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Photograph courtesy of Michelle Valine
Generous Hearts: Lynhaven Elementary School has raised a significant amount of money for the Sept. 11 relief fund.
Penny relief fund success
Lynhaven kids collect pennies for N.Y. schools
By Amy Jenkins
Lynhaven Elementary School held two events that raised a significant amount of money for the Sept. 11 relief fund. The school decided to give the money directly to schools most affected by the tragedy because Lynhaven's principal, Sharon Genkin, used to be a principal in New York City and knew people at the schools personally.
"The PTA thought that our principal knowing the principals and teachers involved was a good connection to help New York," says Michelle Valine, the school's PTA president. "So we decided to help the schools directly instead of sending money to the Red Cross."
The first event began Sept. 13 when Lynhaven and Sherman Oaks elementary schools collected $960 of the teachers' own money. The money was sent to schools that were within a few blocks of the World Trade Center site and had to be evacuated after the attacks. Genkin has former colleagues at the three elementary schools and one middle school they sent money to, she says.
"We told them that half this money from the teachers should be used to buy school supplies," Genkin says. "We suggested that the teachers should be taken out for drinks with the other half."
The next event involved the students at Lynhaven Elementary School. The PTA met in early October and decided to initiate a penny drive that would last for two weeks. Every classroom in grades kindergarten through fifth was given a small plastic bin to collect coins. The class that collected the most coins was a fourth and fifth grade class that filled one bin and had to get a new one. A picture of this class was attached with the money when it was sent to the principals at the schools in New York.
"We wanted the parents and kids to feel like they were involved in giving, rather than the PTA writing a check," Valine says.
Valine says the school did not want the event to feel like a competition, but rather they wanted it to feel like the students were giving for a certain cause, so no gift was given to classes that earned the most money.
The schools that the money was given to are named New York Public School and have a number; the elementary schools are PS 234, PS 89, PS 150 and middle school PS 89.
The students and families raised $1,500 in the penny drive and the PTA matched that amount, for a total of $3,000 sent to the four New York schools. The school divided the money so that $750 went to each of the four schools.
All the schools to which the money was sent are still evacuated and are renting out space at other schools. Since classroom supplies and other things had to be left behind and were ruined by debris, Genkin says she recommended they use the student money for general school funds such as school supplies and books.
"The initial week there were three schools in one building," Genkin says. "Now they have found space to use temporarily. There are debates about the cleanliness of the air so they have not decided when they will return to their schools."
Genkin says it amazes her how 8,000 children were safely evacuated and not one child was hurt.
Genkin says the schools sent letters about how they are using the money that was given to them. The middle school is using the money to rent recreational space in a gymnasium. One of the elementary schools says it is using the money to buy books and materials for the children.
"I heard amazing stories about cafeteria people and teachers carrying physically disabled students on their backs for two miles to the nearest school," Genkin says. "It was only the second week of school because New York starts later than us so these teachers didn't even know the students."
Genkin says she told the teachers at Lynhaven these stories and they told the students.
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Campbell, California
