My most meaningful conversation was:

"... when this kid told me 'See, kids can help make a difference too.'" –volunteer from Chinese American Planning Council

"... with 2 young girls that were so proud and happy to tell me that they were one of the schools that were involved. Their eyes lit up telling me their story." – volunteer from Sunrise Day Camp

"... talking with the children who donated was inspiring because they were so empowered by being part of something so much larger than themselves." –volunteer from Children for Children

"... with a group of students were listening to the purpose of the Penny Harvest and said 'Hey! My school did that!' I told them to find their school and when they did, they went nuts." – volunteer from Children for Children

"...with a family from Queens whose son was a Penny Harvester. It was gratifying to them to see the results of the penny collecting effort." – volunteer from Sunrise Day Camp

"... talking with an older woman who found her old school listed. She felt that her education had been the foundation of her life success. – volunteer from Citymeals-On-Wheels

"... when one lady told me that it gave her hope that things were still good in the world. –volunteer from New York Cares

"... when I was speaking to a woman who had just gotten back from a job interview which didn't go well, and she began crying when she saw all the pennies and finding out how many people will be helped by the money. – volunteer from JP Morgan

"... when a Polish boy interpreted what I said to his grandparents, threw coins into the field and said his donations were for "people who are sick." – volunteer from Child Abuse Prevention Program

"...From a 16 year old boy: "Will you be my girlfriend? I'll have you walking on 50s and 100s instead of pennies!" – volunteer from God's Love We Deliver

"with someone who asked me, "Can I pay $10 to make an angel?'" volunteer from Citymeals-On-Wheels

"[It's a] good use for a practically useless object. What else can you do with pennies besides use them for fishing weights? When we did the tile backsplash in our kitchen I was using two different thicknesses of tile so I used pennies behind the thin tiles to make the surface even. It increased the value of our house by about $2.50."

"It's beautiful. And it's inspiring--pennies can actually be worth something. Little bits add up. etc."

"Anybody else look at that and want to go swimming in it like in the cartoons?"

"Way to show those kids that went door to door to collect the pennies for charity how their hard work can make a difference in other people's lives!"

"100 Million Pennies Displayed in NYC...The next morning, all of the pennies were gone. No one saw a thing."

"Now I know I can taste copper in the air every time I visit NYC."

"It was like a river of pennies. I have never seen so many in all my years. I wanted to swim in them but then realized they may be dirty pennies."

"I pass by the area often since I study in the city, but had never noticed this set-up before. First thought my friend and I had was "Whoa! These people just never stop coming up with ideas to make yet more money". However when we read the project's description on the introduction panel, we felt admiration for both the innovation and generosity of these people since all the revenue will be given to charities."

"Can you believe some of these kids have never been out of a 10-block radius from their houses? Some of them have never seen the Rockerfeller Christmas Tree, Rockerfeller Center for that matter, have never been that far downtown, have never been in a cloud, and (just like the rest of us) have NEVER seen a Penny Harvest Field." – a Penny Harvest Coach

"Wow, what an amazing experience that must have been, both for your students and for you! Taking your students to a new environment is one of the most powerful learning experiences. Seeing the pile of pennies and realizing how hard they worked to be part of that achievement must have given their self-esteem a great boost."

"Thank you for sharing this. I love to show my 4 year old how people do good things and this picture says it all! Thank you!"

"I went to see this on Saturday, and it was such a beautiful sight. Even better than the tree :)"

"I was Just there Dec. 20th and saw this for the first time. It's pretty damn amazing. The little mirrors they had at each end amplified what was already an enormous amount of copper and "some" silver thrown in the mix. I threw in two quarters (big spender) haha... throwing money in a big box, who knew it could be so much fun. Still waiting for that wish to come true."

"I heard someone threw in a rare mint Indian head penny in the pot. The penny is suppose to be worth over $24,000. It's copper colored so it should be easy to find."

"The next time some bum asks me for spare change, I'm directing them to Rockefeller Center."

Just about 2 weeks ago someone in my office was admiring a baseball cap that I keep on my desk. Among its decorations there is an Andy Warhol pin, a Frank Sinatra pin, a cherry blossom pin, AND a pin made from a penny - you gave me a handful of them years ago, and you said I was your oldest corporate sponsor!

That was years ago, when I used to collect pennies at my job at Random House. I just started to do it, I probably read about you in the NY Times. I'd send out an e mail, and people from all over Random House would send pennies to my cubicle in "Inter-office envelopes".

Then when I had several bags full, I'd taxi over to your West Side office with my pennies. The taxi drivers would be very excited to be delivering bags of money!

Then I changed jobs, moved to New Jersey, etc. I lost track of you...

Last week I was walking through Rock Center, and POW ! I was in the midst of A SEA OF PENNIES ! ! !

I rejoiced to see that you are still in business, and doing so well.

At the penny field you gave me a little brown paper lunch bag , and I'm starting a penny harvest today - my cubicle neighbor just gave me 2 cents.

Best,

Joy Sikorski Hoboken, New Jersey

An interesting blog from Ms Lady Deborah about the Penny Harvest:

There are valuable lessons that The Penny Harvest can teach adults. The children who participated in this project ranged in age from 4 to 14. The primary objective of Common Cents is to teach children who participate that they can contribute to their communities.

When I consider their over all goals and the fact that they collected 100 million pennies, I see lessons in their efforts that adults need to consider.

• No child was excluded from participating from the project. Their backgrounds, their ethnic heritage, their age did give organizers grounds to exclude them. • They worked as a team with an adult volunteer. They did not wait on some national figure to step up and take charge. The volunteer went to a training and proceeded from that point. • The children participated in the decision making process. They reviewed and selected the charity that their funds would be donated to. In that finalization process they learned about conditions in their community, other people who have needs, and they also learned to share their ideas. • The children also learned the value of using resources in their respective areas. They did not go to the government to request help. They approached family, friends, and members of their community. • By requesting a donation that consisted of pennies, they were able to learn that each little amount eventually will add up to a major sum. That request of pennies also allowed members of the community to make a contribution. Often there are people who would like to contribute to a cause or a charity but due to the requested amount they cannot. This campaign promoted inclusion instead of exclusion.

How many times have we seen needs in our community that have been left untouched? We often sit back and wait on a leader outside of our community to step up and take charge. Or we believe that there is not enough funds inside of our community to utilize. We will wait to see if the government is going to respond in a proper manner. Often without considering that we have the talent, resources and power to work on making a change.

The next time there is a negative condition or one that just needs attention, consider the children of NYC and their accomplishment. Then get up and get busy!

http://msladydeborah.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!49EF6545ADA12C51!169.entry