opinion

Benny, the bold and brazen, keeps on giving $100 bills

By now, you know that Benny gets around.

One of his $100 bills recently surfaced in Michigan, and you wouldn't believe how it got there. More on that in a minute.

What you might not know is just how bold and brazen he has become, canvassing the recent local fairs and festivals.

He left numerous signed $100 bills at the Salem Art Fair & Festival, Silverton Fine Arts Festival, Bite & Brew of Salem, Oregon State Fair and Oktoberfest. He dropped them in tip jars at food stands, placed them inside and under items at craft booths, and slid them through cracked windows of parked cars. He deposited one in the storage basket underneath a double stroller.

For a guy who wishes to remain anonymous, he's sure been taking chances.

Benny, for those reading about him for the first time, is the mystery philanthropist who has been spreading his generosity one $100 bill at a time, first on the tables of Scout fundraisers, then on the shelves of local stores.

Fifteen different stores, which is why I say he gets around.

I don't know who Benny is. I just gave him the nickname because Benjamin Franklin is on the $100 bill. My only connection to him was a woman whom I relied on for nearly a year to confirm or deny Benny's whereabouts. I was saddened to learn that she recently passed away.

Benny's inner circle was quick to appoint a replacement liaison, who reminded me how those close to him worry about his identity being revealed. My thought, and perhaps theirs too, is that he considers avoiding high-profile events that draw thousands of people.

"When we get wind of this stuff, I think we all kind of go, 'Dang it, I hope he doesn't get caught, because we want this to continue,' " the new liaison told me. "I guess he knows what he's doing."

I've written before that he must be quick like a ninja, and now I'm thinking he must have the sleight of hand of a magician. How else do you explain going undetected while placing a $100 bill in a stroller carrying two children?

Joanna Bastian couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the bill in the storage basket beneath her 4-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter. She and her husband, Steve, donated the money to the Bethany Library renovation in Beaverton, where they live. They matched it with $100 of their own.

The Benny movement has become synonymous with paying it forward. He has left a trail of surprised and grateful recipients, many of whom have donated the $100 they found to nonprofits or individuals in need, all in the name of Benny.

Since my last update two months ago, I've received 57 reports, and nearly half have paid it forward. The recent beneficiaries include the Willamette Humane Society, Marion-Polk Food Share, Relay for Life, Mt. Angel School District, Monmouth Elementary School, Straub Environmental Learning Center and Jefferson Parks & Recreation. Individuals who have benefited include a cancer patient, a mom who struggles to feed her children and a family whose breadwinner lost his job.

At least four people matched donations with their own money. Chuck Zobrist, a volunteer for the American Cancer Society's "Road to Recovery" program," did more than that. Thanks to family members and friends pitching in, he was able to donate not just the $100 that he found but an additional $275 to a Woodburn family for school clothes. He knows the family through his volunteer work, providing transportation to and from treatment for people who have cancer.

Some of Benny's disciples are creative with how they pay it forward. Patricia Schierling, who found her $100 in a box of Breyers ice cream bars purchased at Fred Meyer on Commercial Street SE, keeps a box of sack lunches in her car to hand out to panhandlers. It was her husband who suggested Benny fund her mission.

One of my favorite examples comes from Joe Robinson, a Portland artist who found a $100 bill in an item in his pottery booth during the Silverton Fine Arts Festival. He initially planned to treat some friends to a night out on the town but had a change of heart after reading some of my previous columns.

"Wow, I had no idea this was such a big deal," Robinson said. "I've been inspired to change my mind about where this money is going. My friends don't need their drinks paid for."

So here's what he did: He gathered a bunch of food, including homemade pulled pork tacos, cake, ice cream and drinks, and drove to a remote area near Breitenbush Lake, where there's a trail head for the Pacific Crest Trail that spans 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada.

"I surprised eight hikers with a hot meal and cold drinks, compliments of Benny," Robinson said. "They couldn't have been happier!"

One hiker noted his appreciation: "And I thought this day couldn't get any more magnificent. Epic like Mt. Jefferson. Way to be."

Some of the most thrilled Benny finders have been children who, whether they realize it or not, are getting an important life lesson on giving. Emma John, who attends Claggett Middle School, used most of the $100 bill she found to buy school supplies for kids in need.

Kellen and Jace O'Malley didn't find a Benny, but their grandmother did, along the sidewalk near Leslie Middle School. The boys, in first and third grade, helped her shop for school supplies that they donated to their school, Monmouth Elementary.

As for the Benny bill that surfaced in Michigan. Susan Baughn informed me that her daughter ordered a Brita water pitcher from Amazon.com. When it arrived at their home in Ann Arbor and they opened the water pitcher box, out fluttered a $100 signed by Benny.

Baughn believes the package came from an Amazon.com distribution center in Tennessee. Verification would be difficult, but she did email me a photo of the two boxes and the signed $100 bill. Brita has production facilities in Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Could Benny have elves who work for one of the companies? Possible, but not likely.

With nearly 200 Benny bills now in circulation — and that's just the ones we know of — what's more likely is that someone who works for Amazon.com or Brita wound up with one in their wallet, saw the signature, Googled Benny out of curiosity, and was inspired by his story.

That's what I'd like to believe.

"Forward This" appears Wednesdays and Sundays and highlights the people, places and organizations of the Mid-Willamette Valley. Contact Capi Lynn at clynn@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6710, or follow her the rest of the week at Twitter.com/CapiLynn and Facebook.com/CapiLynnSJ.