Portland Pays it Forward: By Taylor Smith

Location: Portland, Oregon
Date: Summer 2003 - present
Contact: onwiththedance@yahoo.com

The most simple things in life are taken for granted. Can you think of the last time you felt guilty about opening a new box of pencils or buying a new set of crayons because you were missing the red one? During my life, I’ve never had to worry about buying something as simple as a notebook for school, or whether I’d have a present under the tree during Christmas. I was clouded by a materialistic lifestyle that seems to pervade today’s world and was unaware that kids in my own school might not be able to afford a binder to use for the new school year.

Then came the headlines in the newspapers: “Portland Public Schools Must Make Budget Cuts”. I began to think about the looming possibility of sports teams being cut, but then I began to think of things on a much more simple level: school supplies. I knew that schools often gave supplies to students in need, but with budget cuts, would they still be able to give out these supplies? With this thought, I started my mission, a mission to buy school supplies for students in need. After research and much planning, my friend and I were able to raise $371 to purchase 20 packets of school supplies for an elementary school in S.E. Portland, OR. The teachers and students were so grateful for the supplies we were able to buy. Later that same year, we came back to the school and hosted an assembly surrounding the importance of helping others, and most importantly, the idea of “paying it forward”.

My Mom kindled in me my desire to always be doing random acts of kindness, and after she passed away in the Fall of 2003 (shortly after I delivered the school supplies), I felt compelled to live out her message by helping those around me as she was always helping those around her. Today, my organization has close to $7,000, with efforts going towards not only helping children in need of school supplies, but also towards Christmas present drives, World Vision and now These Numbers Have Faces. Helping others and discussing ways to solve the problems that devastate our world is something that gives me a rush of adrenaline. I believe that everyone is on this earth for a purpose, and my purpose is to expose today’s problems and seek ways to help those in need; not only discussing the issues, but solving them. I am driven to help others, and as long as I am on this earth, I will continue to fulfill my purpose; I will continue to make a difference.