The Bert Show: Vault - Pay It Forward Challenge
Date: November 24, 2025
Podcast Host: The Bert Show Cast (Bert, Kristin, Abby, Cassie, Tommy & more)
Main Guests: Christy, David (from My Sister’s House), Ted (from Kroger)
Overview of the Episode
This episode centers around Oprah’s “Pay It Forward” challenge and how it sparks a major local effort led by The Bert Show community to support My Sister’s House, a women's and children’s shelter in Atlanta. Bert and the team interview Christy, a local participant in the challenge, and showcase how collective action, corporate partnerships, and tight deadlines can mobilize tangible help for those in need.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Oprah’s Pay It Forward Challenge
- Christy’s Experience: Christy shares her journey from submitting her story to Oprah to being selected as a challenge participant.
- She describes her dream to run a shelter for children and how, after Oprah’s invitation, she brought her sister Casey to Chicago.
- Quote (Christy, 02:29): "I have always wanted to own my own children's shelter where kids could come and have a warm bed, hot meals, you know, love, and everything they need."
- The Challenge: Oprah surprises the studio audience with $1,000 each, instructing them to “pay it forward” by spending it creatively to help others, all within a week.
- Oprah (audio clip relayed by Christy, 04:06): “You will each go home with $1,000... You’re going to open your hearts, you’re going to be really creative, and you’re going to spend it all at once on one stranger or spend a dollar on every person. It doesn't matter to me. There is so much you can do with this challenge.”
2. Decision to Support My Sister’s House
- Why This Shelter?
- Christy and her sister chose My Sister’s House, a local shelter for women and children, because of their desire to help children in need and meaningful long-term recovery programs.
- Christy (05:08): "But it's not just a shelter. It is a place where women can learn how to address the issues behind and put homelessness behind them, take care of their children, they develop emotionally, spiritually, and it's just an amazing place."
- Scope of Need: They soon realize that My Sister's House has vast needs that $1,000 alone cannot meet (260+ residents, daily essentials, and more).
- Christy (09:00): "The list is huge. There's two pages of a list of their needs... So far, Color Chrome Atlanta has given us $1,000. Pottery Barn Kids has given us $7,000 worth of merchandise."
3. Exploring the Work of My Sister’s House
- Guest Perspective (David, 06:33):
- Provides context around the shelter’s year-round needs, emphasizing necessities like diapers, toilet paper, and everyday items.
- David (06:33): “It’s not just the money to pay for the programs. It's things like diapers and toilet paper... We've got a program, it's like six months that they can go in and ... learn how to raise their kids in the right way... help them address, why can I not live on my own?”
4. The Time Crunch & Community Mobilization
- Urgency: With just three days until a party for the children, the team needs to collect items and donations rapidly.
- Christy (10:15): "We are having a huge, huge party for these kids on Friday night at the shelter... So we're under a huge crunch time limit."
- This is a deliberate part of Oprah’s challenge—participants have only a week to enact change.
- Bert & Christy (10:51): “Well, she's crafty, isn't she?... She's trying to prove to you that you can make change. Absolutely. In such a short time, if you put your heart and your mind to it, you can do anything.”
5. Major Partnerships and Outreach
- Kroger Joins the Effort (with Ted, 11:04):
- Kroger agrees to a rapid three-day “Round Up” campaign at 134 metro Atlanta stores, encouraging the 1 million anticipated customers to round up purchases or donate at checkout.
- Ted (11:19): “What we're going to do for the next two and a half days... we're going to allow our customers to round up for your cause... We're going to be able to magnify the power of approximately 1 million shoppers over those three days.”
- Monetary Donations Only: For logistical reasons, only cash donations are accepted at Kroger; other types of donations can be coordinated directly with the shelter.
- Amplifying Awareness: Q100/All The Hits will air commercials to drive more support and provide an extensive online list of donation needs.
6. Memorable Moments & Emotional Beats
- Christy’s Emotional Reaction (12:22): “Got tears in my eyes now just talking about it. This is great.”
- Bert’s Rallying Call (13:46): “If the Bert Show community all goes to Kroger over the next two days, then we can make sure that My Sister's House is taken care of for a very, very, very long time.”
Notable Quotes and Timestamps
- On Oprah’s Challenge:
- Oprah, 04:06 – “You will each go home with $1,000... There is so much you can do with this challenge.”
- Christy’s Mission:
- Christy, 02:29 – “I have always wanted to own my own children's shelter...”
- On Community Impact:
- Bert, 02:08 – “I think we've proven over the last couple of years that when the Bert Show community comes together, it is a powerful rolling force.”
- On Annual Need:
- David, 06:33 – “People forget... the women and the children, they're out there on the streets or they need the help year round 24/7.”
- On Kroger’s Reach:
- Ted, 11:19 – “We’re going to magnify the power of approximately 1 million shoppers... to engage them in your cause.”
- On Urgency:
- Christy, 10:15 – “We are having a huge, huge party for these kids on Friday night at the shelter... So we're under a huge crunch time limit.”
- On the Power of Collective Action:
- Bert, 13:46 – “...if the Bert Show community all goes to Kroger over the next two days, then we can make sure that My Sister’s House is taken care of for a very, very, very long time.”
Timeline of Important Segments
| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:50 | Interview with Christy begins, discussing her selection for Oprah's challenge | | 03:50 | Oprah clip on-air, $1,000 "pay it forward" details revealed | | 05:08 | Christy explains choosing My Sister’s House | | 06:08 | David details the year-round needs at My Sister’s House | | 09:00 | List of shelter needs and early corporate contributions | | 10:15 | Discussing the three-day time limit and upcoming party for shelter children | | 11:04 | Ted from Kroger outlines the metro-wide donation campaign | | 13:46 | Bert and Ted: logistic details for donating at Kroger, commercial support announced |
Summary & Listener Takeaways
- Theme: The episode is a vibrant testament to the power of community, partnership, and rapid mobilization—inspired by Oprah’s challenge and brought to life by The Bert Show, Christy, local businesses, and huge partners like Kroger.
- Impact: Listeners are not only inspired but given specific, actionable steps: donate at Kroger between Wednesday and Friday; visit the Q100 website for more needs; spread the word for maximum impact.
- Emotion: Passion, urgency, and “good chills” pervade the episode, culminating in real-time plans to deliver both joy and basic needs to women and children in Atlanta.
- Call to Action: Listeners are encouraged to show up, round up, and support My Sister’s House in whatever ways they can, amplifying $1,000 into a much larger movement for change.
Useful Links:
This summary captures the energy, urgency, and heart behind The Bert Show’s “Pay It Forward” Challenge episode. Whether or not you caught the live broadcast, the step-by-step evolution from Oprah’s challenge to local Atlanta impact is clear: small seeds—when watered by a whole community—grow into big change.