Corey Pendleton, a second-grade teacher at West Jacksonville Elementary, decided this year he was going to find a way for his students to join in the fight against breast cancer. Throughout the month of October, his entire school rallied with him in a 'penny war' that raised $730 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
The strategy for the contest was clear: students would collect extra pennies from friends, family and their own pockets, combine their spare change with other class members, and then compete with the entire school for the most money raised. While students participated in the friendly competition, they also learned about health and history.
Many students shared their stories about breast cancer, and spoke of those they knew who had been affected. Many students too young to understand breast cancer learned about the harsh realities of the disease, as well as the strong effort to end it. Since students were participating in a 'penny war' they also learned about historical war events.
To make the contest more educational, Pendleton decided each class would compete as a country. He patrolled the school grounds wearing a mock United Nations badge to make sure students were following the contest rules and understood why they were joining together to raise funds for such an important cause.
Each class stored their pennies in milk jugs, which they had creatively decorated. Even the front office staff, who ended up coming in first with the most money raised, created Mr. and Mrs. West Jacksonville milk jugs, as well as Baby West Jacksonville.
All of the jugs were gathered together and brought to Publix to be counted by the change machine. Publix allowed the school to use the machine for free, so the total amount raised by the entire West Jacksonville Elementary family was $730. The classroom with the most pennies will receive a pizza party sponsored by the school's chapter of All-Pro Dads.
On October 30, the whole school gathered for an assembly to present their donation to a representative from the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
Pendleton thanked the students for their hard work and dedication to the cause, and then presented a large check students had made to Tamara Krause, special projects manager for the Susan G. Komen Foundation North Florida Affiliate.
"Thank you for your effort in supporting the fight against breast cancer," said Krause.
The donation will be used for services in North Florida in areas where people are underserved, such as low income communities, and for breast cancer related programs not funded by government sources.
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