Testimonials

Reflections

100 Strong participants have done some amazing things with their $100 grants. Here are just a few of the stories we've heard from people who took part in the 100 Strong event in Aurora on August 9, 2014:

  • I handed over the envelope unopened to a church in Aurora. The money was pooled with five others, who also received $100 each, to help some local residents pay down their delinquent water bills.

  • Four of us combined our money and gave $300 anonymously to an out-of-work, very dedicated volunteer. We are sure that the recipient was amazed to find "mana from heaven" in his mailbox to meet family expenses. It wouldn't be surprising if he then passed some of the money along to someone else in need.

  • My mother showed me a Facebook story about a baby in China who we could help through Love Without Boundaries. I am also from China, so it meant a lot for me to help a child there. Mom doubled the amount.

  • I let my 8 and 10-year-old children decide how to use the $100 on the condition that it stayed in Aurora. They donated to their school’s iPad program for kids in 4th and 5th grade whose parents cannot afford to pay the user fee. They didn’t want those kids to be singled out and not be able to take their iPads home like the kids in families who pay the $25 fee.

  • I was happy to pass on this unexpected $100 gift to a dedicated, talented elementary school teacher for a class project about The Oregon Trail. The teacher was planning to use $75 of her own money for the project.
     
  • As a result of me participating in 100 Strong, my son donated $100 that he saved to a reforestation project and challenged his sister, who donated $100 of her own to fund mammograms to women in need.

  • A couple with two children of their own, who are also caring for three terribly neglected foster children, were flabbergasted and amazed when we gave them $100 with no strings attached. 

  • I gave the $100 to my son for his Bar Mitzvah project. He was adopted from foster care, and earns money by selling eggs from our family's chickens to buy blankets, pajamas, and stuffed animals to make comfort packages for kids going to foster care. 

  • A college freshman bought $300 worth of fleece fabric, which came to just under $100 after coupons. (Obviously, she's a very astute shopper!) She enlisted the help of family and friends to make 12 fleece tie blankets to donate to Northwest Children’s Outreach.

  • A teenager reported, "I gave the $100 to a family of seven to help pay their bills. Then I decided to go through my own clothes to give some to one of the two daughters, who is a year younger than I am."

  • My children and I gave $100 anonymously through a library staff person to a man who lives in his car in the library parking lot. We received a nice handwritten note from him thanking us and telling us about his recent struggles.

 

Stories

There's no greater satisfaction a person can get than knowing he or she has helped change someone's life for the better. Participants in 100 Strong tell us this satisfaction is what they enjoyed most about the program and what makes them so excited to take part in it again. 

  • My two nephews felt empowered to do their own thing with the $100. They had to think beyond their own wants to benefit the community at large.
     
  • Senior citizens and children working together on a project greatly benefits both plus those they help. How did I feel about the experience? Very proud.

  • I was out of work for 1 1/2 years, so experienced cut-offs, hunger, and hopelessness. I was grateful for this opportunity to give $100 to help others in need.

  • The notion of 100 STRONG will speak strongly to students we didn’t even know were listening.

  • I gave the money anonymously to a family at my church through my pastor. He told me that when they received it, they didn't think that they deserved such a gift as $100. The money gave them hope. As a teenager, it felt good to know that I helped somebody in need and that it made their day.

  • It was a fantastic experience and opened my eyes to everything around me. It started a great conversation with my daughter about taking the focus off us and noticing the needs of others.

  • I felt like a fairy godmother giving $100 away.

  • It was a great experience for me as a teenager to go through and very humbling to see people who don't have the same things that I have.

  • I was going to keep $50 of the $100 for myself. Then I realized that I have it "way better" than most in this world. It would be a better world if everyone thought of others as they do themselves.
     
  • One young man, who gave $100 away, stated, “It was like being a secret millionaire (on the TV show) where I got to be the helper. I loved giving money away!”