Common Cents Mission: Common Cents, creator of the Penny Harvest, nurtures a new generation of caring and capable young people between the ages of four and 24 by enabling them to strengthen their communities through philanthropy and service-learning.

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What's New at Common Cents and the Penny Harvest

Colorado Penny Harvest Students have collected $56,342.81 SO FAR!


38 of our Colorado sites have collected $56,342.81 so far and we're still going! This year, 5 schools are participating in a Penny Harvest pilot program, beginning their harvest in January, and depositing in February. The next steps are to identifying issues that their communities care about and interviewing potential organizations that the kids will ultimately deem worthy of their hard-earned money. 
Congratulations to all of the students, teachers, and parents who spent months collecting almost 17 tons of pennies!
Are you an organization wishing to get involved with Penny Harvest? Click on the Organization Tab, then "Organization Profiles" for information on how to fill out an Organization Profile and be featured on our website.

Join the Penny Harvest!

The Penny Harvest is a free, school-based citizenship and leadership service-learning program that integrates with the school calendar.  Students harvest “idle pennies”, use those funds to make micro-grants to nonprofit organizations, and engage in corresponding service projects. Unlike other coin harvesting programs, Penny Harvest gives students total autonomy to decide where the money should go.Currently running in 43 Colorado schools, the program has 3 main phases:

Harvest Pennies (October – December)

Make Grants (January – April)

Volunteer (April – June)

 

To Sign up your school online visit www.pennyharvest.org/signupcolorado

For more information, contact Kelly Hayes at 720-221-9218 or khayes@ypfoundation.org.

Colorado Penny Harvesters have granted more than $100,000 over the past 3 years to nonprofits, schools, and individuals in need!

Between 2007 and 2010, students from across the state gathered $114,675.29 in pennies and made 243 community grants, in addition to completing 39 neighborhood service projects. Find out where they have granted the money under the "Organization" Tab.

 

Penny Harvest Students Grant $52,159.00 to 105 different organizations in 2009/2010!

Roundtable Leaders from 43 Colorado schools spent several months researching community needs, interviewing nonprofit professionals, and making funding decisions on behalf of their entire school. In addition to the 105 organizations funded, several Colorado schools participated in the first-ever National Penny Harvest Disaster Relief Fund to benefit victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Click here for more info: www.PennyHarvest.org/HelpingHaiti

Colorado Schools Harvest $53,178.33 during the 2009/10 Penny Harvest!

43 schools collectively harvested coins for more than 2 months for this year's Penny Harvest. Each school will continue into the Roundtable phase with at least $1,000 for their grant-making budget. Stay tuned to see where the students decide to grant all of that money!

Roxborough Intermediate on TV!

Check out some of the Roxborough Intermediate students and the YPF staff on TV HERE!

 




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Young Philanthropists Foundation
Young Philanthropists Foundation administers the Penny Harvest in Colorado in coordination with Common Cents

Penny Harvest Colorado


Home > Penny Harvest > Location > Colorado > Coaches > Curriculum > Party & Plan
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PARTY & PLAN

It’s the final sprint and almost time for graduating student leaders to pass the torch – or penny pins – to next year’s leadership.  First, it’s important for students to celebrate and reflect to reinforce their learning and to set even higher goals for next year!  As students party and plan, they should invite others to celebrate their accomplishments by letting their good deeds be known.

 
The end of the year is also the time to alert your Penny Harvest Office if you anticipate any changes in administration or scheduling at your school next year.  If you are not going to be the Penny Harvest Coach next year (we hope you are!), work with your principal to appoint and train a successor.  If you are moving schools, be sure to start the Penny Harvest at your new school.  Ensure that all your hard work will plant the seeds for many harvests to come!
 
 
Skip down to:

QUICKLINKS:

Certificate of Recognition Template to honor students 

  1. LOOKING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD
  2. LETTING YOUR GOOD DEEDS BE KNOWN
Download the Introduction to Party and Plan section

In this section, you will find:
  • Tips to reengage your school community
  • Tips to plan for the transition to next year’s Penny Harvest
  • Self check to make sure your students are ready to Party and Plan


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LOOKING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD: REFLECTING AND PLANNING FOR NEXT YEAR

QUICKLINKS:

Penny Harvest Plan

We learn not by doing or by thinking, but by thinking about what we are doing.  Reflecting on the year helps leaders realize how they grew as young philanthropists and the impact they made on their community.  They will also begin to understand that Penny Harvest Leader’s work is never done!  They can plan ahead to make sure their Penny Harvest is even more successful next year.
 
Download the Looking Back, Looking Ahead section
 

In this section, you will find:

  • Activities to assist students reflecting on accomplishments
  • Activities to help students foster continuity into next year’s Penny Harvest

REMINDER: Documenting the process of the year-long Penny Harvest is an effective way to have students reflect on what they have accomplished.  Consider creating a Roundtable Memory book. 

TIP FROM THE FIELD:  A great way to ensure that you maintain the year-to-year momentum of the Penny Harvest over the summer is to recruit some new leaders to pledge their commitment for the following year and have existing leaders write them letters of wisdom.
 
Read about how the PS 335 Student Leaders Pass on the Penny Pins
  
I have been a Penny Harvest Leader on the roundtable since the fourth grade and it has encouraged me more and more.  When I leave this year, I can’t be in the roundtable any more but I’ll still give and remember it in my heart.”
--- Daneyer M., Penny Harvest Leader, PS 398, Brooklyn  
 
 
 
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LETTING YOUR GOOD DEEDS BE KNOWN:
RECOGNIZING STUDENTS AND GRANT RECIPIENTS
To close out the year, it’s important to spread the word about all the good work Penny Harvest students have been doing.  A Check Award Ceremony is a special way to recognize students and grant recipients.  Be sure to communicate not only the final products of the Penny Harvest (grants to organizations and neighborhood service projects), but all the learning and community connections that came from gathering pennies, making funding decisions and planning and doing service.
 
Download the Letting Your Good Deeds Be Known section
 
In this section, you will find:
QUICKLINKS:
  • Activities for students to explore their talents and other resources available to them
  • Lessons for writing a press release for local media, a story for the school newspaper or letters to local officials

REMINDER: Create an end-of-year bulletin board with the school’s harvest total, issues that were addressed and final grants and service projects.  You can include letters of appreciation from grant recipients.

See bulletin board examples

TIP FROM THE FIELD: A Check Award Ceremony is a great way to remind the greater community what happened to all the pennies they collected.  Invite all students, faculty, grantees, parents/families and community members, such as local officials.

Read about how students at PS 116 Lead by Example and let their good deeds be known

“When the grantee got on stage to accept the check, the kids were cheering so much the roar made my own son cry.  It was an amazing feeling, the most high you could get…because that is when they saw where their pennies went.” 
--- Angela Smith, Penny Harvest Coach, NYC

 
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