Her students at Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School thought their teacher must have been disappointed to have to give away money given to her by Oprah Winfrey.

The 300 audience members were given a week to decide how to invest their money.

But Cara Christy says the feeling she got by sharing it paid her in other ways.

"It was my opportunity to tell them that that wasn't the point of it. We were to pay it forward. That was our gift - giving it to someone else. A good lesson for the kids at Wittenberg, too."

Cara says she struggled over whether to give smaller amounts to many people.

Both having teaching backgrounds, Cara and her mother gave the full $2,000 to the Boys and Girls club of Wisconsin Rapids, which is Cara's hometown.

"They were so cute and so excited and so proud of their club that we knew it was the right decision," says Christy.

The "Oprah" show experience makes Christy the talk of the town, but she hopes the example of giving to charity rubs off after the excitement fades away.

Christy says the show's producers will choose from all the donations caught on tape and decide which ones to bring back to Chicago for a follow-up show.