote. In an effort to encourage and inspire others to pay it forward, we invite the community to share stories about the good things people are doing or how a good deed has made an impact. Email your stories to us at info@mordenfoundation.ca.

Who can you contact for more information:

Caddie Crampton or Lynda Lambert,
Community Foundation Coordinators,
13 – 379 Stephen Street, Morden MB R6M 0G8
Phone 204-822-5614 or Cell 204-823-4521
info@mordenfoundation.ca www.mordenfoundation.ca.

Thank you to our volunteer drivers who helped spread kindness to locations across the city!

Morden Area Foundation and Winkler Community Foundation got the kindness momentum going with a donut delivery, sponsored by Winkler Morden Tim Horton’s. Thank you to our volunteer drivers who helped spread kindness to locations across the city!

Morden Area Foundation Chair Allison Braun – Pays It Forward to Morden City Hall – Thank you Charley B’s for donating

Morden Area Foundation Sasha Annamuradova and Allison Braun
present teacher Mike Macaraeg of MCI a Pay it Forward cake for teacher appreciation week. Thank you Charley B’s.

Morden Area Foundation Sasha Annamuradova and Allison Braun present teacher Nicole Warkentin of EMMS a Pay It Forward Cake for teacher appreciation week. Thank you Charley B’s.

101 Ways to Pay It Forward

1. Give a stranger a compliment.
2. Encourage someone who needs it with words, a smile, or maybe a hug.
3. Let someone go in front of you at the supermarket.
4. Buy the next person in line a coffee.
5. Write a letter or an email to someone who made a difference in your life, telling them why.
6. Donate something anonymously to a person in need.
7. Clean your friend’s house for him/her.
8. Invite a neighbour for coffee or a meal at your house.
9. Look after a busy parent’s kid(s) for an hour.
10. Mow the lawn for someone who can’t do it themselves.
11. Take someone else’s dog for a walk.
12. Give money to a charity.
13. Visit a grandparent or older person you know in a nursing home.
14. Donate food to your local food bank.
15. Tidy up a public space by picking up any garbage you see.
16. Leave coupons for the next person in the grocery line to use.
17. The next time you go away on a trip, bring home a souvenir from someone who won’t expect it.
18. Take the time to fill out a survey that compliments someone who gave you good service.
19. Read a story to your children, even if you are busy and it isn’t bedtime.
20. Bring a card for someone at your workplace, telling them how you appreciate their hard work.
21. Listen to someone tell a story and give them your full attention.
22. Make a music playlist for a friend.
23. Learn to say hello in a new language and practice on someone who speaks that language.
24. Send flowers to cheer someone up.
25. Reconnect with someone with whom you have lost touch.
26. Take time to say thank you to a parent or a child for being in your life.
27. Go through your closet and donate some good quality clothes to a local charity.
28. Become a Big Brother or Big Sister to a child that would benefit from a mentor.
29. Bake muffins to share with neighbour-hood children.
30. Give a really generous tip to your waiter / waitress.
31. Make a card to give to a friend.
32. Give your boss recognition for his / her hard work.
33. If you have a garden, give some fresh produce to someone who doesn’t.
34. Do the dishes or load the dishwasher, even if it is not your turn.
35. Volunteer to coach a kids’ sports team.
36. Let someone else have your prime parking space.
37. Babysit for friends or relatives so they can enjoy a night out.
38. Sponsor a child from another country.
39. Smile and say hello to five strangers today.
40. Buy a reusable shopping bag for someone who has forgotten theirs.
41. Invite someone in the coffee shop to sit with you if they are on their own.
42. Let another child go first on the slide or swings in the playground.
43. Leave a positive comment on a website or blog.
44. Volunteer for a local organization.
45. The next time you’re tempted to complain, find something positive to say instead.
46. Give out free popsicles at the park.
47. Visit someone in the hospital.
48. Read to an older person.
49. Take time to do a craft with children.
50. Welcome a new neighbour with some fresh baking.
51. Buy your co-worker lunch.
52. Give a ride to someone who doesn’t have a car.
53. Support a local producer through your Farmer’s Market.
54. Knit or sew something for a new baby.
55. Be the first to say “I’m sorry”.
56. When you finish a good book, leave it for someone else.
57. Offer to pick up groceries for a neighbour.
58. Plant some tomatoes or herbs in pots and give them away.
59. Organize a toy drive and donate them to a local organization.
60. Say “yes” the next time someone asks you for help.
61. Give directions to someone who is lost.
62. Take your bike instead of the car and leave the air a little cleaner.
63. Have a lemonade or cookie stand to raise money for a good cause.
64. Help another child in your class with their homework.
65. Volunteer with the Special Olympics.
66. Bring a special treat to work for your co-workers.
67. Write a thank you note to someone who has done something kind.
68. Help someone load or unload their groceries.
69. Buy movie tickets for someone.
70. Find out about someone else’s culture.
71. Volunteer at a community garden.
72. Help a stranger change their tire.
73. Let someone go ahead of you in traffic
74. Go to watch a child you know in a play or performance, just to support them.
75. Plant a tree to shade future generations.
76. Say something nice about someone in public.
77. Put post-it notes with positive sayings on random lockers at school.
78. Deliver a meal to someone who is sick.
79. Say something complimentary about a child to his / her parents.
80. Donate a toy or game to a local children’s centre.
81. Make a bird feeder and put it some-where your neighbours will also enjoy it.
82. Give someone in your family a back rub when they’re tired.
83. Give someone the benefit of the doubt next time something annoys you.
84. Be the first to forgive.
85. Wash someone else’s car.
86. Share your snack with another child at school.
87. Volunteer to practice English with someone new in town.
88. Hold the door open for someone who has their hands full.
89. Organize a local park clean-up.
90. Plant some flowers in an empty lot.
91. Make a friendship bracelet for someone who needs a friend.
92. Donate food or time to a local school breakfast program.
93. Make a welcome home sign for someone who has been away.
94. Invite your neighbour’s children over to play.
95. Give a child a book.
96. Give an older person a ride to church.
97. Support a local shop.
98. Donate blood.
99. On your birthday or other event, ask people to donate to a charity instead of buying a gift.
100. Tell someone how much you appreciate them.
101. Make a donation to the Morden Area Foundation.

