Helping out: 'Pay It Forward' proves rewarding for young Midwesterners

Karen Gail Jostad, Star Tribune May 1, 2004

When "Pay It Forward" came out in 2000, novelist Catherine Ryan Hyde was surprised it inspired a worldwide movement of kindness.

"It supports your faith in your young adults once again," she said.

In Pilsen, a suburb of Chicago, the students helped at a YMCA and expo on affordable housing and financing.

They packed boxes at a food bank in Greensburg, Pa., and conducted leadership activities at a high school.

They worked at soup kitchens in Washington, D.C. and met with U.S. Rep. Martin Sabo, D-Minn., and other politicians.

Miyong Kim, from Minnetonka, described the importance of the camaraderie: "Today was a good day," she wrote in her journal on Day Two. "The group is growing closer, and long-lasting relationships are sprouting. We're learning from each other as well as the new environment. Hopefully, we will leave as much behind as we have managed to take from Pilsen, however great or small. Hearts and minds are growing beautifully."

Samantha Willems, of South St. Paul, started the trip doubting they could make a difference in a brief time. She returned home a believer, she said, her experiences in Philadelphia now with her always. There, the students distributed information about the National Student Partnership's free resource center for disadvantaged people.

"I didn't think they'd want someone telling them that they needed help," said Willems. "I thought we might be hurting their pride by doing that. But the people were so responsive. They actually seemed happy that we were there to help."

Nick Lindberg, group co-founder from North Branch, Minn., said he gained self-confidence on the trip, especially after distributing information to strangers.

Lindberg said key to the trip's success was unofficial adviser Deb Salls, from the University YMCA in Minneapolis.

"She put logic behind our decisions and helped us achieve our goals," he said. "She's very much an encourager. It was so good to know we had somebody like that behind us at all times."

The group also credits Gerald Rinehart, associate vice provost for the University of Minnesota's Office of Student Affairs. Rinehart put the students in touch with Salls.

"He believed we could make an impact," Tehven said.

Group co-founder Irene Fernando, from Carson, Calif., said her most moving experience was when they stopped in Ohio to eat on the way home. The restaurant was small, and the staff overwhelmed at the arrival of more than 40 diners.

"This was a time when we technically were done with the trip," Fernando said, "but the trip members still had the idea of 'paying it forward' to help people's days be nicer. We helped them serve and take orders. We also cleaned up the entire place before leaving."

Brian Peterson, group co-founder from Crookston, Minn., said that many of the students learned that a few people can make a difference. "That's the whole idea of paying it forward," he said.

Response to Hyde's novel and the Warner Bros. movie based on the book was so great that in 2000 the California author developed the Pay It Forward Foundation and Web site. Through them, classrooms around the world can learn about her vision and access materials. There are tips for starting a Pay It Forward project; also project stories and excerpts from the book.

It was written for adults and contains adult language and situations, so Hyde created two excerpts that can be downloaded, one for middle school children, the other for younger children.

"I didn't write the novel expecting a social movement," Hyde said, "but it's certainly been exciting to watch it grow."