Pay It Forward – “Leaf” It With Someone Else

Fall time is a favourite of many.  It brings with it smells of harvesting combines and gardening treasures like plump pumpkins, piles of potatoes, and zucchini made into endless pans of chocolate cake (but it freezes well).  Fall wouldn’t be fall of course without the beautiful orange, red and brown colours that are reflected in every fallen leaf.  Depending on where you live these leaves, although very beautiful to look at, may become too much to clean up around your home and yard.  This brings a wonderful idea and a very easy opportunity for kids of all ages to Pay It Forward.  It makes us ask the question: Who will you “leaf” your Pay It Forward Card with today? We thank Hayden’s mom, Kelly, for sharing his story with us.

7-year-old Hayden Strelioff of Canora had received a Pay It Forward card last fall and wanted to do a “good deed” for someone else in memory of Chase.  While visiting his grandma one day he noticed that her deck was completely covered with a blanket of freshly fallen leaves.  Springing into action, Hayden quickly enlisted the help of his little brothers Kale and Ashton.  They found a broom and some garbage bags, and then rolled up their sleeves to get to work.  It didn’t take long until his Grandma’s deck was completely swept off and all the leaves bagged up.

What a great way to show generosity and thoughtfulness for someone else, boys!  Great job to Pay It Forward Hayden!  We are proud of your efforts.  We just hope that you did play in the leaves a little bit as well.  We know that this is the best part about cleaning up leaves and it was certainly one thing that Chase loved to do.

The best part of this story is that not only did Hayden Pay It Forward through his actions to clean up the leaves but he also decided to leave a Pay It Forward card with his Grandma in hopes that she would Pay It Forward for someone else.

On behalf of Hayden and his brothers, we would like to use his example and extend this challenge to kids of all ages, everywhere, to grab a rake and some garbage bags and go help someone in your community with all the leaves on their lawn or deck.  Don’t forget to challenge them to continue making a difference by giving them a Pay It Forward Card to use with someone else.

Have a wonderful Fall Day Everyone!  After working hard raking leaves make sure you go eat some zucchini cake.  🙂

Reminder – Pumpkins For The Park Sale Today!!

Today, Saturday, September 29, 2012 we will be setting up “Chase and Cooper’s Pumpkin Stand” on Main Street Canora at the King George Park (where the splash park is slated to be built).  All proceeds from the pumpkin sales will be going to the Town of Canora in trust for the Chase Kraynick Memorial Splash Park.

What: Pumpkin Sale

When: TODAY – Saturday, September 29, 2012

Time:  9am-3pm

Who:   You and everyone you know

Where: King George Park, Main Street, Canora

Why: To build the “Chase Kraynick Memorial Splash Park”

Remember you are not just buying a pumpkin, you are supporting your community.

This is a huge undertaking and every cent will bring us that much closer to our goal!  We want to encourage everyone to come out to support the splash park.

We hope to see you there!

Pay It Forward!!

Aviva Community Fund Project – Voting Information for the Chase Kraynick Memorial Splash Park

Good Morning Everyone!  We need you!!

Please read this post carefully and follow the voting instructions at the bottom to show your support for the Chase Kraynick Memorial Splash Park.

We are very excited at the prospect that this wonderful opportunity brings to our community and we are in need of your support and your ability to take action in making a difference right here, in heart of this wonderful province.

We have entered the Splash Park idea in the Aviva Community Fund competition to win $100,000 which would be put toward building the Chase Kraynick Memorial Splash Park a reality.  Currently we are up against over 300 other project ideas that have been entered from all across Canada.  Therefore, making it through Round 1 is critical.  The only way to advance through this first qualifying round is to collect the highest number of online votes for the project proposal.

This is where we need your support.  We are asking you to vote for our project idea every single day of the voting period.  The online voting timeline is from October 1st to October 15th and votes are tabulated on a daily basis during this time period.

This means that your one daily vote will be counted and then every day after that until October 15, we will ask you to please, please, please log on and vote again.  But here is the trick . . . We will need as many votes as possible to advance through each round.  Therefore, if you have multiple email addresses . . . please vote from each of them every single day from October 1st – October 15th.

We are asking you to take 2 minutes every day to show your support for the Chase Kraynick Memorial Splash Park project idea.  Make it a family event around the breakfast or supper table.  Get your colleagues in on it at work and create some excitement with a work voting challenge.  Please forward this information on to as many friends, family members, co-workers, and acquaintances that you can.  Maybe even send it to your entire contact list. 🙂  People can vote from anywhere in the country and we are relying on the support of you and many others with the voting process to ensure we make it through the initial qualifying rounds.  We know that we already have many friends and followers from around the world as well.  We hope that your votes will also count.

This is a national competition . . . so let’s make all of Canada know that the good people of this province right here in the heart of Good Spirit country really know how to make a difference for their community!!  Please vote!

SO . . . here are the voting instructions:

1.  Go to http://www.avivacommunityfund.org

2.  Vote for Idea # ACF13447

3.  You can only vote once a day from one email account  . . . so if you have multiple email accounts vote once a day from each account that you have access to and please vote every single day of the competition from October 1 – October 15.

