This program is derived from the concept of Pay It Forward, which has been made popular by the movie and book “Pay It Forward.” The Pay It Forward philosophy is derived from the idea that a selfless and generous act done for someone else sparks another kind act. Since expressing gratitude and recognizing others is a major function of NRHH, it is not surprising why our chapter’s Programming Committee initiated this campus wide day during the month of October. Inspired by the national Pay It Forward Day that occurs annually in April, NRHH member Liz Cooper introduced this idea to the committee and chapter. Week after week, the committee developed the program and found ways to reach out to as many students as possible.

Word Count: 124

Since the concept of Pay It Forward Day is to make a difference through giving and expressing gratitude, the committee tried to incorporate these elements throughout the entire day.

The first aspect of the day was chalking popular areas on campus. Teamed up with the Student Art Alliance, the Residence Hall Student Association, and individual Hall Governments, NRHH wrote positive messages in chalk on the academic concourse, outside of residence halls, and by the dining hall. Each organization that helped with the chalking was given instructions, a head contact person, and a set of chalk.

The next aspect of the day was a free hugs campaign. The Fencing Team and the Ultimate Frisbee Team both volunteered to provide free hugs to all students for the entire day. They advertised this around campus in advance and made themselves visible by wearing their team shirts.

A third aspect of the day was providing Residence Life staff with NRHH's small form of recognition, Out of the Blues. These are simpler awards that anyone can write and send to someone they want to recognize. Each of the thirteen staffs was given a large stack of these to make available to residents, or to fill out themselves. Nearly all of the Out of the Blues that were given out were put into circulation.

Finally, that night, NRHH held a candle lighting ceremony outside on the Student Union Concourse. It started with Kristin Backhaus, a professor in the School of Business, who spoke about the Pay It Forward concept and how it can tie into your daily life. Next, a student musician volunteered to play at the event. After this, everyone held a candle. A few candles were lit and the people with lit candles passed along their flame to signify the Pay It Forward philosophy.

These were just the major events held that day that were organized by NRHH. Many Resident Assistants and other organizations had their own independent ways of incorporating the Pay It Forward philosophy into their day.

Word Count: 335

-To create a positive chain reaction throughout campus -To spread our chapter's mission to recognize -To show students how far one simple kind act can go -To stimulate a lasting positive energy on our campus -To establish an semesterly/annual NRHH tradition -To collaborate with our organizations -To show the ease and simplicity of recognition and gratitude -To put on a program that presented something new and interesting to our community -To inspire students to adopt this philosophy into their lives

Word Count: 80

From the beginning of the program until now, we have been able to see the positive and lasting effects of the program. While chalking the night before, random students who were not involved in the preparation stopped to help out and write their own positive messages. Clearly, the concept of the program was immediately and easily understood and spread throughout our community. Nearly everyone was talking about the program, and for the most part, did at least one kind act, whether it was large or small. The random acts of kindness and recognition that spread around the community created such a positive environment on campus that day. And more importantly, the Pay It Forward philosophy is still lingering on campus; people continue to talk about the positive impact of the program and how they have adopted it into their daily lives.

Word Count: 141

Since it was the NRHH put on this program, the committee learned a lot about what went well and what needed to be worked on. Overall, the program was a huge success and the messages of it were definitely received by a large audience. The chalking was the most successful and most popular part of the day, as it provided both on- and off-campus students with positive and inspirational sayings to brighten their days. Also, the extremely low cost of such a large program that affected so many people was a huge benefit of the program. The $40 that was spent included advertisements, chalk, and candles; it cost only pennies per person. Furthermore, since this program affected so many people, it got the word out about NRHH, which was beneficial since it can be challenging to make a name for your organization. The program was very definitely well received and had lasting positive effects on our campus and community.

Word Count: 159

This program could easily be adapted to other campuses. The concept of a Pay It Forward Day is very flexible, and can be tailored to your school. As you prepare for your event, advertise it to as many organizations as possible because they can add their own aspect to it, just as the Frisbee and Fencing Teams did for us. Also, you can provide organizations and residence halls with ideas of what they can do to express gratitude and spread the philosophy to residents. This a great program to put on on your campus, as it has a phenomenal chain reaction and travels quickly from person to person. If you have any questions, feel free to contact nrhh@newpaltz.edu! :)

Word Count: 119