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Pennies for nonprofits
By Michele SampleThe students at Roxborough Intermediate have taken the saying, "A penny saved is a penny earned" to new heights.
The Penny Harvest, a student-participation, service-learning program throughout the school year, raised $2,000 from collecting pennies, to donate to nonprofit organizations of their choice. At the beginning of the year, students were asked to write down what they cared about as human beings. The number one answer was animals and second place went to children’s health organizations. These responses were then put up on a school wall, resembling bricks, laying down the foundation of the project. Liza Gallegos, student council liaison co-chair for Roxborough’s Parent Teacher Involvement committee, said the students have four phases of the project. Phase one: Gathering pennies in the fall, connecting students with their community, identifying the needs of their community, and building relationships. Phase two: A philanthropy roundtable, challenging the students to use the Penny Harvest funds, to make grants to nonprofit organizations of their choice. "Students learn to assess and prioritize community needs and ultimately decide how their money can best make a difference," Gallegos said. Phase three: Neighborhood Service, allows students to go beyond grant making to improve their communities, and schools partner with nonprofits to learn more about specific needs, and execute service projects. Phase four: Celebration takes place at the end of the year to give the students the opportunity to celebrate and reflect on their experiences. During the roundtable phase, students interviewed six organizations, including The American Red Cross, The Denver Dumb Friends League, The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and The Children’s Hospital. After much deliberation and careful thought to what the school as a whole wanted, the funds were divided into specific dollar amounts to each organization. The following amounts are pending approval from the Young Philanthropists Foundation’s Penny Harvest Advisory Board. Denver Dumb Friends League: $600 Make-a-Wish Foundation: $550 The Gathering Place: $425 (The money will be given in the form of food or other supplies needed.) JDRF: $275 (The money will be used to contribute toward students walking in the fundraiser walk August 23.) The American Red Cross: $100 The Children’s Hospital: $50 (The money will be used to purchase DVD’s for a specific unit.) "The students learned how much these organizations rely on grant money," Gallegos said. |
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