FEBRUARY 2008 E-NEWSLETTER

A Day in the Life of the Penny Harvest

It’s not uncommon for charities to want to thank Penny Harvest students for their grant, but some organizations go one step further. On a recent January afternoon, Jeff Parness, founder and executive director of the New York Says Thank You Foundation brought two of New York’s Bravest to PS 27 in Brooklyn to give a slideshow presentation. 

The roomful of young philanthropists listened attentively as Jeff and the firefighters explained exactly how their Penny Harvest grant enabled two firefighters to rebuild the home of a family from Groesback, Texas after it was destroyed by a 2006 F3 tornado. After visiting the school, Jeff reported that the students asked lots of thoughtful questions about where their grant money went. Creating forums for these types of discussion between elementary students and adults is one of the many ways in which the Penny Harvest builds community.

Click here to read the full story.

Judith Shapiro Joins Common Cents as Board Chair

Common Cents is pleased to announce that Judith Shapiro, President of Barnard College, has accepted the position of chair of the Board of Trustees of Common Cents.

“I welcome the opportunity to play an integral role in helping Common Cents elevate the prominence of the Penny Harvest and also attract enthusiastic and committed new supporters,” said Shapiro. “The Penny Harvest is an especially effective means toward helping children build their moral and civic character, and is an opportunity I think all children should be afforded. It also underlines the central role of philanthropy in a democracy, something we should all keep in mind.”

Click here to read the full story.

NYC Penny Harvest Leader Pin Volunteer Event

Join hundreds of volunteers on March 9, 2008 at the second annual Leader Pin Event!
We need your help to assemble more than 30,000 leader pins for 08/09 Penny Harvest students. The pins, made out of pennies, help develop student leadership as well as generate pride and excitement for the Penny Harvest.

When: Sunday, March 9, 2008
Shift 1: 10:00-12:30 p.m.
Shift 2: 1:00-3:30 p.m.
200 volunteers/shift

Where: The School at Columbia
556 West 110th Street
New York, NY 10025

To sign-up, contact Sandra Henry at shenry@CommonCents.org or (212) 579-0579 X116, stating which shift you’d like and the names of the people you are bringing with you (if any).

Hurry and sign up while there are still spaces!

A Smart Investment: Sponsor a Penny Harvest School Today

Following the Penny Harvest Field, demand for the program is at an all time high. We urgently need your support to bring the Penny Harvest to more schools and students. Consider school sponsorship, and for just $500 you can help us deliver the Penny Harvest to every child who wants to participate. Your investment will have multiple returns: along with developing lifelong habits of philanthropy and service, Penny Harvest children may also boast of extraordinary community impact: over 20 million service hours and $7 million in grants to community organizations. Your support will provide the curriculum, supplies, training and technical assistance Common Cents provides to schools year round. Sponsor a school now, and watch pennies turn into promise.

Is a $500 gift not in your budget? Team up with friends, colleagues or relatives to share a sponsorship. Or make a $25, $50 or $100 donation to support the program today.

President’s Day Trivia

Monday, February 18th was President’s Day, and here at Common Cents our favorite president is Abraham Lincoln of course! Here’s some fun trivia about the coin made famous by Honest Abe:

• The average American household has $93.75 worth of pennies stashed in jars, empty 5 gallon water bottles, lost behind sofa cushions, and stashed in old purses (put those pennies to good use…give them to Penny Harvest students next fall!)
• The one cent coin has featured the profile of President Abraham Lincoln since 1909, the centennial of his birth.
• The most "expensive" penny is a rare one minted in 1793. Only four are known to exist today and their worth is estimated at more than $275,000.
• The Lincoln cent is the only circulating coin currently produced in which the portrait faces to the right.
• The U.S. Mint has plans to issue four new penny designs in 2009 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth

Penny Harvest in the Press

For more stories, go to our press clippings page. Visit us on YouTube and on FaceBook.

This Month at the Penny Harvest
Student leaders in Penny Harvest schools are now researching critical issues and needs in their neighborhoods. Taking a hands-on approach, they are conducting interviews and exploring their neighborhoods to identify issues they might want to support with their grant-making.

60 Minutes/ NY Times: Should We Discontinue the Penny?

Get rid of the penny?  60 Minutes asked that exact question on Sunday, January 10th in their story on whether the US Mint should continue minting pennies and nickels, and the NY Times followed up with an article on the same issue last Friday.

What do we think? Our work to build the next generation of caring, capable and informed citizens will continue regardless of this penny debate. It must. All children have important civic roles to play in building strong communities, and our mission is to give them the support, tools and training to learn and get involved.