To “pay it forward” refers to the act of doing something kind for another and in place of repayment you ask that they return a kindness to another.
The global Pay It Forward movement began in the early 2000s and has spread to over 2.5 million people in 135 countries. The goal of this movement to make the world just a little bit better with a series of simple selfless actions and reactions. Bayshore has joined that movement and is making a positive impact on our community one person at a time.
We began spreading the word about this movement through our workforce of over 300. We handed out pay it forward bracelets to our staff of caregivers and that was all that was needed to inspire great waves of kindness throughout the Bay Area. We are inviting everyone in Tampa Bay to join with us and share your pay it forward story on our Facebook page.
“We did not ask our employees to pay it forward on behalf of our company, we asked them to share acts of kindness with people they come into contact with in their everyday lives. Our staff of caregivers is naturally bent towards selfless giving so it is no surprise to me that this movement resonated with them. It turns out that they were already performing these random acts of kindness, we simple gave them a forum to start sharing their stories,” said Suzanne Johnson, Owner and Administrator of Bayshore Home Care.
We have over 500 pay it forward bracelets to share with the Tampa Bay Community. Anyone can come into a Bayshore Home Care office (located in Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough) and pick up a handful. The official Pay it Forward Day is April 24th and it is Bayshore’s goal to have every one of the 500 bracelets in circulation throughout Tampa Bay.
OUR “PAY IT FORWARD” STORIES
I have a middle-aged client with lots of physical limitations which prevent her from going out much. One day she said she was craving a Big Mac so I brought her one. She wanted to pay for it but I gave her the bracelet instead and invited her to pay it forward. ~ Bayshore Nurse, Pasco
My daughter and I bought carnations at the grocery store and gave them all away to people in the store that looked like they were tired or having a hard day. When we got to the cash register, the cashier joked “Oh, you shouldn’t have!” not realizing that we’d actually saved the last one for her. She was so surprised and we gave her the PIF bracelet which she accepted happily. ~ Bayshore Employee, Tampa
I gave the 2 hot pizzas I had just picked up at the pizza parlor to a family buying groceries with food stamps. ~ Bayshore Nurse, Pasco
A Bayshore client told her caregiver that her fabric walker bag was falling apart and she wished she could get it repaired. The caregiver had some “down” time while her client was at the doctor’s so she drove home, picked up her sewing machine and brought it back to her client’s home. She repaired the bag while her client looked on with a big smile on her face. ~ Bayshore Employee, St. Pete
I was dining at Outback and had a few dollars left on a restaurant gift card. I gave it to couple who just sat down in adjoining booth. They were pleasantly surprised and agreed to PIF too! ~Bayshore Employee, Pasco
On a very busy weekday at the Starbucks drive-thru, a kind woman allowed me to go in front of her as I pulled into the drive from the street. It was so unexpected and nice that I decided to pay it forward right then and pay for her drink too! ~Bayshore Employee, Pasco
A woman late for work in a store parking lot was out of gas and needed $1 to purchase a gas can at the adjacent gas station. She was so apologetic that she had no cash and couldn’t use her credit card on such a small purchase. I gave her the $2 and a bracelet so, instead of feeling like charity, she could view the gift as a loan she could pay forward for someone else another time. She brightened up and was quick to agree she would PIF too! ~ Bayshore Employee, Pinellas
I saw a homeless man under the overpass for the highway and was moved by how young he was. I didn’t have any cash but wanted to do something to help so I drove into Einstein Bagels and got him a sandwich. When I crossed the highway to give it to him, he gave me a big hug and thanked me for giving him something he really needed. Little did he know that he paid it forward with that hug because that’s exactly what I needed too. ~ Bayshore Employee, Pinellas
On a rainy day, there was an older woman struggling with a large load of groceries at the store. I couldn’t believe there wasn’t anyone available to help her out to her car. So I did. She was very thankful as I put the grocery bags in her car and it took no time at all. ~Bayshore Employee, Pasco
I was visiting an assisted living facility and they had a costume jewelry vendor there. Several ladies were crowded around the table, so naturally I joined them because I have a weakness for any kind of jewelry! As I looked at the rings next to one of the residents, I noticed we were looking at the same one with an amethyst stone. I found my size but she didn’t see hers. I asked the vendor if he had it in her size too and he pulled one out from beneath the counter. As soon as she put it on, her eyes lit up. I bought both rings and thanked her for helping me decide which one to get. She couldn’t believe I bought her ring (a whopping $6) and just beamed. When she asked why I did it, I gave her the Pay It Forward bracelet and told her I just couldn’t help myself. ~ Bayshore Employee, Tampa