Pay It Forward is the guiding mission statement for this fundraising effort. The way this started, I read the neatest history about this little phrase which I thought was just used at supermarkets by nice people. I decided to adopt the phrase as my mission statement.

It seems the pay it forward saying we use comes from a work of fiction by Lily Harmond Hammond. In 1916 she wrote, “You don’t pay love back. You pay if forward.” What a neat expression! It was picked up by of all people Robert Heinlein who used it in his work of science fiction, Between Planets. Written in 1951 Heinlein’s protagonist is starving and accepts a tip for food making the remark, “I’ll pay this back.” But the tipper says, ” Instead, pay it forward to some other brother who needs it.” Finally, in 1999 a novelist named Catherine Ryan Hyde allows her protagonist to start a “Pay it forward.” campaign. And here we are today. You are a part of my campaign.

It is interesting that both Heinlein and Hyde started non-profit foundations built around this theme. It is interesting that the very esteemed Ralph Waldo Emerson commented on pay it forward in 1841 as follows, “In the order of nature we cannot render benefits to those from whom we receive them…But…[they] must be rendered again, line for line, deed for deed, cent for cent, to somebody.” 

This is what I am asking each and every one who is now a part of this campaign to do. Pay for someone. Don’t let it be free. In their turn, request that they pay for someone, and etc. Thank you.  

By the way, I am Mike Sanders. I started this charity. I am a retired customer service representative from AT&T. I have also owned a pet store, and I sold insurance for a while. Oh, before that I taught school. You should know I also studied philosophy at Haverford College, a very good school. That should tell you something about myself.