PRINCETON, Ill. — Scrolling on Facebook is a nightly routine for many of us. During the pandemic, it was one of our methods to stay connected. Chelsea Sanchez used the social media platform to her advantage during the pandemic to make fundraising as simple as posting a comment.
“It’s so many hours in an evening that, you know, you’re just sitting on, scrolling on Facebook anyways," said Sanchez.
Pam Warren has known Chelsea since Chelsea was in junior high in Princeton, Illinois.
“She just works so hard. She has a full-time job and spends many of her nights and weekends, uhm, doing these fundraisers to give back to our great community" said Warren. That's why she nominated Chelsea for the Pay It Forward award.
Sanchez started her first fundraiser in 2020 with a Mum Charity Fundraiser. She got the mum idea from a local school since there was uncertainty about if schools would be in session due to the pandemic. She raised $1,000 to give back to local charities. This year was the third year for the mum fundraiser, raising $2,350 to give back to six local charities.
These fundraisers are done through her Facebook page to make it easy for anyone, anywhere to participate. She posts about the fundraiser and all you have to do is leave a comment.
“They kind of just order here, they’ll see what they can purchase and what the comparable is too and they go to the comments and just place their order," said Sanchez. She also works with your best method of getting the money to her.
In the past few years, she has added other fundraisers like selling bulk laundry soap to give back to a local church that assists with laundry, a sock fundraiser to donate those items to shelters, and much more.
More than just raising money for charities and organizations, she also wants to treat random people in the community. In December last year, she spent the 12 days leading up to Christmas going out and surprising people by paying for some groceries, buying some gas or even treating them to a meal.
“It’s not about finding the people that might need it. It’s just about giving, it’s just about paying it forward, it’s just about making somebody smile" said Sanchez.
If you want to check out Chelsea's Facebook page you can visit it here. She always posts updates and pictures about past and current fundraisers.
Do you know someone that goes above and beyond for his or her community? News 8 and Ascentra Credit Union would like to help you Pay it Forward to them. Click here to nominate someone you know.
See previous Pay It Forward award winners: