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Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Asks Local Women To 'Pay It Forward'

Audience Members Get $1,000 To Give To Charity

POSTED: 4:06 pm CST October 31, 2006
UPDATED: 10:25 pm CST October 31, 2006

What would you do if someone gave you $1,000 to help someone in need?

That's the challenge Oprah Winfrey gave her studio audience, which included two Kansas City women.

Winfrey said the idea is to "pay it forward."

"Everyone here is getting a chance to do something really extraordinary for others," Winfrey told her audience.

Each person got a debit card worth $1,000 and a videocamera to document what they're doing to help others. They have one week to complete the challenge.

Winfrey said the money has to be used for charitable purposes. It can be split among charitable causes or given to one person -- though relatives aren't eligible.

Among the people in the audience were two Kansas City women who want a little help from KMBC viewers.

Melodie Chrisman, of Blue Springs, was a guest on Winfrey's show several years ago to talk about what it was like growing up poor in Mississippi. Now, she and her best friend, Cammie Borchers, are trying to figure out who is most deserving and how to best spend the money to help the community.

"Our brains hurt by the time we got home, thinking, 'What are we going to do? What are we going to do?'" Chrisman said. "For the bulk of the money, we want it to go to someone who is just not expecting it. We want it to say, 'Now it's your turn. If you've been affected, we want you to pay it forward.'"

"I announced it at a sales meeting, and I had no idea how many people in my office are involved in different charities. I couldn't believe it," Borchers said.

If you have a suggestion, please share your reasons why this person or cause is worthy on our forums page.

So far, viewers have suggested donating the money to Harvesters food bank, buying Christmas gifts for Kansas City foster children, giving it to a domestic violence shelter or adding to the Thanks A Million, Buck campaign that honors the late Buck O'Neil.

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