The Willow Glen Resident

See a penny, pick it up--and suddenly it's $500

By Michelle Ku

Students at Willow Glen Elementary School recently learned that every penny does count.

On June 3, the advisors for K-Kids, the elementary-school segment of the Kiwanis Club of Willow Glen Sunrisers, presented the Kiwanis with a $500 check for Iodine Deficiency Disorder (IDD).

"I want the kids to know that we're really proud of what they did. It was a really nice contribution for people who are less fortunate than they," said Mike Broxmeyer, a faculty advisor for K-Kids.

During a three-week period in May, the 15 fourth- and fifth-graders in K-Kids held a penny drive to support IDD. The worldwide problem of iodine deficiency affects two billion people, mostly children, said Jim Crownover, president of the Sunrisers.

IDD is a form of mental retardation which can be eliminated and is passed on to children during birth. Raising money for IDD is one of the Kiwanis' major projects.

After listening to a presentation by members of the Kiwanis club about how large a problem IDD is, the K-Kids decided they wanted to do something for IDD and decided on a penny drive.

"They were interested in the idea of doing something for IDD and thought, 'Let's see what we can do by collecting pennies.' We were all astonished when it came out to be $500," Broxmeyer said.

The K-Kids created containers to hold the pennies and placed one in every classroom. All of the money collected was deposited into a large water bottle located in the main office.

At the end of the penny drive, a contest was held to see which student could guess how much money was in the water bottle. Two students won with the correct estimate.

[ Back to Contents Page | Willow Glen Resident Home Page | Archives ]