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Get RSS FeedWeb site tracks public's good deeds, inspires others
By DONAVON CAMPBELL
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Brian Foy's "ah ha" moment came while he was sitting on a train heading into downtown Chicago from his home in the city's suburbs.
Foy, a 31-year-old Powell native, said the idea for Foyble.com came out of the monotony of his daily commute.
"I have a fairly lengthy commute with just a lot of time to think," said Foy, who still works for an insurance company in Chicago.
It would be a new networking Web site that allows one to actually watch the "pay it forward" concept of spreading good will and deeds.
Foy, a 31-year-old Powell native, said the idea for Foyble.com came out of the monotony of his daily commute.
"I have a fairly lengthy commute with just a lot of time to think," said Foy, who still works for an insurance company in Chicago.
It would be a new networking Web site that allows one to actually watch the "pay it forward" concept of spreading good will and deeds.
"I thought it would be really kind of interesting to try to leverage the Internet to be able to see that butterfly effect," Foy said. "I just thought, 'How can we use the Internet to connect people in that way?' "
When someone joins Foyble.com they can make posts about something they did, no matter how big or small, for someone else.
Others can then read the posts and, if a particular deed inspires them to do something, they can then post about their own deed and the site will track the thread.
Foy, who originally had the idea in spring of 2008, said it was one of those concepts that just wouldn't go away.
But it wasn't until he went to his college buddy's wedding last summer the idea started to gain some traction.
The groom, Jerry Kaltenbach, attended Ohio University with Foy and when he was told of the idea he didn't just like it, he wanted to be a part of it, Foy said.
"No one ever said it was a terrible idea," Foy said. "But (Kaltenbach) was the first to say he wanted to be involved."
Kaltenbach, an attorney who lives in Upper Arlington, said it just struck him at a time when he was thinking of ways he could give back.
"For me, we have our jobs, we have our daily lives, and I think people should, in general, find ways to give back to the community," Kaltenbach said.
Kaltenbach soon brought in a third college buddy, John Frazier, whom both he and Foy admit is more technically savvy -- Frazier owns his own IT consulting company.
More importantly, Frazier was thinking of a similar concept to connect people to potential volunteer opportunities.
A Westerville resident, Frazier was a volunteer on the Westerville Education Foundation Board and was looking for ways students could find volunteer opportunities since they are suggested to complete three hours of community service as part of their curriculum.
"I noticed a need out there for a site that wanted to match people who want to volunteer with a place that needs volunteers," Frazier said.
"There is a lot of synergy between the two ideas, providing people with a way to take good deeds and see how they impact others ... and looking for a way to match" volunteers and volunteer opportunities.
The three men finally launched the site, a hybrid of the two visions, this spring.
Kaltenbach said the pun of calling it "Foyble" was not lost on its creators.
"A foible is a minor flaw, but a foyble is a minor miracle," Kaltenbach said.
Following the site's launch, the three held what Kaltenbach called the "Cafe Experiment" during which they quietly bought 100 people their lunches at Cafe del Mondo on Fifth Avenue in Columbus.
Kaltenbach said the three men wanted to hold a launch event that matched the goals of Foyble.com.
"We kind of wanted to lead by example," said Kaltenbach, who added the notion seemed to have struck home and the site now has some 224 members, a number of whom were at Cafe del Mondo that day.
And word is spreading, there are currently members from ten different countries, Kaltenbach said.
He explained their next step will likely be to create the Foyble Foundation, a 501.C3 that could facilitate volunteer projects, sponsor scholarships and collect and donate money.
In the meantime, Foy said the goal of Foyble.com remains pure and simple.
"Our ultimate vision for Foyble is an eco system of good will," Foy said.
For more information visit foyble.com.
When someone joins Foyble.com they can make posts about something they did, no matter how big or small, for someone else.
Others can then read the posts and, if a particular deed inspires them to do something, they can then post about their own deed and the site will track the thread.
Foy, who originally had the idea in spring of 2008, said it was one of those concepts that just wouldn't go away.
But it wasn't until he went to his college buddy's wedding last summer the idea started to gain some traction.
The groom, Jerry Kaltenbach, attended Ohio University with Foy and when he was told of the idea he didn't just like it, he wanted to be a part of it, Foy said.
"No one ever said it was a terrible idea," Foy said. "But (Kaltenbach) was the first to say he wanted to be involved."
Kaltenbach, an attorney who lives in Upper Arlington, said it just struck him at a time when he was thinking of ways he could give back.
"For me, we have our jobs, we have our daily lives, and I think people should, in general, find ways to give back to the community," Kaltenbach said.
Kaltenbach soon brought in a third college buddy, John Frazier, whom both he and Foy admit is more technically savvy -- Frazier owns his own IT consulting company.
More importantly, Frazier was thinking of a similar concept to connect people to potential volunteer opportunities.
A Westerville resident, Frazier was a volunteer on the Westerville Education Foundation Board and was looking for ways students could find volunteer opportunities since they are suggested to complete three hours of community service as part of their curriculum.
"I noticed a need out there for a site that wanted to match people who want to volunteer with a place that needs volunteers," Frazier said.
"There is a lot of synergy between the two ideas, providing people with a way to take good deeds and see how they impact others ... and looking for a way to match" volunteers and volunteer opportunities.
The three men finally launched the site, a hybrid of the two visions, this spring.
Kaltenbach said the pun of calling it "Foyble" was not lost on its creators.
"A foible is a minor flaw, but a foyble is a minor miracle," Kaltenbach said.
Following the site's launch, the three held what Kaltenbach called the "Cafe Experiment" during which they quietly bought 100 people their lunches at Cafe del Mondo on Fifth Avenue in Columbus.
Kaltenbach said the three men wanted to hold a launch event that matched the goals of Foyble.com.
"We kind of wanted to lead by example," said Kaltenbach, who added the notion seemed to have struck home and the site now has some 224 members, a number of whom were at Cafe del Mondo that day.
And word is spreading, there are currently members from ten different countries, Kaltenbach said.
He explained their next step will likely be to create the Foyble Foundation, a 501.C3 that could facilitate volunteer projects, sponsor scholarships and collect and donate money.
In the meantime, Foy said the goal of Foyble.com remains pure and simple.
"Our ultimate vision for Foyble is an eco system of good will," Foy said.
For more information visit foyble.com.
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Suzanne wrote on Sep 29, 2009 8:29 PM: