Livingstone Senior Class Learns to Pay it Forward

Seniors at Livingstone Adventist Academy recently had an opportunity to "pay it forward," which means doing something nice for someone, with no expectations of anything in return.

Each member of the class was given an envelope containing $25 by an anonymous family who had benefited from the generosity of Bill Colson, former Salem resident. Colson died this last year, and this was a way to honor his legacy of caring and helping others.

The seniors were told to take the money and “pay it forward.” Several seniors decided they were going to tell a gas attendant to give the money to a random stranger. There were students who gave to friends in need. There were also some who just saw someone in need on the street and decided to help them.

Even though the students were out to help others, they got a lot out of it too. Many of them say it felt really good to give to others, even with the knowledge they would get nothing in return.

Featured in: April 2008

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