Utah County Men Hope To Pay It Forward With Social Media Scavenger Hunt

PROVO, Utah – Coming up with clues to their scavenger hunts aren’t easy, and friends Adam Hartshorn and Chris Davison have spent hours preparing hints to post on their Instagram page, Philanthropist Bandits.

The goal of their scavenger hunt: pay it forward, giving the winner $100 and challenging him or her to give away $50 of it to someone else.

“The winners are able to experience that happiness of what it’s like to give back and I think that’s ideally what we can spread to other people,” Hartshorn said.

The duo plans to post hints and give out 10 clues around BYU’s campus every other Thursday. Then, they’ll give the person who makes it to the end a $100 bill.

They said the excitement around their project is growing.

“When we really have a conversation with people they are like, ‘Oh no way this is actually a thing,’” Hartshorn said.

So far, paying it forward is catching on. They said the first winner willingly gave away half of the money.

“He took the $50, split it into ones, went into the Wilk at BYU and just threw 50 ones into the air and said, ‘Have at it,’” Davison said.

The two hoped the idea will encourage others to join in across the valley and eventually the state.

“It’s meaningful for us as well and it’s nice to share that feeling with other people,” Hartshorn said.

Their next hint will drop on their Instagram page Thursday at 5 p.m.