You see, I have been known as a helper since I moved into the Poway Unified School District in October 1999. Doesn't matter if you don't ask me, I'm usually there. When I was 12 and in 7th grade, like Trevor McKinney, I was one of the smartest and usually the first one done in class, but I knew that some people worked slower and (in one case) thought slower than I did. The class was Social Studies. So I went to the person next to me and gave him a hand, and proceeded to do so with two others who usually struggled because of some problem, be it concentration, their brains didn't process things correctly - dyslexia, mental impairment, that sort of thing - or maybe they just plain didn't get it. So I helped them out without being a cheater by giving them every answer, and they all got a good grade in the class around the end of that year. They thanked me and wanted to repay me by getting me lunch from one of the food carts scattered around campus. I said, "If you want to do something for me, do something for the rest of them. You see them struggle, just as you once did."

Three years later, I found out one of them left the program (we were in SED) and went into basic education. He ran into me four months ago and told me he used what he learned to other's advantages, and helped them get good grades. And they, when they were finished, helped others as well.

I am now 15, and I still do my helping. My problem is, I've kind of cut back on the "I taught you and I don't want a thing for it, so perhaps you could use this newfound knowledge for others" routine, mainly because it's high school, and my classes are made up of the "stereotypical teenager" - they don't care, they're tardy on a regular basis, and they just slack off by just sitting there or sleeping at their desks. Only few who really care enough about the class, so they can help others understand it (from my perspective), are on time and attentive.

If spreading an emotion can be considered PIF, then it's good for me: On this 1st of this month my grandmother passed away. She had been known for being a kindred spirit to everyone she knew. At the funeral service yesterday morning, one of the ladies said she had spread joy to some of them and they spread that same joy to many others. Even those who didn't know her (or didn't know her well) saw this little Kansas lady and the spirit that made her size insignificant.

I see people being helped all the time at my school, and I see those who were once being helped as the helpers later on. The movement your book started serves as an inspiration to me, like the light in the dark face of adversity, such as what has happened to my family recently. I hope to see more people like the 12-year-old boy of your book, who immortalized a movement that could change the worldview of billions worldwide.