Business Pay It Forward Ideas

Business participation

• Encourage staff members to participate in Pay it Forward May and promote it internally.
• Choose a few specific items/services in your store/business to promote to your customers as ideas for them to purchase to “Pay it Forward” to someone and be part of the campaign.
• Offer a service at no charge, chose something to give away, help another organization through act of kindness. Examples could include: free oil change, give 1 hour of service to a charity (i.e. clean charity’s floor), build something and donate it. Be creative.
• Have a departmental challenge whereby each department competes with each other to make a big positive contribution to the community.
• Participate in the Pay it Forward May Business Challenge – Offer a service at no charge then challenge another businesses to match your efforts.
• Donate funds to the Morden Area Foundation to invest it and pay-it-forward to our community year after year.
• Become a sponsor for Pay it Forward May and enable the MAF to make a difference on an even greater scale.
• Do at least one good deed for someone without asking for anything in return. Instead the recipient should be encouraged to pay it forward to someone else. Pay it Forward Cards (available at the Morden Area Foundation) can be handed to each recipient explaining what Pay it Forward is about encouraging the recipient to keep the momentum going. The difference we can make is phenomenal.
• Share what your business is doing or did: email info@mordenfoundation.ca or Facebook: Morden Area Foundation. Take a picture and #PIFMAY and tag the Morden Area Foundation.

Spread the word. If the person thanks you and wants to “repay” you (that is, pay it “back”), let them know that what you would really like is for them to pay it “forward”—you would like them to do something nice for someone, and ask those people to do something nice for more people. The idea is to consciously increase the kindness in the community.

Pay it Forward May is a month long campaign initiated by the Morden Area Foundation and the Winkler Community Foundation together to encourage random acts of kindness throughout our community.

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