My Gratitude Life and "PIF"

Press Release

Contact: Dave Block

San Diego man decides to make a difference by dedicating himself to living a life of gratitude.

San Diego, CA, December 27, 2009: Dave Block, aka "Dave, The Gratitude Guy" is on a mission to spread the message about the importance of having daily gratitude around the world. Deciding to be a part of the solution instead of the problem, Mr. Block has created the Gratitude Ball, which once held in your hand and squeezed is a powerful reinforcement tool, a gentle reminder to feel the positive energy and put yourself in the right state of mind immediately. They will feature various colors (Blue, Red, Black, White, Yellow, and Pink). The retail cost is $2.99.

In fact, Mr. Block has committed himself to taking this gratitude journey, one step further by establishing the first Gratitude Tour, which was filmed in San Diego. The purpose of this Gratitude Tour is to have the “Grat Pack” spread the importance of being grateful by doing random acts of kindness and giving back to society. Block says, “As a man who has found his true purpose in life, I feel so blessed and grateful to be able to share these feelings of gratitude with as many people as possible. I want to set an example for others to follow to inspire them toward achieving their life goals. And to realize, this simple fact, that anything is possible if you put your mind to it”.

View the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7NKhHGIlzM

For more information, please visit www.mygratitudelife.com or to schedule an interview with Dave Block, call (619) 254-2456 or email mygratitudelife@gmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Molly Quarles

President & Founder

804-938-8246

Molly@SproutLaunch.com

www.SproutLaunch.com

SproutLaunch Pays You to Do Good

Dec. 24, 2009, Richmond, VA–– Sure, virtue is its own reward. But wouldn’t it be nice to get a little something extra?

Enter SproutLaunch.com, the only online source for good deed inspiration that rewards its users. When a visitor completes the good deed posted each day, he or she can fill out a brief form to be entered into the weekly random drawing. Each week, five or more good-deed doers receive a gift card or other prize, provided by site sponsors. Users can also submit their own good deed ideas and earn rewards if their idea is featured on the site.

Now, more than ever, people need to be reminded that they can do good without pulling out their wallets or investing tons of time, says SproutLaunch Founder Molly Quarles. “The goal of this site is to remind us of simple, good deeds which we can do daily to make each other’s lives better,” Quarles explains.

About SproutLaunch

Founded in 2009, SproutLaunch, LLC encourages kindness among its users. The company promotes simple good deeds that can be completed with just a day’s notice. Participants who complete the posted good deed can enter once a day for the weekly reward drawing, which is supported by sponsors.

For more details, visit www.SproutLaunch.com

“Pay it Forward” and it will make a difference.

This year our Christmas letter will close with this story. Normally, we would not tell because it is not our intention to receive anything other than the “reward” (read on). However, we feel we must make an exception hoping the story will inspire others.

Several years ago we saw the movie, “Pay it Forward”. The movie is about an idea; do something nice for someone and the only request is that the receiver do something nice for someone else. My wife and I thought the idea was so great that we began, “Paying Forward” even before we knew there was a real movement. We continue to “Pay it Forward” often.

Each year we “PIF” at our local Christmas tree cutting yard. We tromp around acres of beautiful trees searching for the one tree that begs to come home with us. After cutting, we drag it up hill three miles (just kidding) to the central area where the proprietor compresses it with twine. Then we give the proprietor enough money to also pay for the next people in line. I throw our tree on my shoulder and try to get away before that transaction takes place. Last year, a young man chased us down the road and thanked us “ever so much” and promised to “Pay it Forward” himself. This it how “Pay it Forward” should work and we hope the simple gesture ripples along touching many folks along the way.

This year we gave the proprietor enough for two trees. He looked at me unbelieving and asked if it was meant for the next “hard luck case?” To which I answered, “No, just the next folks that come along.”

