Pay It Forward Fund
2012The Pay It Forward Fund was founded in 2005 by Michelle Morey, a breast cancer survivor, and her husband, Scott Bissen. As Michelle neared the end of her treatment, they wanted to find a way to give back. Michelle and Scott witnessed patients struggle to pay the most basic of expenses, so they agreed to donation $500 per month to the North Memorial Foundation to help patients struggling financially.
Their first donation was spent on the day it was received. It was used to restore running water to a home for a woman who could not pay her water bill and whose water was shut off by the utility company. The woman's children were going to be removed from her home by Child Protection Services because the home had no running water. Following this experience, and discovering that their $500 donation would not go far, they decided to fundraise and create the Pay It Forward Fund.
Since then, the fund has helped patients buy groceries, pay their mortgages, heat their homes, keep their lights and water on, and repair their cards so they can drive to chemo. For hundreds of women in need, these gifts have made a difference in a time of crisis. With Michelle's leadership and Scott's incredible fundraising and networking skills, Pay It Forward has raised close to $2 million in just seven years.
Michelle is the co-owner of her family business, Magnetic Products and Services, Inc. (www.mpsinc.org) and Scott recently returned to work as a police officer at the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport after spending 11 years at home raising their two young boys.
