47 Houston Families Surprised by the Pete & Thomas Foundation
Houston, TX - On December 10, 2024 Pay Away the Layaway and the Pete & Thomas Foundation teamed up to surprise 47 families. This marks the third year of working together to spread joy in Houston!
Recipients were surprised by volunteers from the Pete & Thomas Foundation, as well as Pay Away Executive Director, Jody Blum.
Click the video within this post to hear from a grateful recipient at the surprise event!
Pay Away’s mission is to spread joy and kindness to families. The organization surprises unsuspecting families by paying off their layaway balances across the country.
You can help Pay Away support families by making a donation at payaway.org/give
Families Surprised by Seattle Seahawks Tight End Pharaoh Brown
Auburn, WA – On December 16, nearly 70 families at a Burlington store in Auburn, WA, received exciting news. Thanks to Seattle Seahawks tight end and his Dream Big Foundation, along with Pay Away the Layaway, their layaway balances had been paid in full! The event was a collaboration aimed at spreading joy to families during the holiday season.
The surprise featured Pharaoh Brown, Bolt, the Seahawks mascot, members of the Seahawks Dancers team, and volunteers from Pictory. Together, they announced the surprise to the families in attendance. This marks Brown’s second year working with Pay Away. In 2023, he participated in pay off event as a member of the New England Patriots, surprising families in Massachusetts.
Pay Away’s mission is to inspire hope and spread kindness by paying off layaway balance for children and families.
Brown’s ongoing involvement with the Pay Away demonstrates his commitment to giving back to the community and empowering youth through his Dream Big Foundation.
Help Pay Away spread more holiday cheer today at payaway.org/give!
A Giant Act of Kindness: Wide-Receiver Darius Slayton Pays Off Layaway Balances for 109 Families
North Bergen, NJ – New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton continued his partnership with Pay Away the Layaway, spreading holiday cheer by paying off layaway balances for 109 families. Slayton and his parents visited a Burlington store in North Bergen, NJ, to surprise 34 families with the exciting news that their holiday balances had been completely paid off.
In addition to his efforts in North Bergen, Slayton extended his generosity to other communities. He paid off layaway balances for 19 families at a Burlington store in Mobile, AL, and for 56 families at a Citi Trends store in Stone Mountain, GA. These acts of incredible kindness brought relief and joy to families across three states.
This marks the second year Slayton has collaborated with Pay Away the Layaway to make a difference during the holidays. Over the course of his involvement, he has supported nearly 300 families, underscoring his dedication to giving back.
Slayton’s philanthropic work is rooted in his Left Hand Right Hand Foundation, which he established in 2022. The foundation focuses on helping youth and the elderly, driven by Slayton’s commitment to uplifting communities and inspired by the Biblical principle of selfless giving from Matthew 6:3-4.
Through his partnership with Pay Away the Layaway Slayton is not only alleviating financial burdens, but also inspiring families to pay forward the kindness they experienced.
Join Pay Away in spreading holiday kindness and cheer by making a donation at www.payaway.org/give
5 Reasons to Support Pay Away the Layaway
At Pay Away the Layaway, we spread joy during the holidays by paying off layaway balances for families. With your support, we can help even more families this season. Here are five reasons to get involved this year:
- Help Families Complete Their Holiday Shopping
Financial strain can prevent families from bringing home their items on layaway. By supporting Pay Away the Layaway, you’re ensuring gifts like toys, clothing, and gifts make it under the tree for children. - Give Back to Military Families
Through our work with military exchange stores, we pay off balances for military families who make significant sacrifices year after year. Your donation helps us show appreciation and provides meaningful support to those who serve. - Make a Difference in Local Communities
We partner with national retail chains like Citi Trends, Burlington, Shoe Show, Gabe's, and military exchange stores to make an impact in local communities. These partnerships extend the reach of your support, ensuring broad and meaningful impact. - See Your Donation in Action
Your support helps clear layaway balances, reducing financial stress during the holidays. Follow us on social media to see updates, stories, and the direct results of your contribution in action. - Be Part of the Kindness Movement
Our mission is simple. Inspire hope and spread kindness. By paying off layaway balances, we provide immediate relief to families, enabling them to celebrate the holidays with less stress and more joy. Your support directly fuels this impact.
This holiday season, SPREAD JOY by supporting Pay Away the Layaway. Whether you help spread the word, volunteer, or make a donation, you’re helping us deliver measurable results for children and families across the country.
Join us in spreading joy this holiday season at payaway.org/give.
Spreading Back-to-School Joy to 129 Families
Pay Away the Layaway recently surprised 129 families at Citi Trends stores in Athens, GA; Pittsburgh, PA; Fort Myers, FL; and Batesville, MS.
