You do it every day. Help someone with their groceries, slow down so that another car can safely pull out onto Grant Avenue, smile at a stranger, hold a door open. Your actions throughout the day affect more people than you think. And when you perform a nice gesture toward someone, hopefully they will in turn “Pay it Forward” to another person, too.

That's why The Citizen, with the help of sponsors Reva Rollerdrome and Hiscock & Barclay law firm, initiated the Pay it Forward Caring Contest. We wanted to know how you would use $250 to Pay it Forward in the community. The sky was the limit on what your idea could entail and we encouraged readers to do just that, shoot for the moon.

We received almost 60 entries from residents all of all ages with many more great ideas than we can fund at this time.

But we wanted to share some of these ideas with you because they were all worth recognition; maybe it will spark someone's interest in Paying it Forward in their own way, too.

I wasn't prepared when I sat down to read these entries, - no tissues, no handkerchief, not even a shirt sleeve to wipe the tears. I should have known better; I should have known that the entries would be filled with genuine caring, compassion and emotion evoking hope. I have no doubt that those who entered this contest are already Paying it Forward in the community in their own ways, and that this contest is just a snapshot of all the great people working in the community.

Many of the entrants realized the invaluable work of our nonprofits in the community. They suggested organizations such as the American Red Cross, the Neighborhood House, Seymour Library, Port Byron Library, Finger Lakes SPCA, Pregnancy Care Center, Cayuga/Seneca Community Action Agency, Salvation Army and Meals on Wheels as direct beneficiaries of the funding. To learn more about how you can help with any of these organizations, log on to auburnpub.com/payitforward.

Some extremely touching stories came from students. I think they understand more about this economic crisis than we realize. They were concerned with people keeping their jobs. They wanted to give the money to some local businesses to make sure that people wouldn't lose their jobs. I think we'd all like to see that happen.

Many of the student entries we received were in favor of something even closer to home. They wanted the money to go to places like the Matthew House and area nursing homes because they wanted to make sure that other people would be taken care of in their last days, just like their family members have been.

Another local nonprofit that was consistently suggested was the Chapel House homeless shelter. One entry from someone who recently had to use its services thought the Chapel House was “the most deserving organization in the community.” Another entry suggested helping those who have to stay there feel like someone cares about them with a “fun night” at the shelter featuring pizza, popcorn, movies and games.

One thing that has not been lost on our community is the need of the food pantries. Their need for food is a year-round issue, not at just the holidays when most people donate. Especially with more people needing assistance with feeding their family, the food pantries can use all the help they can get. As one entry so clearly reminded us, “without places such as our local food pantries, there are many families, including mine, that would not be surviving at this point.”

We also saw a number of entries that were concerned with helping family members, friends, or neighbors with their medical bills due to cancer treatments.

A truly original idea was to start a service that helps the elderly who may not be able to do on their own, hand write a note, birthday card, get well wishes or other correspondence and send it to family members and friends for them.

The entry we choose as the winner was the one we felt could impact the most people.

It starts by giving a gift to a group of people who maybe don't get all the recognition they deserve, even though in their jobs they are Paying it Forward every day. Rachel Stanton of New Hope would like to say “thank you” to some local crossing guards for keeping our children safe. Despite frigid temperatures and dangerous conditions, our school crossing guards perform a necessary action day in and day out. Unfortunately, there is often a need for more of them, too.

Rachel would personally offer a heartfelt thank you and a small token of her appreciation “recognizing the dedicated and most valued service they contribute every day.” It doesn't end there, though, and that's why this entry stood out.

Rachel would like to ask that each person being honored “Pay it Forward” in some way to one other person. She believes “the ensuing result of these continuous 'random acts of kindness' is unfathomable.” She writes: “Just think of the world we can create when people deliberately choose and move into action with the intention to do something good for someone else.”

We will follow Rachel over the next few weeks as she carries out her caring campaign and report on the good that has been brought to the community. We will also be creating a Web page where you can share your stories of how someone helped you, display your ideas to Pay it Forward in the community and provide a place to read about great stories of acts of kindness. Hopefully, we can fund more projects in the future that benefit the community, and Pay it Forward.

Thank you to everyone who entered the caring competition and to our sponsors, Reva Rollerdrome and Hiscock & Barclay, who helped make this possible.

“We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.”

- Sir Winston Churchill

Jessica Harkins is The Citizen's marketing and innovation leader, and she can be reached at jessica.harkins@lee.net