When it came to having serious fun, actor Paul Newman did it with style. A prankster known for his sly sense of humor, Newman famously said of his blockbuster hit company, Newman’s Own:

“It has all been a bad joke that just ran out of control. I got into food for fun, but the business got a mind of its own. Now—my good Lord—look where it has gotten me. My products are on supermarket shelves, in cinemas, in the theater. And they say show business is odd.”

Having generated more than $400 million since it was founded in 1982, the company gives 100 percent of after-tax profits from the sale of its products to the Newman’s Own Foundation, whose motto is: “Give it all away.” True to the cause, it annually gives away millions to nonprofit groups.

One of those beneficiaries is the SeriousFun Children’s Network, also founded by Paul Newman, where his daughter Clea is currently the senior director and spokesperson. “Our global community of 30 camps and programs offers residential camp and outreach experiences for children with serious illness and their families,” she explains. “My father would be so proud.” What is it like carrying on her dad’s legacy? We traveled to SeriousFun HQ in Westport, CT, to find out. Scroll down for our Q&A with Clea.

Indeed, “Paying It Forward” is our goal this month. The May issue of Be Inkandescent magazine begins an eight-month tribute to companies, authors, artists, organizations, and entrepreneurs who embody the essence of our “8 Steps to PR Success,” the core of our book, PR Rules: The Playbook.

We know from experience that supersizing your small business starts at the end. Meaning you have to know what your end goal is, and then work backwards to create the map that will get you there—often a vision board, but always a strong strategy that you can follow methodically to work toward and achieve your long-term goals.

So we start at the end with Step 8: Pay It Forward.

We hope you’ll be open to the possibilities and be inspired by the 20 articles in this issue, which are guaranteed to give you the grins, including:

• Crayons Rock! Or they did until the day a boy named Duncan wanted to draw, and his crayons went on strike. In our May Book of the Month, you’ll find a sweet reprieve from the serious side of life, courtesy of Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers’ clever book: The Day the Crayons Quit.

• Ever wonder what the country’s founders were really like? For an up-close and personal look, don’t miss our Q&A with prolific history author Thomas Fleming, who shines a light on The Intimate Lives of the Founding Fathers.

• What do handstands and marketing have in common? Take a deep cleansing breath and check out Andrea Allen’s yoga-inspired, business-savvy ideas as she explains how to Yogify Your Business. Marketing also rules for BizQuiz expert Tara Palacios, who explains why Location, Location, Location is yesterday’s news.

• And that’s just for starters. Financial Adviser Sheldon Weiner asks, How do you know when you are rich enough? Hiring expert Barbara Mitchell offers 3 ways to have serous fun at work. And our new Public Speaking gurus Robin Miller and Hilary Blair tell us why it’s still important to play show-and-tell.

Did you know that playing with your friends, laughing, and feeling better about yourself are good for you? Of course it is! And now there’s proof, thanks to a study SeriousFun commissioned from the Yale Child Study Center, which showed that resilience indicators—such as possessing positive coping strategies, reducing illness-related stress, and making kids feel happy—all significantly improved following camp.

So take a page from Paul Newman’s Playbook: “Kick back, have fun, and raise a little hell.”

Now go out there and play it forward. — Hope Katz Gibbs, publisher, Be Inkandescent • Author, PR Rules: The Playbook