Miramichi Leader

Pay It Forward

by Peggy Klyn

 

The Kinsmen Club of Miramichi is working together with area middle schools to give back to the community, and teach children awareness of the needs of others.

This past Christmas, the Kinsmen Club gave $1,000 to three schools: Harkins Middle School, Nelson Rural School, and Dr. Losier Middle School. The schools then took the money and passed it on to those in need.

 

The idea is part of the Pay It Forward program, which was inspired by a novel — later made into a film — by Catherine Ryan Hyde, who later founded the Pay It Forward foundation.

 

The idea is that one person does something nice for three other people, and then they help three other people each.

 

“It was a movie that I had seen years ago,” says Stephen Myles of the Kinsmen Club of Miramichi “I guess what rekindled it was I saw an episode of Oprah where she did a version of it…It just hit me that we should give that a whirl with young students.”

Myles says that the idea took off because the students thought of ideas that the Kinsmen don’t come up with.

 

“Not always are we in the best position to see what the best cause is,” said Myles.

 

“Quite often we help a lot of needs that comes to us, rather than us seeing them.”

 

Each school contributed in a different way. Nelson Rural School raised $600 more, and put it towards four charitable projects. First, they gave a fruit tree to a third world family, as well as sponsoring two classrooms.

 

Secondly, they donated Wal-Mart gift cards to the needy. Thirdly they gave free gas and car washes to families that had to travel due to illnesses, and finally they gave Christmas Grocery Help to a Beaubear Co-op member.

 

The member turned out to be a mother who had set up a bursary in her son’s memory. She used the money to replenish the bursary, since she had used part of it to help a needy family.

 

Dr. Losier Middle school held fundraisers for the Terry Fox run, held food drives, and spent some of their own time with seniors at the Water Street nursing home.

 

The students were also interested in raising money for the IWK children’s hospital.

Harkins Middle School had Grade 8 students write a short piece on who they thought deserved help and why.

 

Vice-principal Nancy Blackmore received over 150 notes, and chose at random which to help. They gave out gift cards for groceries, Wal-Mart gift cards, and other creative gifts.

 

“It really showed that the kids noticed people in need,” says Blackmore “People think kids aren’t aware but they are.”

 

Myles hopes that the Kinsmen will be able to make the idea an annual event.

 

The most important thing the kids took away from the experience is a sense of community involvement, says Myles.

 

“I think we’ve got to somehow clue in that it’s not about me or them it’s about us,” says Myles “If everyone had an open mind about how they could help in their community if everyone could give just a little something then the end result would be mind-boggling.