LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- Alex Sheen made a promise to his dad who died earlier this month from small-cell lung cancer caused by smoking.

I promise to find a way to remember you, because I said I would.

"My father was nothing outstanding," Sheen said in a written tribute to, Wei Min "Al" Sheen, a Columbus-area hospital pharmacist.

"He wasn't an award winning author. He never met the President. He never won a marathon. But what my dad did do was keep a promise.

"If he said he was going to do it, it would certainly be done."

So Sheen decided to honor his father for all those kept promises by urging other people keep their own.

To fix a ceiling fan. To get their oil changed. To write a letter.

The 27-year-old who is manager of innovation at the Westlake-based Hyland Software created a Facebook group and Twitter account called "Because I said I would" and then started asking family, friends and strangers to share their promises.

Sheen also created cards printed with the words and has mailed 10 of them out to each person who has asked -- in more than 12 states so far.

Sheen instructs people to fill out the cards and give them to the person they make the promise to. Once the promise is kept, they get the card back.

So far, several dozen people publicly shared their promises on his site.

One woman named Emma posted a photo of what she promised would be her last cigarette. Sheen responded, "Hi Emma, these are great goals. Would you use Nicorette gum? If so, please send me your address. I would like to buy you a box."

Another guy said he scheduled a meditation class he'd long promised himself he would take.

A woman posted pictures on the site of photo albums she'd been promising to finish for her two sons, Sam and George. They are filled with pictures she takes each year of them on their birthdays.

Sheen's best friend, John Mills, posted a picture of Sheen with this promise kept: "My best friend's dad died this week and he founded this page. I drove 7 hours from Washington D.C. to come see him today because I said I would."

Sheen also plans to put batches of his cards in the mail to candidates running for office this election season.

And he is working on creating a "Because I said I would" nonprofit with the goal of helping people keep some loftier promises – to help a father send his daughter to college or help a family pay medical bills or fund quit-smoking programs.

Keeping promises to others helps build trust, Sheen said. And keeping promises to yourself by meeting a personal goal is fulfilling, he explained Wednesday.

"Too often promises are just words passed between people," said Sheen, who lives in Lakewood. "Too often we make excuses for not reaching our goals. I hope some people, this helps change that."

And each time he inspires a kept promise, Sheen is keeping his promise to his dad.