Trikle Trade

As an at-risk youth, Joe Roberts the CEO of Mind ware Design, began his journey as a homeless 19 year-old pushing a shopping cart around on the streets, collecting bottles to pay for his drug dependency. Although Roberts was struggling, he committed to changing his life. He eventually attended college and became a successful businessman, which put him on the cover of MacLean’s magazine, a popular Canadian magazine reporting on politics, pop culture, and current events. Despite his success he never forgot where he started. “I made a promise on a street corner 25 years ago that if I ever got a second chance at life, I would pay it forward,” Roberts said. In 2016 Roberts started The Push for Change, a 17-month trek across Canada pushing a custom-made shopping cart in hopes of raising money and awareness for at-risk youth, preventing their transition into homelessness. He started May 1 st,  2016 at St. John’s Newfoundland and ended September 29 th , 2017 in Vancouver, British C

A child pays it forward to a soldier Lt. Col. Frank Dailey unexpectedly found himself on the receiving end of an act of kindness from an 8- year-old boy named Myles Eckert after leaving a Cracker Barrel one afternoon. Little Myles spotted a 20-dollar bill on the ground and decided to pay it forward to the soldier. Attached was the following note: "Dear Soldier — my dad was a soldier. He's in heaven now. I found 20 dollars in the parking lot when we got here. We like to pay it forward in my family. It's your lucky day! Thank you for your service. Myles Eckert, a gold star kid." Myles’ father, Army Sgt. Andy Eckert, was killed in Iraq just weeks after Myles was born. Lt. Col. Dailey was so inspired by Myles’ kind act, he shared the story via email which in turn was shared more than half a million times on social. This momentum led Myles to found The Power of 20, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping other charities and families facing o

Killing Kilimanjaro, Vern Jones and his family successfully scaled the 4,900-meter mountain in Tanzania, Africa with a little help from a local guide. Jones noticed two things during his journey up the mountainside. First, his guide had scaled the mountain in tennis shoes adding another layer of danger to an already unsafe job. After asking more questions, Jones also learned his guide made less than $10 per hour. Secondly, he and his family wanted some sort of memento to mark the occasion once they arrived at the top. However, merchandise was not available. His solution, he founded Kili Summit Club, joining the market place of socially conscious companies. Kili Summit Club is a place where people share pictures and stories of their climb, but can also buy merchandise like cups, t-shirts, and jackets (also known as bragging gear). The proceeds go to porters and guides, allowing them access to better equipment and pay. “Everyone who attempts this challenge knows the val

When we think of  random acts of kindness  we often think of individuals stepping up to help other individuals in our neighborhood. However, sometimes  acts of kindness  happen from businesses as well. Take a look at this  social responsible company  and how they used their product to impact thousands of people in their community. Rosa’s Fresh Pizza in Philadelphia owned by Mason Wartman, feeds the cities growing homeless population through the act of paying it forward. Rosa customers have the opportunity to pre-pay $1.00 for a sticky note. These post-its,with hand-written words of love and inspiration from customers, are then placed on the walls inside the shop where homeless community members are welcome to come in and redeem a note for a hot fresh slice of pizza at any time. "We don't always have a chance to come in and get fresh, hot food whenever we can. And for people to donate money towards slices of pizza for us really made a change in Philadelphia,"

Random acts of kindness  can happen at any moment a person decides to seize the opportunity. This was the case for public safety officer Ben Hall in Emmett Township, Michigan. Hall pulled over young mother Alexis DeLorenzo after receiving a report of an unsecured child in the back of a moving vehicle. DeLorenzo apologized and explained she had fallen on hard times and could not afford to purchase a new booster seat after their original booster seat had been taken during the repossession of her car. Instead of a ticket, Hall requested DeLorenzo, her daughter, and their friend (whose vehicle they were in), meet him at WalMart. What happened next was completely unexpected. Hall helped DeLorenzo pick out and pay for a new car seat for her 5-year-old daughter. “A ticket doesn’t solve the situation,” said Hall. “I was in a spot where I could help her.” Hall also said he does not wish to be paid back and would be happy to do it again. DeLorenzo was so inspired by Hal

Paying it forward can happen at any time and for any reason. Perhaps you feel inspired to give spontaneously or perhaps you were given something meaningful and want to share the experience with someone else by doing the same. No matter your intention, paying it forward has a profound impact on those involved and those who witness. Take the following story from this months TrikleTrade Pay it Forward Stories Series: Mark Redmond is the director of a nonprofit organization caring for homeless and runaway teenagers in Burlington, Vermont. On one of Mark’s days off he dropped by his office to grab mail. When Mark arrived he saw a young man in the front entrance waiting for the receptionist to return. Although Mark was tempted to commit to his free time and continue on his way, he stopped to ask if the young man needed help. The young man said, “Yes, I would like to donate some clothing.” and lifted up a brown paper bag, revealing a young woman standing by the young man’s

We’re still reeling from all the action on April 28th, Pay it Forward Day, with over 80 countries and over 100 state and cities who participated. Between everyone, that’s a lot of kind action rippling across the globe! In case you missed it, it’s not too late to participate. Do something positive in your community or offer something (a good or service) on TrikleTrade. If you don’t quite understand how TrikleTrade operates or need some simple acts of kindness ideas, check out the first of our Pay it Forward Stories Series below (more kindness stories coming soon): Emilia Flores owns The Taco Stop in Dallas, Texas, known for their delicious tacos. However, Emilia wanted to contribute more. She had noticed a few other locations around town offering community support to those in need and became inspired to get involved. Winter was just around the corner, so Emilia decided to place a coat rack outside her shop with a sign: ‘Are you cold? Take one. Do you want to help? Leave

We all intuitively know that being kind is a good thing. Holding the door for someone, helping someone with their items, or tipping the barista, they're all acts that make us feel a bit warm and fuzzy while doing them. Well some people believe the effects of being kind can have a greater impact than just the moment they're happening. According to Dan Harris of ABC News there are 6 ways being nice can boost your health. 1. It Feels Good As stated above, it's that warm feeling you get after giving. Acts of kindness boost the reward section of the brain which explains why it feels so darn good. 2. You'll Have a Longer Life Studies show all populations, including those with different types of health issues, live longer after giving their time. 3. More Money That's right, more money! Being kind changes your attitude, your energy, and the way people interact with you in and out of work. A positive shift makes you more popular and can increase t