4.  Forward this on asking as many people as possible to please vote for our idea!

Please remember to follow our progress with this competition on Facebook,  Twitter and this WordPress Blog.

Also, if you would like to receive instant email updates of posts made on this blog please sign up to be a follower by entering your email address and clicking on the Follow Us tab on the right side of your screen at the top of this blog page.

We thank you for your support, your votes, and your generosity of time!!

Chase Made a Difference . . . Will You?

Pay It Forward – It’s the Neighbourly Thing To Do

This Pay It Forward act of kindness comes to us from Medicine Hat, Alberta.  We are learning that the power of social media is truly astounding as Chase’s Pay It Forward cards are making their way across the country.  It makes us realize that the world is so much smaller than we think.  If nothing else this becomes just one more reason to Pay It Forward and treat everyone around us with respect and gratitude.  Nola Besplug and her son Madden did just that.  They came up with an idea that we are sure surprised their entire neighbourhood.  Thanks so much for sharing your story Nola!

Hi!

I just saw your blog post via my sister in laws Facebook regarding the Pumpkins for the Spray park.

First, I’d like to offer my condolences on the loss of your handsome little man. Your courage to carry on with Pay it Forward is inspiring!

I wanted to let you know that my son and I went to all the houses on our block in Medicine Hat and took everyone’s garbage bins to the street for them. We left Chase’s PIF cards with each neighbour.

Second, I’d like to make a 50$ donation to the spray park. What a great idea! This past summer my son stayed at my parents in Buchanan for a week and was upset that Baba wouldn’t take him to the spray park. He didn’t understand that Canora didn’t have one. So here’s hoping a spray park is there soon!

I’ll leave my donation with my mom, she’ll manage to get it to you I’m sure!

Take care & God Bless
Nola (Olynyk) Besplug

Pay It Forward – One Kiss At A Time

On Saturday September 24, 2012, Mike and Jessica Kwas tied the knot in Canora, Saskatchewan and they came up with one very unique idea.  The newly wed couple decided to use their  Pay It Forward Card in memory of Chase to help make a difference in their community . . . on their Wedding Day.

They told all of their wedding guests that evening, that if they wanted to see the happy couple kiss they would need to make a cash donation toward the Chase Kraynick Memorial splash park!  We have to wonder how much chap stick they went through on Saturday night because there was a steady stream of traffic to the donation bin. 🙂

And that’s not all… in lieu of purchasing wedding favors they decided instead to personally make a donation to the Splash Park.  By the end of the evening a generous donation was made to the Town of Canora in support of this mega project.

It wasn’t the actual dollar amount that was so moving (although “Thank-You” to all who donated), but it was the strength of heart shown by Jessica and Mike on a day that should have been reserved just for them that inspires us all to become better people.  This couple oozes with love and affection and their demonstration of kindness and generosity is a reminder to all . . . to never stop asking the question . . . How Can I make a Difference?

Our congratulations goes out to Jessica and Mike Kwas!  We wish you all the best for a long and happy life together.

Pay It Forward – The Life and Joy of a Toy

What a great idea . . . and one that is so simple to do . . . especially for the kids!  We all have “things” around the house that could be used and loved by someone else.  Why not take a good look around and make the conscious choice to part with some of those “things”.  Our story today clearly brings to light the power of giving and the warmth of heart in doing so.  It sounds like Cole felt both of these.  Thanks for sharing your son’s story Jen.  We are also very proud of him!

I just wanted to drop you a line letting you know about Cole’s act of kindness.  Cole and I had been talking about the ‘it just takes one’ Pay It Forward card and Chase, and were thinking of something nice he could do.  We decided to go through his toys and donate all the toys he doesn’t play with anymore to kids less fortunate.  I had called the Shelwin House in Yorkton and they said to drop the toys off at the Salvation Army because they didn’t have a lot of extra room for storage.  So one Sunday morning we went through his toys and filled his whole bed (its a double bed!) with toys and books he was willing to donate!  We cleaned and boxed them up and took them in the next weekend.

Cole was very proud of himself!

This was a great thing for Cole to do, and I think we will make it a yearly event of donating his old toys.

Thanks,
Jen Marcinkoski

 

Splash Park Conceptual Plan – A Sneak Peek

Good morning everyone!  As promised we are giving you all a sneak peek at the conceptual plan that has been developed for the Chase Kraynick Memorial Splash Park.  A special thanks to Reg Carmichael of Dynamic Construction Ltd. in Saskatoon for putting it all together for us.  These are just the first drawings to come out and will give you an idea about our Splash Park vision.

As Rachel pointed out in the CBC Radio Afternoon Edition interview last week the themed splash park components reflect many of Chase’s interests: sports, farming, and the great outdoors.  This FANTASTIC splash park will be built on a 3400 square foot pad in King George Park on Main Street in Canora and will feature 18 different and unique splash components including dumping buckets, spray cannons, ground squirters and themed spray features.  A bright blue New Holland Tractor is the central focus splash component as this was Chase’s favourite make of tractors.

