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Penny Harvesters are already responding to the crisis in HaitiJanuary 29, 2010Since the earthquake in Haiti two weeks ago, Common Cents has been flooded with phone calls and e-mails from concerned Penny Harvest coaches wondering how their schools can help the recovery efforts in Haiti. As Penny Harvest schools enter the second phase of the program, students have begun forming Philanthropy Roundtables at their schools. The Roundtables are a distinctive feature of the Penny Harvest which give children the power and the freedom to decide how to spend their harvest funds. A key issue for our students in the coming weeks will be exploring different ways to take action and help the people in Haiti. Penny Harvest Coaches gear up for Roundtable SeasonJanuary 24, 2010Last December, Claire Streit, a Penny Harvest Coach at PS 85 in The Bronx, visited a food pantry with a group of her students. The particular group of students she brought to the pantry for a service project were notoriously difficult and had a reputation for being trouble rousers in the classroom. However, the moment they entered the pantry, Claire began to see a transformation in each of her kids. The students witnessed firsthand the need within their own community, and the dignity that the staff treated clients with as they served them hot meals. “They were being empowered to help, to do something real,” Claire said. “I just sat in the back of the room and cried, I could see my kids growing up in front me.” Panel of experts tackle dropout crisis in discussionJanuary 20, 2010Every 26 seconds a child quits high school. This is the dropout epidemic, and it plagues 1.2 million students a year. So far, tactics to improve graduation rates have been rather, it seems, ineffective. The graduation rate of 2007, according to some studies, is largely similar to the rate from thirty years earlier. But the world has changed since 1977. A high school diploma is no longer enough to guarantee a job, and the doors to upward mobility are slamming shut. In a panel discussion last Thursday at Philanthropy New York titled “Opening a Second Front Against the Dropout Epidemic,” experts spoke about a new tool to engage students and combat apathy— service-learning. New Training Materials PostedJanuary 20, 2010All materials from the Spring 2009/10 Professional Development Trainings have been posted under the Coaches Tab. Former board chair John Hobbs diesJanuary 14, 2010John Hobbs, a former board chairman of Common Cents died Jan. 3 of natural causes at his home in Charlemont, Mass. He was 73. He is survived by two daughters and a son. John was an acutely intellectual man, with an untiring interest in creatively analyzing difficult problems – particularly the problems of human development, and of institutional development; and even more so, the problem of how the two interact. He was also an exceptionally kind and modest person. Celebrating the Generosity of our YoungstersDecember 1, 2009At the beginning of December trucks will be rumbling through New York City carrying an unlikely load— hundreds of thousands of pounds of pennies. Last year the Penny Harvest collected about 700,000 dollars, primarily in copper (or zinc—pennies haven’t been primarily composed of copper since 1982). Though it only took about a month for students to collect the coins, and will take two weeks for Common Cents to pick them all up, it will take the bank four months to count and sort all the coins. Ballston Spa Schools kick-off the HarvestNovember 19, 2009Students in the Ballston Spa Central School District have started their annual collection for the Penny Harvest program once again this fall. Each of the six schools in the district are collecting pennies, and other donations, as part of the nationwide program that teaches youth to give back to their local community.Last year, students collected an incredible $8,000. Common Cents Hosts Penny Harvest Conference for TeachersOctober 20, 2009This October was the first time in several years Common Cents held a city-wide Penny Harvest professional development session. Common Cents periodically holds these sessions to bring together educators from across the city. The conference brought together new and experienced coaches from New York’s 5 boroughs to sit together and learn about the program, discuss Penny Harvest plans for the upcoming year, and share stories and lessons from their schools. Spanish Materials Now AvailableOctober 14, 2009Thanks to a group of fabulous and dedicated volunteers, we are proud to offer additional resources and materials in Spanish. Please check the "Tools" Page under the Coaches Tab for a list of downloadable files. Graland Students Featured in a local Nonprofit Blog!October 8, 2009The 1010 Project, a local nonprofit, recently received a powerful grant from Graland Penny Harvest students. Teach a child to fish: Reflections from a Fellow's deskSeptember 30, 2009A few weeks ago Micah Gibbens and I, newly minted Common Cents Fellows, were invited