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Meet Zak Clayton of Community Pay it Forward Fundraising in Greeley

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Zak Clayton.

Zak, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
On August 16th, 2014 I was run from the road on my motorcycle after helping a great friend with their businesses 50th anniversary. While heading to go camp with friends and family, I was approaching a blind corner near Carter Lake in Loveland, when on the other side of the rock, a car was traveling in my lane, Motorcycles are small, but there is not enough room for a car in my lane. I was able to swerve around the car, but I hit the loose dirt and lost control. The individuals who ran me off got out of the car, came over to me, and shut off my lights. Leaving me on the side of the road until the next morning when two fisherman finally came along to help me out. If they happen to be seeing this, I have never got to thank you, so thank you.

Well, from there, surgeries, metal facial implants, screws, MRI’s for the next couple of hours, but I do not remember. I was a truck driver, and I had lost the hearing in my right ear. Could I still drive with that, possibly, but combined with the loss of balance and headaches every day the cognitive and physical exhaustion, I was a danger to myself and others. The headaches make small things very difficult still today. Immediately after the accident, I learned how hard it is to find assistance for our incoming bills. Where we could get help with the gas bill, our expensive electric bill there was no relief. There was no organization there to help us with the rent, fuel, food, etc. Well, except my friends in the VFW, personal friends, and all the smaller businesses that can barely keep their own doors open.

Small businesses understand that it is our duty to invest in the health and strength of our communities. When we work together to help people who need help, we know that they will become a paying customer once that they return to normalcy. Three of the companies who were standing by my bedside at the hospital are no longer open or owned by the same ownership. This is terrible. They were there for me, they were there for so many people, yet we could not save them. Well, Community Pay it Forward Fundraising was born in order to be there as an alternative for people who need help. Not when there are so many companies who are willing to help them. I have compiled a list of partners who will give Community Pay it Forward Fundraising a referral for new customers who do business with them. We then take 80% of that referral and put it to work in the community, helping people who need assistance. This is a way to help the everyday person who has a need for help, children who are sick, injured, or raising money for school or church programs, heroes both country and community, smaller 501c3’s and nonprofits, start-up businesses, social education projects, and community improvement programs.

It is a program that is very simple, find a need you have, look through our partners at http://www.communitypif.com/our-fundraising-partners make your needed purchase through them, send us your proof of purchase, and tell us who you would like to support through our Community Cause Partner list. That is it. No extra money, no additional change out of your pocket. The companies will give a donation in your name to a cause because you chose to shop with them. This is creating a puzzle of community health, strength, and caring. It also gives people who don’t have money to go to charity a chance to donate simply by shopping for items they need.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I have a saying that I just celebrated my fifth anniversary. I spent the first four years finding every way possible to mess it up. This last year, even through the major troubles 2020 has thrown our way, we are finding the light at the end of the tunnel. I was not a business person. I was a person who liked to help people. And I have been doing it for a long time. I put together my first fundraising event when I was sixteen when I had two friends who were injured on a motorcycle. Huh!! But when I first started coming up with this, I was throwing ideas out that just were not my strong suite. I was going to do events, yeah, no. Then I spent more time thinking about what my company should look like. Why not, this is a great idea, who would not want to be part of it. I knew people were just going to flock to me. I really blew off the part that this is original and people may not understand it. I really needed people to tell me that they had no clue what I was doing for me to slow down and focus where I needed to focus.

Please tell us about Community Pay it Forward Fundraising.
It is so important to work on the whole problem. If an entire community is struggling, how can we expect anything to change. Community Pay it Forward Fundraising makes sure that the great businesses in the community have a great chance to make a huge impact within the company. So many small businesses are giving to schools, or churches, or other causes, when with the partnership of Community Pay it Forward Fundraising, they can be known as a sponsor for the entire community. We are also extremely proud to be a voice for the smaller, hard-working non-profit companies who work harder than the big companies but don’t have the support of companies like Walmart, King Soopers or these other nationwide chains businesses. God loves and supports what they do, but let’s be honest supporting a huge organization ho has the benefit of grants, sponsors and more is baffling when you have great organizations like Zac’s Legacy who help our kids in our communities who have been stricken with cancer. They don’t pay for the hospital bills, they make sure mom and dad can be there while the little warriors fight through a treatment. I love the big guys, but they are not more important than the little ones.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We will not stop. We can offer help to everyone who needs it. We can partner with every mom and pop shop in the country. We and I mean you, them, him and her when I say we can help people by simply shopping. Look, every single one of us loves finding that extra $5 in your pants pocket, we all do. But that $5 could help a family put milk and bread in the cupboard and fridge. We will have an app coming out in a matter of weeks that will really help make this process easier. I am looking forward to the day when we are able to hear a store that had operating issues say their community saved their business as they helped others in the community.

Pricing:

  • We donate 80% of every donation to the recipient of the donation

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