By Allie Rosen
Staff Writer
Everyone has spare change at home. Many students can find loose quarters in their wallets or see quarters on the floors of their cars. Now, Mira Costa students will have the opportunity to donate the change they find to benefit individuals suffering from blood diseases through the Pennies for Patients fundraiser.
The Student Government organizes the annual Pennies for Patients fundraiser, which asks students to donate their spare change to patients in need. The drive will begin on April 5 and conclude on April 16.
“Pennies for Patients is a nationwide fundraiser run by the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society. The proceeds will go to helping cure blood disease and better the lives of the patients affected. If it goes well, we may actually extend the dates,” said Student Government Commissioner of Community Relations junior Sierra Bloodgood.
Student Government will place collection bins in each homeroom class to collect coins. At the end of the drive, they will count up the donations of each class and will distribute an assortment of prizes to the classes which collect the most money. The winning homeroom will be rewarded with a party.
“Even though we will have incentives for the homerooms that raise the most money, we really want everyone thinking more about the cause they are supporting than the fundraiser itself,” Bloodgood said.
The Lymphoma and Leukemia Society sponors fundraisers such as the one Student Government will be organizing all across the country. These fundraisers include Pennies for Patients, Pasta for Patients and many others. Schools like Mira Costa have become involved with these various programs through the School and Youth Programs, an organization that works to raise money for the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society.
“Mira Costa has been involved with Pennies for Patients for about 10 years now. Through all of the small donations of spare change we accumulated, we were able to raise over $2,000 last year,” Bloodgood said.
With the fundraiser just around the corner, Student Government said it is excited about the Pennies for Patients program. The members said they feel that the Pennies for Patients drive is the perfect fundraiser in which to participate because it gives everyone a chance to assist those in need and see that their small donations add up to make a big difference in the community.
“We are really hoping that people will donate their spare change this year. We would love to see everyone try to make at least one donation, no matter how small it is, because it all adds up in the end and it’s for a good cause,” Bloodgood said.
In past years, many teachers and their classes have donated large amounts to the fundraiser. Last year, social studies teacher Adam Geczi and his classes raised more than $1,000 by filling over three large water bottles with their spare change and donations.
“The way I motivated my students to donate was by taking the challenge literally and seriously. We only donated pennies because it was really cool to see how donating 100 pennies makes a dollar. We started out just trying to fill one large bottle and it quickly developed into almost four jars that weighed roughly 300 pounds,” Geczi said.
While a large number of classes are working together to support the fundraiser, many individual students plan to do their part in assisting patients by donating to the fundraiser on their own. Junior Krista Roberts is excited to make a donation in her homeroom class this year.
“I think the Pennies for Patients Fundraiser is a really great program. It’s easy to donate and its goes to such a great cause. I made a few donations last year, and I can’t wait to give more this year,” Roberts said.
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