What Is $200.00 Worth

101 Happy People Project

Re-posted from http://101happypeopleproject.blogspot.com/2010_11_01_archive.html

MY STORY

One day I went for a run. While I was running I found this small piece of paper on the ground.

I almost ran right past it but I decided to pick it up. After I opened it up, I was a bit surprised.

I felt lucky, and decided to take it home. On my way home, my mind was racing trying to think of what I would spend my new-found fortune on. Nice dinner? Rent payment? New running shoes?

The Solution

My final decision was simple. I would use the money to help other people. The next week I took the money to the bank which was offering a special $100 bonus for opening a new account. I turned my $100 into $200 overnight. I decided to help 100 different people at $2 each to help make their day and spread the joy that I originally felt.

This began what I call the 101 Happy People Project

#61
My co-worker kept having her nice pens stolen, so I bought her a few of her favorite pens.

#51-60
I brought Gushers and Squeeze-Its to our intramural softball game- so that my team could have treats after the game, just like little league.

#50
Donated $2 to the tipping bucket

On another cold and rainy day, a cold wet woman was begging for spare change.  She got some chicken nuggets and warm cookies from McDonald's.

 #48
While at the register, the cashier asked me if I would like to donate $1 to support the troops.  I did.

#46,47

I learned a lot about service today.  As I was having a very rough day, I asked my friends to go out for ice cream with me.  I ended up buying them a root beer float and some Frostys. 

The sweet treats didn't cheer me up, but rather the good company and the feeling I get from helping others is what did the trick. It sounds cheesy- but I have found that when we have personal problems, the solution is seldom found by only trying to help ourselves.

#45
My roommate was feeling very sick, so on my way home I stopped by the store and grabbed him a can of chicken noodle soup.

#44

I bought 20 snack packs for a little over $5 and shared them will all my classmates on the last day of school.

#43
I wanted to get a thank you gift for my friend who wrote the original article in the Daily Universe.  I found a board game with her name on it at the DI.  We played it and learned a surprising amount about geography.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#42
I bought a loaf of french bread and can of soup for a dollar each for a homeless man outside the grocery store.My friend knows Spanish and the only books he will read are Calvin and Hobbes.  I found an old Calvin and Hobbes book at the DI in Spanish.  Perfect match.

#43
I found an old VHS tape from the DI. The movie's title was the same name as my friend.  I bought the movie for fun, we watched it, and it was actually a ridiculously funny movie.

#39-40
I have a pen pal who got engaged, so I sent $5 of McDonald's bucks in the mail along with a letter to the happy couple.

Picked up Bee Money and got him some J Dawgs for lunch.

#37
Got some bran muffins from the bakery for a hungry man on the street.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#36
Donated another $2 to the tipping bucket

 

 

 

 

#35
I bought a stamp to Argentina to write a letter to an old friend.

#33-34
Brought bakery bagels to the office.

#32

Bought $2 of chocolate cinnamon bears for the next in line at the candy store.

#31

Brought a McGriddle breakfast sandwich and apple pies to my friends in the morning.

 

 

 

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#27
I brought some Spongebob-shaped graham crackers to my friend at work, just to say hi.

#26  #30
I donated $2 again to the tipping bucket.  This time to build wells in Cambodia.http://tippingbucket.org/

#29 I paid for a donut for whoever came next in line at the bakery.

#28
I bought a loaf of french bread and can of soup for a dollar each for a homeless man outside the grocery store.

We asked a nice man to take a picture of my friends and me in the big city. We repaid him with a box of those super-frosted cookies for him and his family.

#25
Helped billions worldwide by donating $2 to Wikipedia.

#24
Purchased a bottle of chocolate milk for the next customer in line.

 
#23
Paid for $2 of chocolate covered cinnamon bears at the candy store for the next lucky customer.

#20-22 Brought McDonald's apple pies to work for 3 of my co-workers. #19
New argyle socks for my older brother. Everyone loves new socks!

 

 

 

#18
Purchased a single serving of eggnog at the store and asked the clerk to hand it to the next lucky Christmas shopper.

#16-17
We anonymously placed $3 of quarters on top of two different laundry machines in town

#12-15
We dropped off four quarters to each of four different gumball machines across the mall along with a note that said "enjoy a free gumball today!"

#10&11
At the Dollar Theater we secretly bought two movie tickets for whoever came next in line.

 

 

 

#9
After seeing a very cold and homeless man, I bought him 3 cookies and 2 apple pies from McDonald's for just $2.

#8
Donated $2 to the Tipping Bucket again to give bikes to children in Thailand to get to school.http://tippingbucket.org/

#7
I bought some chocolate milk at the store and had the clerk anonymously give it to the next customer who came through.

#6
I got a bar of dark chocolate for a friend for her birthday.
Because all girls love dark chocolate, right?

#5

I secretly paid for a cupcake and told the person at the register to just give it to the next lucky person who would come through the line

#4
I donated $2 again to the tipping bucket.  This time to build wells in Uganda.http://tippingbucket.org/

#3

My friend's roommate was having a pretty tough day.  My friend and I ran to the thrift store searching for something to cheer her up. We found a funny mug as part of an inside joke that we knew would make her smile.  It did.

#1,2
The first two people I decided to help were two homeless men sitting outside WalMart. It was cold, dark, and beginning to rain.  I ran to McDonald's and bought them a 6-piece chicken nugget, 3 cookies, and 2 apple pies to warm them up

What's the Point?



So what? I helped a buncha people smile and brightened their day. Is that it? Is that why you scrolled down to the bottom of the page? No. It's because at some point, something sparked your interest.



If you felt an urge to help someone, go do it. Making a difference $2 at a time is completely reasonable. So go dig through your couch cushions, check your dryer, pick up one penny everyday for 6.7 months- I don't care how, just do it.



Helping people is easy and it makes you feel great. Trust me. You will never know just who you may end up helping.



“. . . Never, never underestimate the spiritual value of
doing temporal things well for those whom you serve.”