Beacon Academy raised over $3,200 in coins during a week-long effort to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. During their fifth annual Pennies for Patients campaign, Beacon students competed against other classes in their school, sometimes sabotaging competitors by donating silver coins to the enemy stash. The winning class enjoyed a pizza party.
No one said that fundraising can’t be fun, but Beacon’s volunteer coordinator, Ann Marie Roder, says the school has chosen this particular campaign repeatedly because they like to build traditions.
Since their first year, in 2008, students has tripled the number of pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters they donate to fund lifesaving research on blood cancers like leukemia, the most common form of cancer in children under 18 and the leading cause of death among young people under 20.
And how much does $3,200 weigh in coins? Approximately 1,550 pounds! That’s equal to the entire weight of the students in one of Beacon’s fourth grade classes. That’s a lot ‘a coin!
