'Every Penny Counts' in Linwood fundraiser

BY JENNIFER AMATO
Staff Writer

JENNIFER AMATO Linwood Middle School Language Arts teachers Amy Rafano and Mark Amatucci began the Million Dollar Baby penny project this year, aiming to collect 1 million pennies by May to show students what a million looks like, while teaching them the value of community service. Half of the proceeds will be donated to the North Brunswick Food Bank. NORTH BRUNSWICK - A penny saved is a penny earned. In the case of Linwood Middle School, a million pennies saved is a million pennies earned.

"Million Dollar Baby," a project instituted this year by language arts teachers Amy Rafano and Mark Amatucci, will show students what 1 million looks like while fostering a sense of community and making a difference. Half of the $10,000 collected will be donated to the North Brunswick Food Bank and the other half will be kept in-house at Linwood to supply materials.

"I don't know what a million is. I've never seen a million, so I want to see what it looks like," Rafano said.

At the end of the first marking period, students have already collected around 155,000 pennies. Donations of loose change, larger bills and personal or business checks are accepted, collected twice each week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Four teams of two children carry water jugs and bags around to each study hall classroom and bring their donations to Amatucci's classroom, aka penny headquarters. On Fridays the containers are loaded onto rolling chairs and wheeled out to the parking lot, and delivered to the Wachovia bank in Renaissance Plaza on Route 130, where a bank account is set up to monitor the earnings. Anthony Jones from Wachovia ships the money to a coin collector and gives updates to the school every week to 10 days.

"We can make a difference, no matter how small," Amatucci said.

The idea for the project originated with Joyce Kosa, a retired Spanish teacher from South River High School whom Rafano spoke with this summer. The project is based on one by Whitwell, Tenn., students who collected 6 million paper clips to represent Holocaust victims, and Kosa gave permission for Linwood to use her modified version.

The project to raise 6,200 pounds of pennies began in the middle school on Oct. 3. Since then, the Penny King and Queen, as Amatucci and Rafano are known, agree that the large majority of the student population, consisting of 1,400 sixth- through eighth-graders, has been receptive to the project, especially considering that no real incentives have been offered yet. Even if children have been unable to donate money, they have helped make posters, paint jugs and collect coins from their peers.

"We've been really lucky to have the kids want to do this out of the generosity of their hearts. It makes that much more rewarding that we're not providing intrinsic incentives," Amatucci said.

"And it's not just honors students," Rafano added. "You'd be surprised to see the kids that step up to the plate. That itself is very rewarding. ... No matter who you are, where you live, what your parents do, it's an opportunity for kids to feel like they're part of something."

Each department in the school has also incorporated the project into their curricula: computer classes have made signs; math classes discuss weight and measurements; science classes talk about material composition; social studies delves into the history of coins; and language arts students write poetry and thank you letters. As a result, the penny project has been incorporated into the school's service learning program, in which community service is tied to classroom teachings. Rafano and Amatucci have made presentations to other schools, showcasing how pennies can relate and apply to the entire curriculum.

In addition, the community has gotten copper fever as well. Mortgage Line and Sam's Club have donated money, and Sir John's restaurant, Judd Elementary School and some of Rafano's relatives have put collection jars in their workplaces. Two crossing guards handed over two large Ziploc bags filled with pennies and one student even brought in 30 pounds of coins. FLS Decal and Signs on Route 130 donated a dozen T-shirts with slogans such as "I Want Pennies" and "Every Penny Counts," and Office Depot provided small gifts for the students.

"The response has been overwhelming. It's nice, we really appreciate everyone chipping in, especially at this time during the holidays," Amatucci said.

"We all get caught up in shopping and gifts under the tree, but it is really about how many people need assistance and we hope we can reach them through the food bank," Rafano added.

The immediate goal of the teachers is to acquire corporate sponsors and receive more donations from local businesses, whether to add to the million or to provide raffles or pizza parties for the students.

The goal at the end of the project in May is to have Wachovia convert all of the money back into pennies so the students can see the complete fruits of their labor and appreciate the value of a million.

"I hope we reach a million, but if we can't do it, we'll do it again next year. But I really think we will," Amatucci said. "It is the accomplishment of saying we worked for something and we made a difference."

To donate money or to become a sponsor, call the middle school at (732) 268-3619 and ask for either adviser.