As more unfolds about the splash park we will be sure to let you know.  You can now also learn more about the Chase Kraynick Memorial Splash Park by following us on Facebook .

Also . . . please stay tuned for more information regarding the Aviva Community Fund project contest we will be entering the Splash Park idea in shortly.  We are excited about the prospect and look forward to your votes of support.

How will you Pay It Forward today?

Pay It Forward – With Family, Colleagues, and Children

Happy Sunday everyone!  These are the kinds of stories we love to get by e-mail.

Thank you so much Warren, for sharing some of the Pay It Forward acts that you, your family, colleagues, and students in your school have done to Pay It Forward.  We can’t wait to hear about some of the up and coming projects you mention in your email .  Please keep us all posted.

Dear Kraynick family,

On behalf of the memory of your son, my family decided to make a donation to another family here in Yorkton, SK who have been stricken with the news that their adult daughter requires treatments for cancer.

On a higher note, St. Michaels School where I work has raised close to $600 for the family.  A colleague, Rhonda Bailey is part of the staff and she handed out your details.

We did not use the card but have honored your request to pay something forward.  This will not be the last time we pay something forward. More projects up and coming.

Smile.

Warren Burrell & family

Pay It Forward – Using Your Time and Talents

When Canora Junior Elementary School began their “It Just Takes One Card” campaign, it was something that inspired Chase to want to use all the time.  Since his passing the staff at the school have been collecting stories from people who have been inspired to make a difference in the world for someone else by using Chase’s Pay It Forward Card. This is one of the stories collected by the teachers at Canora Junior Elementary School. We cannot tell you how wonderful it is to wake up in the morning, look at our email and find stories just like this one.  It is proof once again that the things we do on a daily basis truly make a difference for others in the world.  Thanks for sharing Jim and Janet!  And thanks to the staff at CJES for collecting stories. Have a wonderful Saturday everyone and remember to Pay It Forward.  Chase Made a Difference . . . What Will You Do today?

Hi, I am writing you this note to thank-you so much for the pumpkin you gave our family last year with the pay it forward card.  We carved a face in him and he sat on our steps on Halloween night, and greeted our trick-or-treaters. When my husband, Jim, was little he too had a pumpkin patch.  He cared for them all summer, turning them to make sure they were even, and then sold them in the fall.  His sister Wendy helped him with the pumpkins, but I think in the end he was the one who made the profit.  🙂

Your Pay It Forward idea is such a beautiful tribute to your son.  I am a Massage Therapist and in honour of Chase, I did three massage treatments, free of charge, for people who needed help and are on limited budgets.  I told them about Chase and the “Pay It Forward card”.  Hopefully they too, will do something kind and pass it on as well.

I also bought some cleaning products and gave them to a elderly friend of ours.  I know she uses these products and I told her they were a gift . She is also on a very limited budget, and she was happy and surprised to receive them.

Jim and I, were very saddened about Chase’s passing. I often wonder why such sad things happen in life. I don’t think there is a answer or at least I have not come up with it.  In closing, please accept our condolences, and thank-you once again for our Halloween  pumpkin.

Sincerely,

Jim and Janet Gorman

Pumpkins! Pumpkins! Come Get Your Pumpkins!

Well . . . We did it!  All of Chase and Cooper’s pumpkins have been harvested just in time before the frost!  We have a lot of varieties this year including Atlantic Giants, mini-jack-o-laterns, white pumpkins, blue pumpkins, peanut pumpkins and the regular sized ones too.  We want to thank all 17 kids and adults for coming out to help in the harvest.  After 4 hours of picking we had a trailer full of pumpkins and we wrapped up the day with a wiener roast.

Last year we gave away every single pumpkin with a Pay It Forward Card , but this year we are doing something a little bit different.  We are in the midst of planning a “Chase Kraynick Memorial Splash Park” for Canora.  This FANTASTIC splash park will be built on a 3400 square foot pad, featuring 18 splash components including dumping buckets, spray cannons, ground squirters and themed spray features.  All of the themed water components will reflect the things Chase loved the most: sports, farming and the great outdoors.  We should have all the concept plans to share with you in one of the next few blog postings.

On Saturday September 29 we will be setting up our pumpkin stand on Main Street Canora at the King George Park (where the splash park is slated to be built) with all proceeds from the pumpkin sales going to the Town of Canora in trust for the Chase Kraynick Memorial Splash Park.

What: Pumpkin Sale

When: Saturday, September 29, 2012

Time:  9am-3pm

Who:   You and everyone you know

Where: King George Park, Main Street, Canora

Why: To build the “Chase Kraynick Memorial Splash Park”

Remember you are not just buying a pumpkin, you are supporting your community.

This is a huge undertaking and every cent will bring us that much closer to our goal!  We want to encourage everyone to come out to support the splash park.  We hope to see you there!

Pay It Forward!!