Danville church uses Pay It Forward film to make holiday magic

Every December, Diablo bestows Threads of Hope awards upon five outstanding community volunteers. Click here to read about this year’s honorees. And in the spirit of giving back to our community, I enjoyed reading this story from a former Diablo colleague, Lisa Cecconi, about her Danville church’s experiment, seemingly inspired by the Y2K film Pay It Forward. I can’t recommend that film (for fans of sentimental cinema, try David Lynch’s understated masterpiece The Straight Story instead), but read on to see how members of a Danville church turned an anonymous $1,500 donation into more than $20,000 worth of community service. Happy holidays!

PAYING IT FORWARD IN THE TASSAJARA VALLEY
By Lisa Cecconi

For Danville’s Community Presbyterian Church at Tassajara what started as a challenge to fifteen congregation members has grown into an outpouring of generosity and creativity; sparking ideas, raising funds, and setting into motion bold adventures in giving.

Last May, the church’s pastor Mark Wollan was chatting with a friend about initiating a project whereby a specific amount of money is allocated, then given to volunteers with a simple challenge: Go make a difference. “We’d done it a few years ago at the main campus [in downtown Danville] and it went great,” says Wollan. “So we decided it would be exciting to try it at CPCT. It’s a much smaller church, most of the people know each other—we thought the dynamic might make for a cool experience.”

To set the tone, Wollan showed a scene from the Kevin Spacey film Pay It Forward to the congregation, then produced 15 crisp one hundred dollar bills (donated anonymously). He explained the objective and asked for 15 volunteers.

Here are some of the results: 
 
AMANDA SUGERMAN:  Saddling up

“One Sunday, I heard [CPC member] Mary Ann McCoy speak about her organization, Children of Grace, which supports orphaned children in Uganda,” says Amanda Sugerman, a recent Fresno State grad. “I was so moved, I knew that some day I wanted to get involved.”

Sugerman’s plan unfolded as an event at Highland Riding School in Pleasanton, where she teaches horseback riding. For a $10 ticket, guests could ride a pony, watch a riding demonstration, and visit a petting zoo. Sugerman also let people know that if they were unable to attend, they could still contribute to Children of Grace. “At least 15 people sent checks in that way,” she says.

Sugerman’s idea drew further inspiration. “I was asked to share my plan at church one day, and afterward, someone handed me $100 to put toward the event, and another offered to donate all the beverages.”

Having sold only 18 tickets, Sugerman imagined the event would have a small turnout. “But word must've gotten out,” she says. “We started at 1:00pm, and by 1:30 we had more than 50 people. Some even made additional donations. I was busy running around, so I had no idea how we were doing, money-wise, until it was all over.” The event brought in nearly $1,000.

JULIE OLSON: Crossing Cultures, Warming Hearts

“I’d been thinking about starting a program to get children exposed to a lifestyle of giving,” says Julie Olson. “Where they could come up with their own ideas to help less fortunate kids—based on passions of their own.”

Thus, Global Heart-Warming Efforts for Children was born. “My son, Turner, is baseball crazy—he plays year round. So his idea was to collect baseball equipment from friends. He got really into it. We had hordes of stuff dropped off at the house.”

Olson grew up in South Dakota, a few hours from Rosebud Reservation. “The kids there are in such need,” she says. “We were going to South Dakota anyway to visit my parents, so it seemed like the perfect place to make the donation, and the perfect opportunity to take everything to them personally.”

Coincidentally, a friend of Olson’s from high school, Mato Standing High, is now Attorney General for the reservation. “He told us they’d been looking—hoping—for something like this. They had a huge welcoming committee, gave us lunch, and all the kids played together on their little makeshift baseball field. They even honored us at a powwow that night. They were overwhelmed with gratitude.”

Olson reflects on the conditions at Rosebud. “It’s a very depressing environment, except when they’re operating in historical tradition. Once they're out of costume, their pride is gone. They’re wonderful, loving people, but the generations of deterioration have taken their toll.

