SnugZ’s Johnson Joins Board of Pay it Forward Foundation

SALT LAKE CITY — After taking proactive steps to further the mission of the Pay it Forward Foundation, SnugZ co-owner Charley Johnson was recently added to its board of directors.

The Pay it Forward movement is a real-life reaction to the “pay it forward” bracelet — which encourages each good turn to warrant another — introduced last September by Johnson. This innovative project uses the concept of a bracelet designed to initiate acts of kindness.

The Pay it Forward Foundation was established in Sept. 2000 by Catherine Ryan Hyde, author of “Pay it Forward,” and others to educate and inspire people to change the world. The author said, “In the nearly eight years since the inception of the Pay it Forward Foundation, I have never seen anything catch fire the way these wristbands have. More people than I even knew had found our Web site are writing to request them — often as many as hundreds each — to distribute. They seem to have added an energy to the movement that I have not seen before. It's hard for me to believe that the wonderful Charley Johnson started out with 100,000 of these — and now has to reorder in only a short few months! What a great way to spread the word!”

SnugZ began with 100,000 bracelets, and then added another 200,000 that it donated to individuals, groups, schools and foundations. Another 100,000 were due in late April. Bulk orders also poured in for the silicone wristbands.

“The Pay It Forward Bracelet program is really working, not just throughout the U.S., but around the world. We have successfully tracked the use of this bracelet to five of the seven continents! Wow, who would have thought that our bracelet movement would have spread this far and fast,” Johnson said.

If you would like a Pay it Forward bracelet, e-mail charley@snugzusa.com.