Paying It Forward

Oprah always says she has the best audience in television, but today, she means it more than ever.

In October 2006, Oprah gave more than 300 audience members the opportunity to experience what she calls "truly the best gift"...the gift of giving back. During Oprah's favorite giveaway ever, each person in the audience received $1,000 to donate to a charitable cause of their choice.

With only one week to fulfill the challenge, these amazing men and women hit the ground running. Armed with Bank of America debit cards and Sony DVD Handycams, which they used to document their good deeds, the audience members started making headlines from Connecticut to California. What began as a simple idea quickly snowballed into a national movement!

For seven days, kindness swept the nation and Americans "passed it on" to perfect strangers, people in need and even a few four-legged friends. "We hope what started right here in our studios has only just begun," Oprah says.