For Immediate Release:
Media Contacts:
Kelli Johnson (Austin), 512 476 4368 ext. 310
kjohnson@enviromedia.com
Zach Hyder (Portland), 503 327 8031
zhyder@enviromedia.com
Ad Agency Spreads Free Money and Acts of Kindness on 9/11 Anniversary
WHAT: The man who started the Pay It Forward 9/11 movement is giving his employees cash and strict orders to leave work and do something good for strangers with the money.
EnviroMedia’s Austin, Texas and Portland, Ore. employees will surprise people in both cities for the eighth year of Pay It Forward 9/11. Ten teams in Portland and 20 teams in Austin are planning deeds like paying for someone’s prescriptions at a pharmacy, leaving a $100 tip for a diner waitress and giving gift cards to people in line at an unemployment agency.
Teams of two will give away $100 each and ask their gift recipients to “pay it forward” by helping someone else in any small way they can.
WHY: On September 11, 2001, EnviroMedia cofounder Kevin Tuerff was flying over the Atlantic when planes crashed into the World Trade Center Towers. Tuerff’s flight and 36 others landed in the small Newfoundland town of Gander, where residents gave the stranded travelers places to sleep, blankets, pillows and home-cooked meals. Tuerff started Pay It Forward 9/11 to honor the kindness of those strangers.
This year, Tuerff and business partner Valerie Davis will have given away more than $13,000 since starting Pay It Forward 9/11 in 2002.
WHEN: Friday, September 11, 2009 from 9 - 11 a.m. CDT and PDT
Photographers or TV crews who would like to trail a Pay It Forward team should contact Kelli Johnson or Zach Hyder for specific locations.
JOIN: For the general public: Any business or individual can make a difference in the community. EnviroMedia would love to hear what others are doing. Make a comment at enviromedia.com/payitforward. You can also become a “fan” of EnviroMedia on Facebook to learn more about this year’s Pay It Forward 9/11.
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