I Couldn’t be Bothered

Jim Potter, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Jim Potter needed inspiration. He just didn’t know it. A woman approached him at a gas station, asking for a ride to a domestic-violence shelter. “I turned her down.”

“Immediately, I regretted it,” Jim says. “I went to find her, but she was gone. From that moment forward, he has dedicated his life to saying yes, especially if it’s a distasteful task.

Since then, he’s helped thousands of total strangers from fixing broken windows to pet-sitting to furniture moving. He never takes a dime.

Mike Moore is the most recent beneficiary of Jim’s passion. With 5% kidney function, he was at death’s door, but Jim tracked Mike down and made the telephone call. “As soon as I heard his voice,” Jim said, “I knew I wanted to do this.”

Since then, Mike Moore has started his own kindness campaign. “I owe it forward big time.”