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This article was published 5/5/2015 (2086 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
It’s often said that the world works in mysterious ways.
For Yvette Deveau, things are a bit simpler than that.
Deveau, 48, founded the volunteer-driven Pay It Forward Manitoba in August 2012.
The PIFM movement is part of a worldwide non-profit organization that falls under the umbrella of Pay It Forward Canada. Its mission is to inspire and educate individuals of all ages and walks of life about the impact of performing simple acts of kindness, Deveau said.
During the morning rush hour on April 30, Deveau and a team of volunteers wearing orange T-shirts were at the intersection of St. Mary’s Road and Goulet Street handing out PIF bracelets to commuters to inspire acts of kindness, as well coupons for McDonald’s coffee. The event was sponsored by Qualico Communities.
SUPPLIED PHOTO
The Pay It Forward Manitoba team pictured at St. Mary's Road and Goulet Street on April 30.
And thanks to a partnership with École Stanley Knowles School and French immersion teacher Alyssa Greenberg and her Grade 7 and 8 students, the team was also armed with more than 2,000 handwritten "kindness notes" that were handed out to motorists.
"For me, it’s about two main ideas. Firstly, it’s about that moment in the classroom when the teacher asks the kids if it’s possible one person can make a difference," said Deveau, who works in human resources for an insurance company.
"And it’s also based around human connection. If you can connect with another human being and make a difference, that’s powerful. If you do something kind for that person, they’re happy and you’re happy. I think it’s important to show people you care and that there’s love and magic and kindness around. It’s the ripple effect. That’s what Pay It Forward is all about."
Whether it’s buying coffee for the occupants of the vehicle behind her at the drive-thru, leaving 27 personalized Post-it notes on the desks of her co-workers "saying something kind," or buying a dozen roses for staff at a health food store that always had time for her, the Sage Creek resident believes small acts of kindness can go a long way.
Global Pay It Forward Day is held annually on the last Thursday in April.
For more information, go online at www.pifmanitoba.ca
simon.fuller@canstarnews.com
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Simon Fuller
The Lance community journalist
Simon Fuller is the community journalist for The Lance. Canstar’s senior reporter, he joined the team in June 2009 to write for The Sou’wester, which was then the new paper in the Canstar family. In June 2012, Fuller crossed the Red River to write for the Lance, and has spent the best part of the last decade getting to know the people and places that make southeast Winnipeg such a diverse, eclectic and culturally enriching place to live. A patriotic Brit and supporter of Southampton Football Club, he hopes to see England win a soccer world cup in his lifetime. Twenty years after immigrating to Winnipeg, Fuller — a graduate of the University of North London and Red River College’s creative communications program — now prefers coffee and doughnuts to tea and crumpets. His journalism journey started with an internship at the Winnipeg Free Press in January 2008, which was soon followed by a nine-month stint as a general assignment reporter at the Winnipeg Sun. Despite his allergies, he’s the proud father of his girlfriend’s four cats. Email him at simon.fuller@canstarnews.com Call him at 204-697-7111. . Email him at simon.fuller@canstarnews.com Call him at 204-697-7111