Dec 13, 2008 | charity, pocket change
I wanted to get a quick note out that I am still alive. I spent the past week in New York City, my home town, going to a conference with others in the information security field. It was a good conference and worth the time traveling “home” to attend. Unfortunately, I did not find anything more exciting than a 1956 Lincoln Cent in my change.
Before I run off to dinner with my wife, I wanted to encourage you to give this gift of charity this holiday season. I received a note that the official charity of the Coin Collector’s Blog, Common Cents, is $3,420 away from its 2008 campaign goal. Here is the note I received from Teddy Gross, the Executive Director of Common Cents:
Dear Friend,
I recently sent a letter asking for a year-end donation to help Common Cents reach more children, more schools and more communities with the Penny Harvest program. I wanted to express my heartfelt thanks, on behalf of the children and schools we serve, to all of you who have responded.
As of today, we are just $3,420 away from realizing our 2008 campaign goal. If you haven’t had a chance to donate yet, would you consider making a gift today?
The Penny Harvest helps students understand their capacities for leadership by gathering pennies, making grants and taking action to fight for causes they believe in. Seventeen years of experience has shown that, when given the opportunity to help others through the Penny Harvest, children transform into leaders working to solve – not cause – community problems.
We urgently need your help to continue providing the curriculum, tools, training and support needed for every school. Your gift will help us provide meaningful and life changing opportunities for thousands of children. Please donate today. As we teach through the Penny Harvest, every amount helps.
Many thanks, and best wishes for a wonderful holiday,
Teddy Gross
Executive Director
Common Cents
Click on any link in Teddy’s letter or the banner in the top right corner of the page, it will send you directly to the donation page at commoncents.org.
Although I am a little later in doing so, I will go to the bank this week with the pitcher of change on my desk as I promised. The sum of that money will go to Common Cents. That pitcher is half-full. I hope it has at least $100! Please join me and give what you can! Thank you.
Nov 20, 2008 | charity, pocket change
Charity is good for the soul!
Charity supported by children is not only good for the soul but a sign of a positive future for this nation.
Common Cents is an educational, not-for-profit organization that specializes in creating service-learning programs for young people. Their best known program is the Penny Harvest, the largest children supported philanthropy program in the United States.
This year, over 1,000 schools with nearly 500,000 student will be searching for idle pennies in their homes, from their family, and in their neighborhoods. They will take all of those pennies, the ones that people claim have “no value” and put them to work. This year’s collection ends on Thanksgiving.
After collected, every penny collected will be used to make grants to non-profit organizations of the student’s choice. Issues that concern the students are Infant/Children/Youth in need, Global Relief, Healthcare, Families in Need, Environmental, and more! Thousands of dollars are collected by good students for good work.
Last year, the Penny Harvest raised $677,955.99 for charities. That is over 67 million pennies! Who said pennies are not worth anything!
For this reason, Common Cents has been made the Official Charity of the Coin Collector’s Blog.
On my dresser is a pitcher that I put the coins that are in my pocket in at the end of the day. During Thanksgiving weekend, I will take that pitcher to a bank and dump its contents in their coin counting machine. Whatever the machine says is in that pitcher will be donated to Common Cents for this year’s Penny Harvest.
I ask that my readers click on the banner on the upper-right of this page and give directly to Common Cents and support the Penny Harvest.
Charity is good for the soul!
Oct 29, 2008 | cents, charity
Common Cents, the creators of the Penny Harvest, has announced the 18th Annual Penny Harvest kick-off. Over 1,000 schools and 500,000 students nationwide will go on a massive penny hunt to put those pennies to use.
I have written about the Penny Harvest Field and marveled at the large box of pennies on display at Rockefeller Center in New York City. It is an awesome site on television, but I hope to visit in person.
Last year, the Penny Harvest raised $677,955.99, including $20,000 from passers-by in Rockefeller Plaza. When I make my visit, I will bring my bottle of pennies to add to this year’s Penny Field. Besides, it gives me an excuse to visit my home town!
If you want to support Common Cents and the Penny Harvest, please consider a tax deductible contribution to help them with their work.
Jul 22, 2008 | cents, charity
Last December, I reported on the Penny Harvest Field that was installed in the plaza at Rockefeller Center in New York City. The Penny Harvest Field was 165-foot long and 30-foot wide “box” filled with pennies. Pennies donated to school children from all over New York City.
I received a note this evening from Common Cents, the organizer of the Penny Harvest, to announce that last year’s harvest raised $677,955.99, including $20,000 from passers-by in Rockefeller Plaza.
The announcement went on to say:
This past December, millions of people from around the world witnessed the astonishing collective effort of hundreds of thousands of children. But, the story doesn’t end there. After the pennies left Rockefeller Center, Penny Harvesters got to work deciding how to reinvest these funds back into their communities. This year, we are pleased to announce that New York City Penny Harvesters made 1,513 community grants and performed 345 neighborhood service projects with their precious funds.
New York is certainly a better place to live because of the hard-work and compassion of these children.
We hope you will continue to support Common Cents’ efforts to teach children the importance of giving back, and work with us to build the next generation of informed, capable, and caring young people.
CONGRATULATIONS to Common Cents and the school children of New York City whose efforts should be applauded!
Dec 11, 2007 | cents, charity
NBC Nightly News treated its viewers to a story about the Penny Harvest Field, a 165-foot long and 30-foot wide “box” filled with over 100 million pennies. The Field was installed in the plaza at Rockefeller Center in New York City, opposite of the GE Building, the home of NBC, near the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree and ice skating rink.
The Penny Harvest Field is a project of Common Cents, a New York City non-profit educational organization whose mission is to create and manage service-learning programs. The Penny Harvest Field us a year-long project that involved a reported half-million children from 770 New York City schools to teach the value of money and its power to do good regardless the size of the donation. It is a phenomenal effort to raise over $1 million for charitable organizations in New York.
People are encouraged to visit the Penny Harvest Field, add their own pennies, and run your hands through the coins. If you live in New York or plan to visit my hometown, bring your family, your children, and anyone else who wants to see how so little can add up to so much!
Flash video from The Penny Harvest at CommonCents.org.
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