Scott and Pat Price are visiting every county library in Tennessee to donate their book "Looking for Goodwill." Part of the proceeds go to the Spina Bifida Foundation. (T-G Photo by Brian Mosely) [Click to enlarge]

The boy asked: "Has there ever been any good news?"

That's what Pat Price, who was born with spina bifida, and his father Scott, both of Nashville, hit the open road to find out.

During 2003-04, the Prices traveled more than 57,000 miles across the 50 states and interviewed 106 individuals, just "ordinary people who said extraordinary things."

During their travels, with each person they interviewed, the Prices left a stamped, self-addressed envelope and an enclosed letter asking the person to take the $10 they left inside and create good will with it.

The result was the publication of the book called "Looking for Goodwill," which shines a light on the inherent goodness of Americans and confirms the author's philosophy that "you reflect what you expect."

Pat conducted the interviews while his father ran the tape recorder.

The book was the winner of the Independent Publisher Book Award for the most original concept of 2007.

"What they did with the tens really inspired us," Scott said. "They gave it a lot of though and the good will multiplied."

One person bought stationery and then sent $10 of his own money to 13 of his friends, asking them to do good just as the Prices described. That initial $10 eventually turned into $1,920 of additional contributions.

Another woman used the $10 to purchase school supplies and toys for children in the Republic of Kiribati, an island in the Pacific Ocean.

"There are good people all over doing good things, is what we learned," Scott explained. "If two guys from Nashville could find such good will out there in our random travels, there must be a lot more out there."

A copy of the book was donated this week to the Argie Cooper Library by the Prices, who are visiting all 95 counties of Tennessee to present the book.

Pat graduated magna cum laude from Lipscomb University with a bachelor of arts degree in history and has pursued graduate studies in business. He volunteers at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and as a worker on a political campaign. Pat also currently serves as an ambassador for Quickie Wheelchairs.

Scott is vice president and general council for Eller and Olsen Stone Co. in Nashville and is a founding board member of the Spina Bifida Foundation as well as a past chair of the Lipscomb University Board of Trust.

The Prices are using a similar method to raise awareness and funds for the Spina Bifida Foundation, donating $9,500, which represents a $100 gift in honor of each Tennessee County, as a way to encourage people to support the Foundation.

During their tour through Tennessee, the Prices hope to enlist 10 citizens in each county who will donate $10 each month for 10 months to the Foundation, called the Ten/Tenn/$10 campaign. Bedford is the 19th county in the state they have visited.

"We saw what a small $10 gift can do, " Scott said. "The cumulative effect (of the Ten/Tenn/$10 campaign) would be just enormous."