On February 16, 2006, in Rochester, New York, Greece Athena’s basketball coach thought it would be great for their team manager (and autistic teen), Jason McElway, to play in a game. Jason showed everyone how much he could shine with only 4 minutes left before the buzzer went off, Jason shot SIX 3-point shots!
How did this happen? “I was hot as a pistol,” explains Jason.
Check out this 2:45 minute CBS newscast and see how wild the crowd goes with each basket!
Daily Challenge member, Jenny Foster, wrote us and expressed her enthusiasm for Pay It Backward Day; and being a dedicated and forward-thinking Do Gooder, also voiced her concern about the possible environmental impact of the event. Thank you, Jenny!
So let’s hear everyone’s ideas in how we can make PIB Day a green event! Here are some of the more obvious options:
Bring a reusable cup.
If you don’t have a washable takeout mug, recycle.
Carpool with friends.
Take transit.
Please share how you plan to reduce your carbon footprint for the PIB Day event!
For all of us social media junkies out there - it’s that time - the time for everything-you-could-ever-need-to-know-about Pay It Backward Day!
We’re quite sure that all y’all will snap away with cameras and tag whatever you please, but if you’d be kind enough to include “pibTO” among those tags, we’d be ever so grateful.
For the Twitterverse - you can follow @doonegood for real time updates and subscribe to the #pibTO feed to get all the good stuff in one spot.
For the social networkers among us (I suppose in 2009, we’re all just known as “people” by now), the event attendance and updates are being conducted on Facebook right about… here.
And for the very thorough… you can find the Daily Challenge Video Archives here and the Photo Gallery here.
If you have some additional places where you like to hide things, don’t hesitate to leave us a comment and a map to get there.
An inspiring story of love and strength, this video shows how a father-son team defy the limitations of disability. Team Hoyt has run 85 marathons so far, competed in 212 grueling triathlons (a combination of 26.2 miles running, 112 miles bicycling and 2.4 miles swimming) and 4 Ironman competitions. Together, they’ve tackled mountains and traipsed 3,735 miles across America.
Oh, did we mention that Rick can’t walk or talk?
When Rick could communicate through technology, he said, “Dad, when we were running, it felt like I wasn’t disabled anymore.” That was all the motivation his father, Dick, needed to start Team Hoyt. In 1992, they qualified for the Boston marathon and finished only 35 minutes short of the world record. When someone suggested Dad racing on his own, he replied, “No way.”
Team Hoyt’s message: “Everybody should be included in everyday life.”
It’s true. Records are set so that we might aspire to do better. So that we have a threshold worth crossing. To inspire us to do a little more, be a little greater, and etch our legacy a little deeper into history.
At Daily Challenge we understand that we’re lucky. We have a network of people within earshot - all of whom have something propelling them to do such things as break a world record. So that’s just what we’re going to do!
It’s official now. On April 4th at 1 p.m.sharp, the single longest “pay it backward” coffee line will begin at Second Cup on Queen and John Streets in Toronto. If you’re wondering “what in the heck is a ‘pay it backward’ coffee line?” then you may want to check out the first daily challenge we ever released.
Partners & Sponsors
We’re also pleased to announce that the Second Cup franchise, where we’ll be hosting the event, will be donating 50% of all proceeds to the SickKids Foundation! We couldn’t be happier to have found a business willing to match the compassion of our “Do Gooder” network, and to have the beneficiary be a local charity. We’re also excited to have the Freestyle Soccer team on board and will keep you posted as more day-of entertainment rolls in (stay tuned to our events page).
Back to the record for a moment. Our team of dedicated researchers (i.e. the google) has discovered a world record of 490 “pay it backward” coffee buys. Please make sure you come out and help put Toronto in the books for good (I love puns!). You can confirm your attendance through our Facebook event and get the latest news on our event page.
To recap all the need-to-knows…
What: A record-breaking day for good deeds (more than 500 “pay it backward” coffee buys). When: April 4th @ 1 p.m. (the festivities will kickoff at noon and we will be storming the gates at 1 p.m. sharp). Where: Second Cup at the corner of Queen St. & John St. in Toronto (beside MuchMusic). View Larger Map
How: Add your name here to confirm your attendance and get the latest news on “pibTO” as it comes available. Why: Because doing some good feels pretty freakin’… well… GOOD!
