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Samantha Frederick and Tammy Kossatz of Kentucky make the most of their challenge week, boosting the spirits of hundreds of people and spreading their enthusiasm for giving throughout the state. At the end of their weeklong campaign, Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher even declares November 4 "Embrace Humankind Day!"
The friends begin by taking four women by limousine for a day of shopping and pampering. Three of the women are shelter residents who have left abusive relationships. The fourth is a shelter employee celebrating 19 drug-free years. The women are thrilled—one says she has not had her hair done in eight years, and another calls it the best day of her life.
Tammy and Samantha also host Halloween parties for disadvantaged children and disabled adults, and they arrange a breakfast buffet for 150 Kentucky sanitation workers. One of the men at the breakfast later tells the Lexington-Herald Leader it was a day that made him "proud to be a garbage man."
To spread their message, Tammy and Samantha visit a radio station asking listeners to "pay it forward." One of those tuning in is Rhonda Horn, a high school teacher who carries the message to her students. The students write thank you notes to 1,000 veterans and deliver them to the VA hospital. Samantha organizes an organ drive, signing up seven new donors at her local grocery store. "One customer told his wife, 'You don't just walk into a grocery store and decide to donate your organs.' Thankfully, seven people did just that," Samantha says.
After spending their $2,000 in challenge money, Tammy and Samantha create a website to share ideas and carry on their kindness campaign.
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