Pay It Forward Today ~ Help Someone Today as Someone Helped You in the Past

"Pay it forward" is asking the beneficiary of a good deed to repay it to others instead of to the original benefactor.  A simple concept that gained momentum after a movie under the same name aired in 2000.

There are so many scams on the Internet, so many homeless people on the streets asking for money, so many fundraisers for good causes..... donating money or helping someone in need can be a difficult decision.  There seems to be a charity for anything you are passionate about.

 A Pay It Forward Foundation is set up and, in fact, today is the 2013 Pay It Forward Day.  I am asking you today to "pay it forward," but I am not referring you to the Pay It Forward Foundation, I have another charity that is closer to my heart right now.

If you are looking for a way to help someone in need, may I ask you to consider this fundraiser:

 Help Melissa Get Her Speech Back. 

Melissa is a first cousin of mine. Meet Melissa from the Give Forward site's profile bio, set up by her sister, Melanie:

My beloved sister Melissa, an artist, athlete, and former fundraiser for medical research, suffered a massive stroke in December 2010. It paralyzed her right side, and destroyed her brain’s language center. Although she can still understand the speech of others, she can no longer translate her own thoughts into words—a condition called aphasia. Melissa lost her medical insurance in October 2011, and has had no speech therapy since that time. She yearns to speak again! Please help send her to the intensive aphasia program at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. This month-long program has an outstanding reputation for results. Tuition is $20,916, plus travel and housing costs for a month. She must be accompanied by a family member because of movement impairment (paralysis of her right arm and leg).

If you're like me, you've felt grateful for all the blessings in your life and for all the friends and family who have supported you, especially in the hard times.  You probably give to a few charities and you look for ways you can make a difference in someone's life.  

That's where Give Forward comes in.  This amazing website connects people with a need to people who want to help.  You can make a donation of any amount and you can make it anonymously or leave your name and a personal message.  Go check it out.

If you would like to help my cousin end her silence of over 2 years,

 donate here.