Every day for a year, the unemployed nonprofit worker gave $10 to a stranger, in memory of his charity-minded mom and to stave off the out-of-work blues.
AOL News profiled Sandridge in April, four months into his Year of Giving, and spoke with the now-employed Washingtonian again last week, on the eve of his 365th day. Giving away $10 a day and writing about the experience on his blog helped Sandridge survive 285 of days of unemployment.
"When you're out of work, the first month is great," the Washington, D.C., resident told AOL News. "You catch up on sleep and read. After a while, for someone who's worked all their life, it's a bit of emotional chaos. You get depressed.
"[My Year of Giving project] really psychologically helped me. It made me feel great about myself. You get out of the house, you do a little writing, and you never know who you are going to meet."
Sandridge met a huge array of characters.
Day 339: A young government employee hailing from Michigan, Matt hopes to attend law school in the near future. He passed his $10 along to a favorite street musician, a brass player who trumpets in the morning in the vicinity of the World Bank.
Day 237: Jon works at a pretzel stand in the mall, a job financing a major life turnaround. After struggling with drug addiction, Jon is pursuing a certificate in computer systems. When not rolling pretzels, he works out and cheers on the Redskins. Jon spent his $10 on bus fare.
Day 69: Lauren S. lives in the Old Dominion and holds a degree in horticulture. She and Sandridge met at a brasserie, where Lauren was enjoying oysters and a Belgian brew. After leaving the bar, Lauren gave her $10 to a homeless man sleeping at a subway station.
Day 1: Sandridge began his experiment on the three-year anniversary of his mother's death from heart disease.
"She was one of the most generous people that I have ever known; rarely ever doing things for herself," Sandridge wrote in his "Day 1 -- Where to Begin?" blog post. "She always thought of others first and certainly serves as an inspiration to me."
After being rejected by his first target, Sandridge donated his first-ever $10 to Knox, a shoeshine man, and so began 365 generous days.
Several people refused Sandridge's $10 but most accepted and, like Matt and Lauren, paid the money forward.
"I've been pleasantly surprised. The majority of people I've given to have either done something for someone else or have passed the money along to someone else. That's a great outcome to have."
An even better outcome was landing a new job. Sandridge returned to the nonprofit sector; he now works with major donors at the World Wildlife Fund. He got his new job on Day 191 of his Year of Giving -- after 285 days of unemployment -- but never considered ending the project.
Sandridge hopes to continue a Year of Giving by signing up laid-off donors to continue his $10-a-day philanthropy habit by signing on for a week of giving. He will continue his good work by volunteering one day a week for the next year.
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