Small acts really can lead to big change. That’s one lesson from Carolee Levick Hazard, whose non-profit the 93-Dollar Club started after a small act of kindness inspired her friends on Facebook and led to positive ripple effects throughout her social network.
It all started when Carolee was in line at her local Trader Joe’s market in Menlo Park, Ca, and noticed the woman ahead of her frazzled and searching for her credit card to pay for groceries. “I was at the grocery store with my kids, and a woman in front of me was very upset, she had lost her wallet and had a big cart of groceries and couldn’t pay for them.”
Inspired to help out, Carolee offered to pay her $207 bill on her credit card, not knowing whether the recipient, Jenni Ware, would ever return the money. “I went on Facebook and I posted to my friends, ‘I just paid for a stranger’s $207 grocery bill, I’m vascillating between feeling really good, and very, very stupid.”
The next day, Jenni Ware sent a check to Hazard with a big “Thank You” for $300 — $93 more dollars than Carolee had given Ware the day before. “I wasn’t comfortable keeping (the extra money),” said Hazard, so she posted on Facebook and asked her network, “What should I do with the $93?” She received responses that urged her to give the extra money to charity. So, Hazard decided to donate the money to The Second Harvest Food Bank.
Soon, her friends were inspired. By the next day, a dozen of Hazard’s friends had pledged to match Hazard’s $93 donation, and The 93 Dollar Club was born. Inspired by infectious action, people have flocked to the 93 Dollar Club at facebook.com/93dollarclub to donate to food banks in increments of 93. Jill Grossman from HIllsborough California recently donated $9,300; college student Lucina Mendez donated $9.30; and Hazard’s 9 year old neighbor Madeline Campbell offered up 93 cents of her savings towards to cause.
Since the 93 Dollar Club launched, it has provided over 220,000 meals by raising nearly $110,000 for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.
“This great big world is actually stunningly small when we’re all connected.”
What an example of unintended consequences. The follow through is an example of dragonfly but the original note on f’book seemed to move it along before any goal was focused upon. Wonderful result – like the movie pay it forward –
stories like these makes me continue to realize the power of community and social media. I would support and share an awesome story anyday than I would brag. I am truly blessed by this story.