to Queens Village for I.S. 109’s Orientation Fair, a back to school kick-off featuring several community organizations from a dentist’s office to a local music and arts studio. I haven’t been to many Orientation Fairs, but this one must have been special because there was a live D.J.; a violin performance by a group of four year olds; and even a New York State Senator, Frank Padavan, who raffled out door prizes. This was only our second time representing Common Cents in public, and we thought of it as a challenge— an opportunity to promote Common Cents’ mission, to offer valuable information, and to generally present ourselves in an official capacity as the Penny Harvest “experts” we had just become. Celebrating Service: Introducing our new NYC Service Corps/ FellowsAugust 25, 2009Common Cents is the new home to Marianne Cabe, Micah Gibbens, Layla Malavet, Magdalena Polec and Arvin Temkar, members of the first New York City Civic Corps, a service program launched in April of this year by Mayor Bloomberg. NYC Civic Corps members are placed in various local organizations for the duration of the 2009/2010 school year to help spread the message of New York City volunteerism in local communities. Penny Harvest Liberty Students Award Grant to Assistance League of Metro ColumbusJuly 13, 2009Students in Columbus, Ohio use their Penny harvest funds to support organizations in their community. Seattle Penny Harvesters lead by example!June 30, 2009Although most of Penny Harvest schools in Seattle donated their funds to local non-profit organizations, the students at Hawthorne Elementary chose a different course of action: helping a homeless man, DeBraer Brae get housing. Brae now has a wheelchair and temporary housing thanks to donations of spare change from students at Seattle's Hawthorne Elementary. One Cent Goes the DistanceJune 21, 2009In this economy, you might be surprised that people have a couple extra cents to spare for a great cause like the Penny Harvest. In 1991, the Penny Harvest was born in New York City. It had a simple message: Students collect pennies, then donate them to a selected charity. Area students collect 3.7 million pennies for local organizationsJune 20, 2009Denver, CO - Students from 31 Colorado elementary, middle and high schools have officially harvested 3.7 million pennies, or $37,826.02, for local charities through the Young Philanthropists Foundation's 2008-2009 Penny Harvest. Pennies for nonprofitsMay 4, 2009The 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. Common Cents One of five non-profits to align with NYC schools to teach civic engagementApril 20, 2009Common Cents was named as one of the five educational partners of NYC Service, an initiative announced by Mayor Michael Bloomberg to further his pledge that New York City would lead the way in answering President Obama’s call for the nation to embrace a new era of service. Common Cents Challenges Schools to Support Their Local Food PantryMarch 13, 2009Children of the Penny Harvest are stepping up to do their part to support the 600 food pantries in New York City. In just one week, 80 food pantries have been adopted by Penny Harvest schools, donating $11,962.50 in emergency funds have been given by children to feed the hungry! Annual Leader Pin Volunteer event a success!March 12, 2009On Saturday, March 7th, over 200 volunteers gathered at Trinity Church and assembled over 35,000 Penny Harvest Leader Pins! That is enough pins for students in over 1,100 schools. Teaching Adults to say “Thank You”March 2, 2009On February 24th, 25th and 26th Common Cents held its fourth annual workshop for Penny Harvest Grantee Organizations. The goal of these workshops was to to help non-profits - who usually only receive donations from adults – create meaningful relationships with the young grant-makers of the Penny Harvest. Common Cents Receives Grant from State Farm’s Youth Advisory BoardFebruary 24, 2009On Monday, February 23rd, Youth Advisory Board Laura Mantell presented a $100,000 check to Executive Director, Teddy Gross, in support of Common Cents’ service-learning initiatives. The ceremony, which also featured the other NYC-based recipient, Children for Children, took place at PS 1 Alfred E. Smith School, a Penny Harvesting elementary school in Manhattan. The Day My Pennies Came ALIVE!February 20, 2009Isabella, a student PS 229 Dyker School in Brooklyn writes about why the Penny Harvest is so important. Common Cents Bowl-A-Thon a huge success!February 16, 2009On February 10th, over 100 supporters of Common Cents gathered at Bowlmor Lanes in New York City for Bowlin’ for Change! The Third Annual Bowl-A-Thon to benefit Common Cents. To date, the event has raised over $22,000 (which is enough to cover the costs of running the program in 44 schools!). Statement on Service by Teddy GrossFebruary 15, 2009A statement from Teddy Gross, Executive Director of Common Cents, Responding to Mayor Bloomberg's Challenge to Involve all New Yorkers in Service. |
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