Children in 45 area schools are turning dollars into deeds through Penny Harvest.
Last fall students in the Seattle/King County area went door to door with bags and sacks, collected pennies in classrooms, pooled them in schools and rallied to collect $64,333.73. Now, through student-led Philanthropy Roundtables youth will convene to assess community needs and allocate the money into grants to community groups that they have selected. "Students became enthusiastic about brainstorming ways their contributions of pennies could help others. Socially, every child felt important and able to help make a difference no matter how many pennies they were able to bring in for the harvest," said Carol Anderson, a teacher at Lawton Elementary School.
Participating Penny Harvest schools in Queen Anne and Magnolia included Lawton Elementary, Secondary Bilingual Orientation Center, John Hay Elementary and Our Lady of Fatima.
"The Philanthropy Roundtable
is an exciting time for Penny Harvest students because they get to express their concerns about the world around them and make grants to
organizations that deal with the issues they are most passionate about," Program Director Mike Beebe said. "This program truly teaches youth what it means to be a community leader."
For more than 14 years, Penny Harvest, formerly known as Common Cents, has worked hand-in-hand with King County public schools inspiring students to make a difference in their neighborhoods.
In 2006-07 alone, more than 12,000 students collected 5-plus tons of coins, raised $41,643.31 and made 54 grants to community-based organizations.
The program is free to schools and includes educational tools for every student, an integrated curriculum guide, and year-round support from Penny Harvest Staff.
To register for the 2008-09 Penny Harvest, visit www.pennyharvest.org/signup - or you may contact Maryellen Ferro via either 957-4779 X118 or maryellenf@solid-ground.org
[[In-content Ad]]