Gatewood Elementary‘s latest successful Penny Harvest wasn’t just a collection – it was a lesson. Teacher Darren Radu shares the photo and report:

One of our guiding questions for Gatewood students is “How can we have a positive effect on the systems in our world?”. Keeping this question in mind, students jumped at the chance to continue the Penny Harvest, and worked hard to bring in as many coins as possible; this year it’s close to 300 pounds of pennies (and other coins). We’ll be sending the bags of coins to the local Penny Harvest offices next week.

In early 2013, we will again convene a Philanthropy Roundtable, where students from each grade will research organizations working for justice in the community, country, and world, and determine which organizations are most worthy of support. The Philanthropy Roundtable will then allocate grant funds from the pennies raised to these organizations. One of the Roundtable’s most important criteria is ‘leverage per dollar’ – the Philanthropists research and allocate funds to most effectively make a positive difference in the world. In the past three years, Gatewood students have awarded Penny Harvest grants totaling $3000 to organizations such as Oxfam Sudan Relief, Page Ahead, Child Haven, PAWS, Nature Consortium, Southwest Boys and Girls Club, and Save the Children Japan. Students weighed the impact of their decisions and made the final decisions on where to send the money.

The attached photo shows some of our many ‘harvesters’ with a few of the 30-pound bags they filled.

You can find out more about the Penny Harvest at commoncents.org/go/penny-harvest

Once again, our ‘Gator Gratitude’ goes out to our Gatewood neighbors, families, and friends, for supporting this worthwhile work!