$100 helps struggling high school student in Chandler, mother

If you could give $100 to someone in need, who would it be?

We asked, and you sent us your answers. This holiday season, the Believe Project is giving out $100 every day of December to the recipients you nominate.

Carolyn Gable launched the project five years ago in the Chicago suburbs to give anonymous gifts to people who she felt were in need of a bit of hope. Now, she’s expanding it to Arizona, where she is a part-time resident.

The goal of the project is to pay it forward: You tell us who could use an extra $100, Gable chooses the recipients, and

and azcentral.com provide some administrative help. Then the recipients pass on the gift.

We will announce the recipients throughout December. These are the latest recipients:

Claudia nominated a high school student in Chandler, for the Believe Project.

“If you know (him), you know he has every reason to be angry at the world, yet he is not,” Claudia said.

About a year ago, his brother died in a car accident, and his dad was recently sent to prison, she said. But he is still actively involved in high school extracurriculars such as student council and the Outdoor Club.

“An extra $100 would allow him to get some clothes and shoes he so greatly needs,” Claudia said.

The submission: If you know someone who could use $100, go to and click on the story to fill out the online form.

Patti wrote in about a mother of two who recently separated from her husband and has been working at a bar to make ends meet.

“And on top of everything else, she was diagnosed with (multiple sclerosis) this year and is struggling emotionally with that,” Patti wrote.

She hopes the $100 gift will help the woman give her daughters a better Christmas.

The submission: