People see cast-away pennies on the ground everyday. Although pennies aren't worth much by themselves, spare change can quickly add up when collected for a cause, as demonstrated by the project of nine-year-old Olivia Stanwick, daughter of Auburn University's College of Business professors Peter and Sarah Stanwick.
Olivia knew she wanted to help in some way but was not sure how. She decided to raise money by collecting spare change in what came to be called a penny drop.
Initially, the plan was to collect funds with her fourthgrade class at Wrights Mill Road Elementary.
However, when Lynda Tremaine, principal of Wrights Mill Road Elementary, heard the idea, she wanted it to become a school wide project.
"When the Stanwick family, parents of first grader John and fourth grader Olivia, came to me with the idea of collecting pennies for Haiti, I thought it was a wonderful idea," Tremaine said. Water jugs were set up around the school during February. Students brought in pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters to fill them.
"We had students who brought in their birthday money, tooth fairy money and piggy banks," Tremaine said. "It was heart-warming seeing the response. I am very proud of the giving spirit that our students demonstrated ."
This past Saturday, Olivia helped present a check for $1,640.60 to the UN World Food Programme (WFP). Douglas Coutts, senior advisor for the UN World Food Programme, said the money will go directly into the fund for their Emergency Operation (EMOP) budget. "The money will help purchase meals like high-energy biscuits that are loaded with vitamins and nutrients that thechildrenneed,"Couttssaid. "We have community projects during the school year because we feel it's important to instill in our students the importance of doing for others."
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