Welcome to the new DailyChallenge.org! If you’re an active Do Gooder, you may have noticed that we went live with what we’re calling Beta 2.0 of Daily Challenge last Wednesday morning. We’re still rolling out a number of updates over the next few days, but I wanted to take some time to walk you through some of the biggest changes.
So, what’s new with DailyChallenge.org? In short, everything. We’ve spent the last five months examining user preferences and listening to community feedback. We even conducted a series of usability tests in late January. The results were clear: everyone jived with the concept of doing random acts of kindness but desperately needed an easier way to get it done. So, we overhauled the entire site and essentially built it again from the ground up. Only this time, we were able to apply all the lessons we had learned to help make Daily Challenge more about you.
Let’s take a short tour through some of the major changes.
Last week Darius introduced the first installment of the Daily Challenge Good News Report and it was well received by the community. So without further adieu, here’s this week’s dose of positive and uplifting news:
The Healing Toddler: A story about how a child transformed the mood in a doctor’s office waiting room.
I don’t know about you, but environmentally products that are FUN to recycle get my mojo going! Imagine this: you’ve just finished the ink in your latest eco-friendly, leaf-green pen and instead of chucking it in the garbage, you trot on over to the nearest flower pot and plant it!
MVP Design is a company making a big difference with the Green Pen. It’s made of biodegradable, compostable corn-based material; basically, an environmentally-friendly plastic!
All you have to do is dispose of the empty ink cartridge and bury the plastic barrel in some soil. Eight months later: fertilizer! They also have these cool bottom caps filled with seeds they say will “sprout and bloom while the pen decomposes”.
The only kicker for regular eco-aware folks is that these pens are only distributed as promotional items. You’ll have to find a Do Gooder company who is as committed to reducing their carbon footprint as MVP is (check out their about us).
Oh! Did I mention the other cool characteristic of the Green Pen? It’s square! At first, it’s just weird. And then I noticed that it fits quite nicely - it just takes a little getting used to.
So, who’s already giving out these cool promo pens?Let’s find out: Calling all Do Gooder companies out there who have purchased the Green Pen! We want to know who you are!
Stephanie Miller is a dedicated Do Gooder, spreading kindness in the world through Daily Challenge as well as assisting others in finding balanced, naturally healthy lifestyles as Head Health Nut on www.LiveLighter.org.
Imagine if every leader in the world (which includes bosses, parents, teachers, etc.) measured their success with how many eyes they made shine? This is exactly what Benjamin Zander does!
As conductor of the Boston Philharmonic since 1979, Mr. Zander soon realized that his main role as a conductor, as a leader, is to unlock the potential in others. He says he knows when he’s done this when he sees people’s eyes shine.
Mr. Zander guest conducts and tours around the world using classical music to speak on leadership. Here is an inspirational sneak-peak performance from a TED (technology, entertainment and design) conference last year, guaranteed to leave you appreciating classical music and motivated to be a better person:
Whether you’re a leader or not, how many eyes have you made shine today?
On February 12th, a handful of Do Gooders, the Daily Challenge team and a whole nest of Twitter folks descended upon the lavish digs at CiRCA for Twestival Toronto. And we rocked the T-Dot!
The scene had a magnificent, Bob Marley, feel-good vibe - and it wasn’t the shine from the free Molson beer! Everyone was smiling and networking, and many Tweeples met online Twitter friends face-to-face for the first-time!
Check it out with this 3 and a half minute video of Testival Toronto:
The Daily Challenge team had a blast at this event and we are honoured to have been one of the media sponsors. We can’t WAIT for the next Twitter event!
This is the official blog for Do Gooders. It is the vehicle for the Daily Challenge story and the tool to get you directly involved in the project so you can become part of the story, too.
Daily Challenge member, 
Welcome to the new 
Last week
I don’t know about you, but environmentally products that are FUN to recycle get my mojo going! Imagine this: you’ve just finished the ink in your latest eco-friendly, leaf-green pen and instead of chucking it in the garbage, you trot on over to the nearest flower pot and plant it!