Again we tried to get away unidentified. Our tree was loaded and we were just closing the gate on the trailer, when a woman walked up to us with tears in her eyes. I knew we hadn’t made our getaway and tried to pretend to not notice.

She said, “I just want to thank you so much.” She went on to explain, that they had cut their tree and when they went to pay for it, discovered that they had forgotten their money at home. She continued, “We were so embarrassed to tell the owner and that is when he told us, “You are not going to believe this, but your tree has been paid forward.”


I was so stunned myself I couldn’t say a word …all I could muster was an acknowledging nod and a smile.


Did God intervene? …… Was it coincidence? …..was it Fate? … I don’t care. You can be sure the whole group was touched by “Pay it Forward” and it will make a difference.


I know what my wife and I believe; and you can be sure we have already received the best gift ever.

A.R.K. Project and "PIF"

Just read about you by "chance" as I was finding educational links to
improve my classroom. I am a 4th grade teacher in Nebraska, but want to
give you my story from this summer. During the summer months for the past
2 yrs. I have been teaching-leading a group of kids we call the A.R.K
Project. (Actively Reaching Kids) Our town is only about 350 people so
trust me when I say these activities really give our kids the enthusiasm
and motivation to help others when there really isn't much else to do in
our small town and we live too far to go to the mall or to the movies! We
started w/about 15 the 1st summer and last summer we had 49 kids on the
mailing list. Anyway.....here is our story that was very inspirational
for our whole town.

The older students made a field trip to the nearest big city to do our
usual "pay it forward" activities and watch people's faces. We had been
doing things for 2 years so we were "pumped." Our 1st stop was for
Habitat Humanity. We gave the workers treats and drinks, toured the house
they were building and the kids even signed their names on the house.
Cool! On to our next stop where the "magic" happened. We all went to a
fast food place and pay for someone's lunch. We paid for one man's meal.
He had just left the hospital after having an MRI. It was so cool, the
kids wanted to pay again! The couple was so shocked and stunned. They
asked , "why would you do that?" I said, "I didn't, but these kids over
here did!" The couple came over and thanked the kids, complimented them,
and left the restaurant completely in disbelief. The kids in our A.R.K.
Project were elated!!!

About a week later I received a thank you in the mail with a check. The
card was from the couple of whom we had paid for their lunch. Cool! I
couldn't figure out the check, though. Especially the amount of $112.10
I ran around town showing the kids the thank you card and the check. We
even shared the whole story at church and in our local newspaper. The
memo on the back of the card said, "Thanks for paying for our lunch of
$12.10. Now go "pay it forward" 10 more times! The amount of the check
was $112.10. There were no words to express this experience for the kids
in the A.R.K. Project. Someone else gets this credit. :)

"PIF" for The Holiday's

I wanted to share my store from yesterday. I'd also like to know how I get the PIF bracelets.

I was knitting away in a waiting room while my car was being repaired and had a trivial conversation with a 20-something young lady who was new to crochet and asking questions about creating a shawl for her mom. It seemed from appearances that this girl was not sitting in the lap of financial luxury and then I overheard a conversation she had with her mother about how she needed windshield wipers but probably couldn’t afford them because she also needed money to buy her medications. She felt fortunate to be getting an oil change for free with a coupon. When the repair manager told her the cost of the wipers, she said she would pass. Whatever possessed me, I ran out to the office and told the manager to put the wipers on her car and charge me for them. He was physically stunned and momentarily speechless (I almost laughed) but then said he’d do so.

Yes, it felt good, but here’s the unexpected part — when my car’s repair was complete and he came to get me, I went to the cashier window but he pulled me away and said, “Merry Christmas to both of you.” We won’t quibble that I don’t celebrate Christmas, but this was exactly the effect I had hoped for. I was hoping that our sharing of this secret would spur him to Pay It Forward to the next person he would come in contact with that might be in need. It didn’t occur to me that it would happen so soon!

Start a "PIF" Club!!!

