Anthony is helping people in his community smile again— $1 at a time

POWER OF LOVE “We can change “ We ca n cha nge world— world—$1 at a time!” $1 at a t ime!”

Anthony’s $1 Thursdays raise money for people in need across the community

He has collected thousands of dollars to help teachers, kids and others in need After asking his Facebook followers to donate $1 to help a friend, Anthony Talley was inspired to create a weekly campaign to help hundreds of people in his community find their smile again !

Anthony Talley’s heart sank as he waved goodbye to his former classmate. Chance had brought the two LaGrange, Georgia, natives together that morning when they’d run into each other in town, but as his friend shared all the struggles she’d been facing, Anthony felt a tug on his heart to do something.

God, what do you want me to do about this? he prayed. I can’t just walk away and not do anything.

That night, A nthony was suddenly awakened with the answer in his heart and pulled out his phone to post on his Facebook page in the early hours of that Thursday morning.

I know someone who needs a hand, and all I know to do is campaign for her, he wrote. If you could give $1 to help her have a better day, please send it to my CashApp.

Within 15 minutes, Anthony received a shocking notif ication: The same friend he had made the post about had been the f irst to donate. I know she doesn’t have the money, but she gave anyway, he thought, awed by her generosity. This is what it’s all about !

By the end of the day, Anthony had $120 in donations to buy her groceries, gift cards and gas for her car.

Seeing her smile and the light in her eyes when she received those gifts, something clicked in Anthony’s mind. It was the love that we showed her that made the difference, he ref lected. Maybe I can keep this up. I’ ll call it $1 Thursday and help even more people.

A dollar for change

R ight away, A nthony made his Facebook prof ile (Facebook.com/A nthony.Talley.56) visible to the public so people could follow along and f ind out how to bless the next $1 Thursday recipient—and it didn’t take long. He found the next donation inspiration after his 8-year-old daughter, Shyler, came home upset after school. She explained her mom had forgotten to give her money for ice cream that day.

e someone’s ge someone’s

“Well, why didn’t they give you the ice cream any way? ” Anthony asked.

“Because the kids who don’t have money have to go to another room while the other kids eat their ice cream,” she explained.

Anthony was stopped in his tracks. If there are kids that don’t even have money for ice cream, what else don’t they have money for? he wondered. Maybe I can bless a child with money they need for a new pair of sneakers or maybe ice cream for the whole school !

After reaching out to the school’s guidance counselor, Anthony hopped back on Facebook for another round of donations—and collected enough to buy sneakers for a few kids in need and ice cream for the whole school.

Going to the school that day, the children whooped and laughed with glee as they sang out their thank yous. This is incredible ! Anthony marveled. I have to keep this going! Making a difference As word of $1 Thursday spread and donations grew, Anthony began looking for even larger needs to meet, and it wasn’t long before he heard about a deserving man on the local news.

He’s recently lost his wife, two kids and his home in a house fire, Anthony posted to his Facebook. It’s time to rally behind him !

As always, people were quick to give, but this time, Anthony was shocked to see that people were giving more than $1. Soon, he had $ 8,000 to provide for the man in need. This is inspiring people all across the community ! A nthony beamed as $1 Thursday continued to meet all kinds of needs, giving gift cards to kids and gift baskets to teachers, helping the elderly pay their bills, putting gas in people’s cars and buying meals for people at local restaurants. “You really don’t under-“We can all stand how much you helped play a small me,” said one recipient. part in helping “You completely changed someone’s my life ! ” “After a stressful month, life turn out it was so nice to get this better” treat. Thank you for blessing me ! ” a teacher told him after receiving a gift. For Anthony, seeing people smile as he meets their needs f ills his heart with joy and reminds him that the opportunities for kindness are all around. “I’m so happy to have this chance,” he smiles. “It’s a great feeling to know that we can all play a part in helping somebody’s life turn out better. People say, ‘Well, what do you plan to get out of this ? ’ And I tell them that I plan to change the world, one life at a time, one dollar at a time. Kindness It’s time to rally behind him ! is as simple as that! ” —Maggie Dillardis as simple as that! ” —Maggie Dillard

$1 donations have bought ice cream for a whole school… …and helped kids get brand-new sneakers

Spread kindness for just $1!

1Put your spare change to good use!

Next time you grab a soda at a vending machine, stock the coin slot with the change from the bottom of your purse and stick a note on the machine saying, “Have a treat on me! ” to give the next person a surprise when they come to buy something. Have more loose change to use? Leave pennies— heads side up—in parking lots or on the sidewalk for other people to find.

2Gif t a kindness ‘coupon’!

If you have extra coupons while grocery shopping, leave them around the store for other customers to grab and use when they check out. For even more fun, create your own “coupon” by taping a note to a dollar bill that says, “Good for $1 off! ” and leave it on a product in the store to bring a smile to the lucky shopper who finds it.

3Donate a buck! When the cashier at the checkout line asks if you want to donate $1 to the cause that store is supporting, say yes. Or if you’d rather choose the charity, visit DollarDonations.org and choose from the charities listed—like T1International, which supports people with type 1 diabetes, or Water.org, which supplies people around the world with clean water. You never know how far your $1 contribution could go.

Share your own inspiring story with us, and we’ll pay you $200 if we publish it! Read or heard someone else’s story you think belongs in Share your own inspiring story with us, and we’ll pay you $200 if we publish it! Read or heard someone else’s story you think belongs in Woman’s World? Send it to us! If you’re the first to share it and we publish it, we’ll pay you $50! Email the story with your name and phone number to: WWFeatures@WomansWorldMag.com. Or mail to: Scoop, Woman’s World, 270 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632. We pay $200!