BICS students certainly jumped whole-heartedly into the idea of putting their pennies together for Bowen!
On the day that Pennies for Bowen was launched, one boy shared his worry that his class had already filled his classroom jar with pennies, and they wanted to collect more. What to do? It's a good thing that Principal Jennifer Pardee had decided that a central collection point was needed.
At first an aquarium was designated for central collection, but BICS staff became concerned that it might not withstand the pressure of thousands of pennies being poured in, day after day.
After all, pennies are heavier than the water usually in an aquarium. In keeping with the water theme, the central collection became 20 litre water bottles. They were so heavy they had to be moved on dollies.
Who would count the pennies? The students counted them in their classrooms, and in the hallway each class had its own thermometer. Needless to say a friendly competition emerged.
Who would roll the pennies? The staff at First Credit Union volunteered to hand roll them, but after the first 13,000 or so, they decided to arrange for machine sorting, with the cost generously covered by a donation from First Credit Union.
Organizing the pennies was a feat in itself. The pennies had to be bagged. Imagine manoeuvring these bulky, heavy bottles without having thousands of pennies pour onto the floor! "Next time, we'll come up with a simpler system," a First Credit Union staff member said.
Yes, the results are in. Kevin Manning, branch manager of First Credit Union, says the grand total collected by BICS students and the community in support of their project was....
194,440 pennies!!!!!
Pennies may not be worth much any more, but when they are put together, they truly can make a difference. Over time, the $1,944.40 now added to the Bowen Island Community Endowment Fund will contribute to every aspect of our community life.
Joyce Ganong, chair of the Foundation, expresses her "thanks to the BICS Students for embracing philanthropy in their lives and learning about giving back to their community. Their enthusiasm spread to their parents, their neighbours and their family friends. What a lovely way to explore the whole notion of Service which was the Virtue they practised in June."
Ganong also offers her "deep appreciation" to Jennifer Pardee and the staff at BICS, Kevin Manning and the staff at First Credit Union, the businesses that offered collection points for the pennies: Artisan Eats, Bell O'cchio, Bowen Barber Shop, Cates Pharmacy, General Store, Ruddy Potato and The Snug - and - last but not least, all who dug out those pennies.
"By working together and supporting our young community members, we demonstrated our commitment to our future and to one another. Thank you, each and every one."
P.S. The pennies do keep rolling in - any chance we could reach a quarter of a million pennies by year's end?