Closing out 2009……Make a Difference in 2010…..Start a Pay it Forward Club

The Pay it Forward Club at West Boca High School wishes to encourage other schools to start a Pay it Forward Club at their own high school. There are many young people out their who exhibit good character traits, and who would love to be involved in a club that promotes doing Random Acts of Kindness at their school, and in their community. It is really quite simple to do. To date, our club has collected a multitude of canned foods, stuffed animals, and items for the Troops. If you have any questions, please contact me at mrsdonney@yahoo.com

PIF Club

Pacific Avenue Positive Loitering Rally

Pacific Avenue 'positive loitering' rally set for Friday
By LAURA COPELAND
Posted: 12/06/2009 01:30:54 AM PST

SANTA CRUZ -- Take Back Santa Cruz, a grassroots organization formed in late October in response to criminal activity, will hold an hourlong "positive loitering" event on the corner of Pacific Avenue and Laurel Street on Friday.

Organizers are encouraging attendees at the 6:30 p.m. event to carry mugs of apple cider, bring friends and aim smiles at "suspicious characters."

Analicia Cube, who spearheads Take Back Santa Cruz, maintains that the event is not a protest -- the word has too much of a negative connotation, she says -- but rather an uplifting effort aimed at banding together neighbors who might not otherwise approach that corner of downtown.

"We sit in our homes and complain about the state of our town," reads the description of the event on the group's Facebook page. "Now is your chance to show up and be counted. You have the power to change this community."

Since it formed as a Facebook group at the end of October, Take Back Santa Cruz has amassed nearly 2,000 members -- many more than organizers expected. An official Web site is in the works, said Santa Cruz resident Kirsten Attlesey, who helps run the Facebook group.
"The final straw was what happened to Tyler," said Attlesey, a 40-year-old mother of two whose children both attend public school in Santa Cruz.

Sixteen-year-old Tyler Tenorio was stabbed to death by suspected gang members on Laurel Street near Chestnut Street on Oct. 20. Attlesey called incident the "aha'
moment" that spurred the group into action.

Organizers have been meeting privately with law enforcement officials and have also been in touch with Santa Cruz Neighbors, a nonprofit neighborhood association. Police are aware of Friday's event -- as is the regional manager of Taco Bell, where the group plans to gather -- and fully support it, Attlesey said.

Take Back Santa Cruz organizers drew inspiration for the rally from a similar gathering in Chicago, when neighbors gathered at an intersection on a Friday night to stand up against gang violence in the area. Nearly 20 people attended the mid-August "positive loitering" rally, according to the Chicago Tribune.

"We hope to get a hundred people out there," Attlesey says. "But who knows -- I'd be happy with the 45 people we have."

By late Saturday, 238 people had responded "yes" or "maybe" on the Facebook event in the two days since organizers created it Thursday.

The event -- which seems as much a morale booster as it is a message to criminals -- will kick off what organizers hope will be regular positive loitering events.

Take Back Santa Cruz has kept an open dialogue with its members, Attlesey said, and has received many requests from group members wanting similar events in their own neighborhoods.

For information, visit www.facebook.com/#/group.php?gid=189308553419&ref=ts

Ponce's Campus and "PIF"

A group of my college students enrolled in of Human Moulding in the Contemporary Society course, at the Interamerican University in the Ponce’s Campus, has worked this semester on a project to pay the other. Most impressive is that these 23 students decided to implement a group task to help another. Once an arduous duty and after evaluate various places they adopted and visited a children homeless care center in the Adjuntas’s town. There, they shared with these children toys, plays and activities to promote resilience. These students could achieve businesses and the mayor of the municipality of Ponce to join the effort among others, voluntarily and if he expected nothing in return. It should be noted that for students was an activity which does not receive remuneration in return. As their teacher I am very proud of them. Thank God for the opportunity to have been their teacher. Today I can say that the chain of favors that one day I started, back again to me.

Gilvic Carmona,
Professor