Mike Pastirik uses his challenge money to thank the Streator, Illinois, minister who started Tag, You're it!, a campaign encouraging people to "pay it forward" though simple acts of kindness.
One person does something nice for another and leaves a card saying "tag, you're it" asking the recipient to do something nice for someone else. This time it's the minister, Larry Booze, who gets tagged when Mike surprises him with a weekend stay at Starved Rock Lodge in Utica, Illinois.
Mike also fixes a broken sewage line for a family who cannot afford the repair. He hires a plumber and works as his assistant to fix the odorous problem! While Mike is working, 13-year-old Andrew, who lives in the house, writes a thank you note to Oprah. "Thanks for helping us with the plumbing," he writes. "My room was near the problem, and if it wasn't fixed, all my stuff I worked hard for would be a wreck. I worked for my money by working in the fields. I paid for football and pictures and so I am attaching a picture of me and my football clothes. You are my inspiration."
Mike and his wife, Jessica, had fun spending the challenge money. After the sewage repair, Jessica says, "We kind of both smell like sewage right now because Mike was helping the guy load the equipment and everything. So even though I stink—he stinks—I still love him, and it's been a fun adventure together."
Published 01/01/2006