For Olson, seeing the relationships form between the kids of such different cultures was the best part. “When we were leaving, many of the kids were running alongside and riding their bikes next to our car...all the way through town. That’s something we’ll never forget. And the impact it had on my son—that was pretty cool too.”
       
 
MIKE REBOTTARO: Unified by smiles

For Danville dentist Mike Rebottaro, the Pay It Forward project seemed nothing short of serendipitous. “I’d been at a dental conference in Seattle,” he says, “and one of the dentists shared how she'd volunteered her services. It was really inspiring, and I came home that Saturday deciding I really want to give back too; it was just a matter of figuring out the specifics. The next day at church, there was Mark, doling out hundred-dollar bills. I thought, okay, it’s time.” 

Rebottaro’s team chose to provide dentistry to those supported by Shepherd’s Gate in Livermore, a shelter for battered and homeless women and children. “When I presented it to my team—probably because it was the Friday before Labor Day weekend—it wasn’t exactly met with the rousing reception I’d envisioned. So I was a bit dismayed,” he says. Soon though, as the idea settled in, the creative juices started flowing.

The team rallied other Danville merchants into the mix: Lunardi’s Market provided pastries, Starbucks kicked in coffee, and Donn’s Florist donated roses. The team also sold five-dollar raffle tickets for a Sonicare toothbrush. “The thing just started to snowball,” says Rebottaro, describing how another staff member came up with an idea called Bleaching for a Cause. Teeth bleachings were discounted by $100, with the proceeds also donated to Shepherd’s Gate.

 “A hygienist friend of mine got so excited when she heard about it, she flew out from Colorado to help,” says Rebottaro. “We administered the services (cleanings, x-rays, exams, and fillings) to nine adults and four kids. We’re also doing dental partials for one of the ladies so she can interview for a job.”

The effort collected $1,400 for Shepherd’s Gate. “I get emotional just talking about it,” Rebottaro says. “The way it unified us as an office—pretty immeasurable. We definitely want to make it an ongoing effort.”

WING & JENNY WONG: Knitting their hearts out

 
“My hand involuntarily shot up,” says Wing Wong, upon hearing Wollan’s challenge.

Along with wife Jenny, Wong’s idea was to create a project that would include the congregation. “Jenny had knit slippers for our daughter at college a while back, and her dormmates went crazy for them, so we knew people loved them. With the kingdom assignment, it was a great opportunity to knit slippers for people who could really use them.”

The Wongs spent their $100 on yarn and knitting supplies, then for three consecutive Sundays, they invited those who were interested over to their house after church. “There were about twelve people at the first session. From there, they were free to contribute on their own time. The key was to offer the opportunity to participate in whatever manner they felt comfortable—not to add stress to anyone’s schedule. People could contribute by knitting, sponsoring a pair of slippers for five dollars,” (which would then go toward purchasing additional yarn if the group decides to continue the project), “or helping distribute them.

“We're going to tuck a bible verse into each pair,” adds Wong. That way, if the wearers have a moment of loneliness, they can feel comfort in knowing that someone, somewhere, cares about them.” 

The Wongs distributed the slippers during the first week of December. ”We wanted to reach out beyond Danville…into Oakland, Berkeley…to those who are sick, homeless, in hospitals, youth hostels…wherever there’s a need.”

As for Wing, does he knit? “I do now. There are holes in my knitting though...maybe from when I fell asleep.”  
 
Other $100 bills went to such causes as a movement of “Micro-businesses” in under developed countries. One member ran a half-marathon and raised more than $2,000 for a charity organization that does research on blindness prevention. And two other members combined their $100 and purchased 20 copies of a book by U2 singer Bono about poverty relief, and sent it to twenty friends asking if they would consider some kind of response. From the initial $1,500 investment, $23,000 worth of resources were shared with those in need. Says Wollan, “Beyond the lives that were touched and the money that was raised, what’s remarkable is the way in which these 15 people were individually called to give. Sure, it’s great to make a difference as a church, but this assignment allowed each person the freedom to pursue a passion that was on their heart. It really was awesome to see how that manifested.”
 

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