#HotPayItForward movement a success
Correspondent | Wednesday January 18, 2017 15:17
Continuing in the groups’ tradition of using Friday 13th as a day for “making magic’ as opposed to buying into the superstition of bad luck, the team drive a whopping 30 random acts of kindness and good social impact deeds in the course of a single day. The movement, dubbed “#HotPayItForward” saw staff members take the concept of paying it forward, with the added twist of a competitive element.
What does Pay It Forward mean? Many may be familiar with the concept courtesy of the 2000 Haley Joel Osment and Helen Hunt movie of the same name. It is a goodwill movement which encourages someone (individual, group or organisation) to do a good deed or demonstrate an act of kindness, and encourage their beneficiary to then so the same.
The day saw 5 hours, 3 teams, and 30 staff members work to deliver 30 random acts of kindness (in fact, more than 30 were done!). These ranged from efforts in education, to environmental care, and even simply showing gratitude for valued public service workers in the community. Each project saw a clear golden thread: a kind act that would improve someone’s day, and encourage them to then do the same for another. Regardless of scope or scale of project, the aim was to drive good and kindness.
l Activities driven as part of #HotPayItForward included:
l Donation of school shoes to Marulamatsi School
l Reading and spending time with children at Kids’ Corner nursery and day care
l Live on air prayer for the nation on Yarona FM’s Feel Good Foundation
l Presentation to Marulamatsi School Form 2 students on financial literacy and money management, with donation of books on the topic
l Reading and spending time with children at Early Bird nursery and day care
l Provision of lunch for support staff in Kgale office parks
l Donation of a blanket to someone without a permanent home, along with provision of lunch
l Serving juice and water at Gaborone West Police Station
l Provision of lunch for senior citizen pedestrians in Kgale area
l Donation of cooking oil and business tips to an SMME food vendor
l Litter clean up around Gaborone West Police Station
l Taking time to engage with community members in a game of pool
l Donation of cleaning material and assistance in clean up for a sole proprietor food vendor so they may focus on serving customers
l Assisting trolley collection staff across Game City Mall
l Aiding a combi full of commuters with their combi fare
l Donation of school supplies/stationery to students at St Peter’s Day Care Centre
l Provision of lunch for hard working security staff in Game City Mall
l Parking assistance in Main Mall
l Reading to students at St Peter’s Day Care Centre and donation of children’s books for their library
l Assisting customers with carrying their heavy goods in Game City Mall to their cars
l Donating/handing out cool time in public areas
l Litter clean-up in Kgale area
l Assisting car wash staff with their workload in Gaborone West
l Donating colouring books to ambulance workers’ kids
l Donation of fruit trees to Julia Molefhe Clinic nursing staff
l Clothing donation in Kgale area to office park support staff
l Encouraging others to #HotPayItForward nationwide via social media
l Handing out apples to patients in Julia Molefhe Clinic waiting area
l Serving refreshments to pedestrians in public areas near Kgale
l Donation of 2017 calendars to central Police Station Police Officers
l Donation/handing out of umbrellas to pedestrians in the hot sun outside SupaSave in Mogoditshane
l Donation of 2017 calendars to random members of the public
l Educating members of the public in passing on what it means to #HotPayItForward and encouraging them to continue the movement
l Assisting people with transporting their belongings to their cars in Main Mall
#HotPayItForward is a domino effect of good deeds, premised on the fact that if we each do one good deed and encourage the movement to continue, the world will be a better place. As the #HotPayItForward project articulated: “Put out good and good comes around.”
The movement clearly made an impact, with a number of members of the community, on social media, on radio, and in person, vowing to continue the momentum of kind acts.
Hotwire’s objective to help drive the message of goodness remained paramount, and the proof was in the proverbial pudding – good deeds come in a variety of forms, but all have great impact.
The Hotwire Group thanks all friend and family who helped make #HotPayItForward possible, including partners and clients who made donations, showed support, and helped spread the word.
This includes judges who assessed the impact of all activities: Simba Mudereri; Stanbic Bank Head of Marketing, Stephanie Stoneham; and Orange Botswana Communication Manager, Marketing, Lame Madiba.
The public are encouraged to continue to #HotPayItForward and share posts of their efforts on social media with this hashtag, reminded that every good deed, big or small, makes a real difference, and that even internal staff activities can wield an impact in the community when executed well.
The movement aims to continue with this momentum and keep the spirit of #HotPayItForward alive well into the future.
Hotwire PRC
Gaborone