One grateful recipient shared, “I want to express my deep gratitude for your generosity in paying my layaway at Citi Trends in Fort Myers, FL. I am currently facing financial difficulties, and this unexpected blessing truly made my day. Thank you for your kindness; I pray that God continues to bless you. The world is a better place with people like you making a difference.” Other grateful recipients shared videos expressing their gratitude.
These surprise layaway payoffs were made possible by the generosity of Pay Away supporters, and a donation from CAA Sports Coaching. Thanks to this support, Pay Away was able to help children feel confident, prepared, and empowered with the clothing and supplies they needed for a successful start to their school year.
For over 10 years, Pay Away’s mission has been to inspire hope and spread kindness by surprising families across the country with layaway payoffs. As we approach the holiday season, our goal is to impact even more children and families.
Help us spread more joy this year at payaway.org/give.
https://youtu.be/bA1JrPBpSjY
Easing the Back-to-School Burden: the Role of Layaway
For many parents and caregivers, back-to-school brings both excitement and stress. The anticipation of a new school year is often overshadowed by the financial burden of purchasing necessary supplies. Many parents and caregivers turn to back-to-school layaway programs to ease the burden.
Recent data indicates that families expect to spend an average of $890 on back-to-school items. This figure includes the cost of clothing, shoes, backpacks, supplies, and essential electronics like laptops and tablets. Amid reports that 67% of families have observed higher prices on these items, this high cost significantly strains household budgets.
Adding to the financial pressure, 56% of families start shopping by early July. This early start often stems from the need to spread out costs and take advantage of early discounts. For parents and caregivers, especially those with tight budgets, layaway programs become crucial financial tools. Layaway allows families to pay for items over time, making it easier to manage the high cost of back-to-school shopping. Unlike credit cards, layaway programs typically do not charge interest, making them more affordable.
Pay Away the Layaway believes that every student should feel confident, prepared, and empowered with the supplies they need to succeed in school. By helping pay off layaway balances, Pay Away ensures more students start the school year with the tools they need to thrive.
Support during this season is crucial. School supplies are not just about pencils and notebooks; they represent a student's readiness to learn. Without necessary supplies, students may feel unprepared, in turn impacting their confidence and academic performance.
By addressing the financial challenges of back-to-school shopping through layaway support, we create a more equitable and supportive environment for all students. Help us to ensure every student has the opportunity to feel confident, prepared, and empowered this school year by making a donation at payaway.org/give.
Celebrating Our Volunteers
Volunteers like Jean Stormann, who first joined Pay Away at a Citi Trends back-to-school payoff event in Cranston, RI, last year, are a driving force behind our mission to inspire hope and spread kindness.
“I went into that first event feeling really excited to have an opportunity to give back to my community, but to be able to see the joy and relief in a parent’s face when you’re able to tell them that their child’s back-to-school items are completely paid off was just amazing. I couldn’t wait to help again and have been a part of two Pay Away payoff events since.”
Jean is one of hundreds of individuals nationwide that give their time and talents in support of Pay Away’s mission to inspire hope and spread kindness. In recognition of their efforts, this National Volunteer Week, we’re joining the movement to highlight the incredibly important role that our volunteers–and others around the country–play in tackling some of society’s greatest challenges and building stronger communities.
Volunteers have been a part of Pay Away from the beginning. With their signature red and green shirts, individuals like Stormann wear many hats in helping our organization to make a difference for as many as possible.
From helping us to identify the needs in their community, to working with store associates to organize and distribute bags of merchandise, to greeting special guests, to delivering the news to community members that their layaway balances have been paid off, our volunteers do it all. It’s not uncommon that their contributions are met with tears of joy and hugs–and for good reason.
“I would tell someone that is thinking of volunteering with Pay Away that there is no better feeling than seeing the joy, relief and excitement at a Pay Away event. I know that I’m making a tangible impact, and showing the importance of supporting those in our community to my children as well,” said Stormann.
Today and every day, we want to express our gratitude to the hundreds of volunteers that selflessly give their time in support of our mission. If you’re interested in learning more about how you can do the same, please reach out to us over email at info@payaway.org.
Pay Away the Layaway Spread Joy to 1,468 Families in 2023
Last year Pay Away the Layaway brought joy to families across the US. From providing children the supplies and clothing they needed to start their school year, to ensuring families had the holiday they hoped for, generous supporters played a part in spreading kindness to 1,468 families in 2023.
2023 was a special year! The Today Show featured Pay Away paying off 210 layaways in Brooklyn, NY, an amazing opportunity and platform to share our mission of spreading hope and inspiring kindness.
As children and families prepared to return to school, Pay Away paid off layaway balances for 360 families at Burlington stores, Citi Trends stores, and at Army and Air Force bases. We were reminded of the profound impact of kindness in Cranston, RI.
Pay Away also continued to attract support from NFL athletes including Darius Slayton and Kayvon Thibodeaux of the New York Giants, Pharoah Brown of the New England Patriots, Jermaine Johnson of the New York Jets, and Cornell Powell of the Kansas City Chiefs. NFL athletes from CAA Sports joined together to support 92 military families, including those impacted by a tornado at Fort Campbell in Kentucky.
