Ayres Force
A Community of Helpers
Ayres Force started with $250, an anonymous Christmas gift, and two people crying on the floor of their entryway.
This is why it exists.
Our Story
Years ago, when Ammon and I were new parents, we made $17,000 the entire year. We weren’t living paycheck to paycheck. We were living credit card minimum to credit card minimum. Our friends and family had no idea how much we were struggling. We were doing everything we could to keep our heads above water and quietly figure it out ourselves.
On Christmas Eve 2013, there was a knock at our door. We opened it and found an envelope with $250 cash inside. No one was there. To this day, we have no idea who gave it to us. Ammon and I dropped to the floor and cried.
At that point in our lives, $250 felt enormous. It meant Christmas. It meant breathing room. But more than anything, it meant someone saw us.
That anonymous person changed the way we saw generosity forever.
$250 Became Ayres Force
Years later, I still think about that envelope at the beginning of every Christmas. So in 2021, for Giving Tuesday, I shared our story and asked people to give whatever they could so we could do for other families what someone had once done for us.
What could happen if all of us did something small together?
And holy crap, did you show up. Friends nominated friends. Neighbors nominated neighbors. Families told us about people they loved who were quietly struggling. Some people nominated themselves. Donations came in from five cents to $1,000. In one week, we raised nearly $50,000.
My team and I read through the nominations and gave away every penny to roughly 160 families.
One Small Gift Became Thousands
Eventually, we turned our Giving Tuesday fundraiser into an actual nonprofit called Ayres Force.
Since then, this community has raised nearly:
$112,000
and helped more than:
400 FAMILIES
And we still give families $250, because that’s where all of this started.
I know firsthand what $250 can mean when money is tight and Christmas is coming. It can buy presents or groceries. It can give you a little room to breathe.
But sometimes the greatest gift is simply knowing somebody sees you. That’s what someone gave us and that’s what we’re trying to pass on.
How Ayres Force Works
Every year around Giving Tuesday, we open donations and nominations.
You can nominate a friend, neighbor, family member, or even yourself.
My team and I vet the nominations, determine how many families we can help based on what we’ve raised, and start sending out $250 gifts until every penny is gone.
You give what you can, we pool it together and give 100% of it away.
No Gift Is Too Small
Every year I worry we won’t raise enough. Then I remind myself:
If we raise $250, we’ve helped one family.
And I know firsthand that one family matters.
I’ve watched five-cent and five-dollar donations pile up until suddenly we’re helping hundreds of people. Nobody has to do something enormous. We just need a whole bunch of people willing to do something small.
Join the Force
As long as I have a platform and this community keeps showing up, I want to keep passing that original $250 forward.
Because there are a lot of families in our communities wondering how they’re going to pull off Christmas this year.