Paying it forward is a concept that’s simple in execution , but can have wide-ranging, and sometimes life-changing , effects.
One man whose life changed on September 11, 2001 pledged to pay forward the kindness he was shown on the day of the attacks, and has been continuing his mission ever since. Kevin Tuerff says he was blown away by the kindness of strangers, and has made it his life’s work to pay it forward.
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The 9/11 attacks were a pivotal moment in history.
Aside from the wide-ranging geopolitical impacts of the attacks, which are still being felt today , along with the lives lost, there were thousands of personal stories of those who were impacted by the attacks. Notably, the people of Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada showed incredible kindness to strangers whose flights were diverted.
Kevin Tuerff was one of the passengers diverted to Gander.
He told People that he was returning to the United States from a European vacation on 9/11 when his plane was diverted to Gander. The people of Gander showed him incredible hospitality, which caused him to reflect on the nature of human kindness.
The outpouring of kindness from Gander’s citizens in the wake of the 9/11 attacks formed the basis of the hit Broadway musical, Come From Away .
He decided to start an initiative.
The seeds for what would become the Pay It Forward 9.11 charity were planted nearly immediately.
“It took me seven days to get home, finally, and after that, I continued to be blown away thinking of the kindness and compassion of the people on that island,” Tuerff said.
He wants to pay it forward.
Reflecting on the Gander residents who welcomed him and thousands of others with open arms, Tuerff said, “I like to tell people, if the population of your town nearly doubled in an instant, would you bring people into your home and let them take showers? Total strangers? These people really demonstrated compassion.”
It started as a grassroots initiative.
As head of an Austin-based environmental firm at the time, Tuerff was able to incentivize kindness by paying his employees to take time off from work and do good deeds for strangers in the community. The initiative really kicked off on the first anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
Others got on board.
Within two years, Tuerff says, other businesses and companies got on board with his kindness initiative. Now, more than two decades after the attacks, Pay It Forward 9.11 has reached people in 46 different states along with six countries.
Tuerff now lives in New York.
This allows him to more effectively coordinate efforts. When he started the initiative, it only really took place on the anniversary of 9/11, but now it’s an event that starts at the beginning of September.
This year will be bigger than ever.
Various corporate sponsors have gotten on board with the initiative and this year’s commemoration is expected to be the biggest one yet. Dell Technology has signed on and will take part with employees in 22 different countries.
The acts of kindness are wide-ranging.
Tuerff pointed to multiple initiatives, including a woman who knits beanies for kids with cancer, and a school in Tennessee that created a large American flag, as evidence of how wide-ranging the paying it forward has become.
Tuerff says he’ll go back to Gander later this year.
“I’m thrilled to go back and say ‘See what you all did!’ You’ve inspired people across the world to be like Gander,” Tuerff said.
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