Pam Smith-Wright’s annual “Pay It Forward” campaign, which she’s led every August for more than a decade, is underway. While it could include acts of monetary generosity, the real message behind the campaign is for people in the community to display random acts of kindness to one another.
Smith-Wright said she feels people need to be reminded of the art of being kind to their neighbors and fellow people. While she’s promoting the campaign from August 5-17, she said it shouldn’t be confined to those 2 weeks.
“There are people who need to know that other folks care about them here in Owensboro,” Smith-Wright said.
She added that it’s also good for people to remind themselves how beneficial it is to give back to others.
Smith-Wright also stressed that kindness isn’t attached to a dollar sign, saying many people often get caught up thinking then need to buy a gift or spend money on someone to do a good deed.
“I’m not asking people to spend money. There are simple things that we can do for somebody that doesn’t cost us anything,” Smith-Wright said. “It’s not about spending money or paying for somebody. It’s paying ‘it’ forward, but ‘it’ is your time.”
Over the years, she has heard about how individuals have felt a boost in their morale — whether they are the ones passing on kindness or they are the ones benefitting from an action.
She said stories have included neighbors buying groceries, mowing lawns, bringing water out to bus stops, gifting clothes, and more.
Smith-Wright she is thankful that people continue to join the effort year after year.
“It makes me feel good that people will want me to know that they’ve done something for someone,” she said. “But even if they didn’t tell me and just did it, it’s the fact that they know that they’ve done something for somebody else’s is the whole thing.”
