The pay it forward SOS group at Mohawk College has taken another step forward in the right direction. The student group hosted their Say it Play it Pay it Forward event in the community on September 25^th and raised over seven hundred dollars for the movement.

The event featured guest speakers and local musicians who volunteered their time for the evening to perform at the show. There were also special appearances Brian Asselin, composer of the Pay it Forward song and Charley Johnson, head of the international movement.

“I like the simplicity of it. I like that seven billion people can be a part of it. I like that every single person can be apart of it. I like that fact that people support what they help create. It allows people to be a apart of making this world a better place,” said Johnson about the movement.

Connie Smith emcee for the evening, said Rachel Admea-Hannes, professor at the college who founded the group, approached her about hosting at the event. She said the beliefs of the movement matched her own.

“We found some common ground in our belief in positivity and giving back through volunteer,” Smith said. “It really goes well with everything I believe in and everything I’ve learned as a journalist over my years and really emphasizing the positive and the goodness that’s out there in our world.

The event consisted of guest speakers telling their personal pay it forward experience and the bands performing after the intermission. Guitartist of the headlining band, Ken Daultrey, said he was honored to play for such a great movement.

“We played this event to show that anyone can make a difference. Whether you’re a faculty member, a student, a musician, everybody needs to see this trending cause. We want to have the opportunity to build awareness that great organizations are out there in need of support from the community,” Daultrey said.

The Pay it Forward event was a huge success but the group does not plan to stop there. The community is already asking about the next event. For more information visit wwww.payitforward.mohawkcollege.ca