As we look towards back to school and the holidays this year, we hope to impact even more children and families.
You can help Pay Away support families in 2024 by making a donation at payaway.org/give
https://twitter.com/PayAwayLayaway/status/1705341214822691065
107 Houston Families Surprised by Pete & Thomas Foundation
Houston, TX - 107 families were surprised by Pay Away and the Pete & Thomas Foundation at a Citi Trends in Houston on December 17, 2023.
One recipient gratefully said, "Thank you for making this Christmas a little bit more special and easier for us. Thank you so much!"
Another recipient's daughter had just been released from the ICU. Her entire layaway contained presents for her grandchildren, who are staying with her while their mother recovers.
Pay Away’s mission is to spread joy and kindness to families. For over 10 years, the organization has surprised unsuspecting families by paying off their layaway balances across the country.
You can help Pay Away support families by making a donation at payaway.org/give
https://twitter.com/petethomasfdn/status/1738951099179032931
17 Families Surprised by Kansas City Chiefs Wide Receiver Cornell Powell
Kansas City, MO – Pay Away the Layaway and Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Cornell Powell surprised 10 families at a Citi Trends store in Kansas City on December 12, 2023.
7 families at a Citi Trends store in Greenville, SC also received the exciting news their layaways were paid off. Customers in both locations were thrilled to learn they were able to bring their layaways home, thanks to the generosity of Powell and his Powell Project Foundation.
Pay Away’s mission is to spread joy and kindness to families. For over 10 years, the organization has surprised unsuspecting families by paying off their layaway balances across the country.
You can help spread kindness this year by making a donation at payaway.org/give
92 Military Families Surprised by CAA Sports
Fort Campbell, KY - A generous contribution from athletes with CAA Sports helped Pay Away the Layaway surprise 92 families at Army and Air Force Exchange stores just in time for the holidays.
47 of those families were located at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, recently impacted by a devastating tornado. One grateful recipient from Fort Campbell said, "Receiving this gift at this time of the season, to have someone do this and gift this to me, it's a true blessing. Happy Holidays!"
Other families had their balances paid at Minot Air Force Base, Hurlburt Field, Langley Air Force Base, and at Buckley Space Force Base.
These surprise layaway payoffs were made possible due to generous gifts from Tyler Vrabel of the Atlanta Falcons, Shane Buechele of the Buffalo Bills, Bryce Young of the Carolina Panthers, Jonathan Mingo of the Carolina Panthers, Khalid Kareem of the Chicago Bears, Charlie Jones of the Cincinnati Bengals, Jordan Battle of the Cincinnati Bengals, Myles Murphy of the Cincinnati Bengals, Cam Taylor-Britt of the Cincinnati Bengals, Trey Lance of the Dallas Cowboys, Lloyd Cushenberry of the Denver Broncos, Nik Bonitto of the Denver Broncos, Nik Bonitto of the Denver Broncos, Patrick Surtain II of the Denver Broncos, Yosh Nijman of the Green Bay Packers, Quenton Nelson of the Indianapolis Colts, Willie Gay of the Kansas City Chiefs, Robbie Chosen a Free Agent, Marcus Davenport of the Minnesota Vikings, Troy Fumagalli of the Minnesota Vikings, Adrian Phillips of the New England Patriots, Cesar Ruiz of the New Orleans Saints, Jalin Hyatt of the New York Giants, Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets, Connor McGovern of the New York Jets, Max Mitchell of the New York Jets, Solomon Thomas of the New York Jets, Randall Cobb of the New York Jets, Jordan Davis of the Philadelphia Eagles, Roderick Johnson of the Philadelphia Eagles, Chris Godwin or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans, Jaleel Johnson of the Tennessee Titans, and Jamison Crowder of the Washington Commanders.
Pay Away’s mission is to spread joy and kindness to families. For over 10 years, the organization has surprised unsuspecting families by paying off their layaway balances across the country.
You can help support military families this year by making a donation at payaway.org/give
69 Massachusetts Families Surprised by Patriots Tight End Pharaoh Brown
Brockton, MA – Pay Away the Layaway and special guest New England Patriots tight end Pharaoh Brown surprised 69 families at a Citi Trends Store in Brockton on December 12, 2023.
Brown joined Pay Away to deliver the good news that holiday layaway balances had been paid in full, and recipients were able to bring their layaways home that day.
"I just got out of the hospital after cancer treatment. This couldn't have come at a better time. This was a blessing, I really do appreciate it," said one surprised and grateful layaway customer.
Pay Away’s mission is to spread joy and kindness to families. For over 10 years, the organization has surprised unsuspecting families by paying off their layaway balances across the country.
You can help spread kindness this year by making a donation at payaway.org/give
