ONLY 5 DAYS LEFT!!!

We're down to the final stretch! Dig out that change that's been sitting in the bottom of that purse for months, that jar that's been hidden away in the laundry room full of coins, that dish next to the front door where you empty your pockets at the end of the day, and pick up that penny you see on the street that normally you would just pass up.

I'm in the process right now of rereading Three Cups of Tea. I'm in just as much awe the second time around at what Greg Mortenson has been able to accomplish. Knowing that we, as a community, are helping his organization be able to build schools and educate girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan is a testament to what a great community we live in. Each time I make a pick up at one of the schools, the bookstore, or other collection sites, and dump the coins into the change counter at Viking, I am overwhelmed with the amount that has been collected.

We've still got 5 days left so please help get the word out these final days. Tell your neighbors about it, talk it up at church on Sunday, give up a latte...or two...and we can help build a school. I'm writing that, and laugh at how silly it sounds...but in reality, it's so true and I'm truly moved by the thought that we CAN help and make a difference!

Less than 2 weeks left!

With a little under 2 weeks left we have just under 1 million pennies left to raise. This past week The Island School and Bainbridge High School classes joined West Sound Academy with strong collection efforts! Thank you to all the teachers and parents who have made this possible and encouraging your children/students to get involved!

Keep an eye out when you are in downtown Winslow for the Penny Thermometer outside Eagle Harbor Books made by the WSA art students! We'll be keeping track of our progress these final two weeks as we near our goal!

Only 3 Weeks Left!

3 weeks and 1,032,542 pennies to go! With school starting and WSA and English classes at BHS getting involved we can do it!

Meet our newest (and youngest!) penny collectors: Levi, Carlos, Trey & Alice!

Some Figures for Thought...provided by the Central Asia Institute

$20=One student's school supplies for 1 year
$50=One treadle sewing machine and supplies
$100=Maternal health care supplies for 1 year
$300=One advanced student's annual scholarship
$600=One teacher's annual salary
$5,000=Support for existing school for 1 year
$50,000=One school building and support for up to 5 years

Our first deposit at the bank!

A HUGE thank you to Andrew and the gang at Viking Bank on Bainbridge! Not only is the account for the Pennies for Peace Drive set up there, but they have a change counter, which makes it that much easier! We made our first deposit this Saturday of $339.55! If you'd like to take your coins directly to the bank, you can run them through the change counter at Viking free of charge, and then ask for them to deposit it directly into the Pennies for Peace account! Thanks to everyone who's donated so far...Keep the pennies coming!

The word is spreading...pennies are collecting!

The article in the Review was a success and had exactly the effect I was hoping it would: people are talking and getting involved in this wonderful cause! My phone began ringing first thing Saturday morning after people had read the article. Jars were donated, praise was given, and people volunteered to help with the drive. This is truly a community effort, and it's wonderful to see so many people react and take action. I may have started the drive, but without the support and contributions of everyone, it wouldn't be successful. I truly think 1.2MILLION PENNIES is attainable! Please contact me if you have any ideas or would like to get involved. Bainbridge Performing Arts has also been added as a penny drop off location, and check back often as we hope to add many more locations throughout the island. Thanks to everyone who's helped get this off the ground and running...let's continue to spread the word and collect those pennies!

Check out this weekend's Bainbridge Island Review

An article in Saturday's Review detailing the drive! Read the article here
http://www.bainbridgereview.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=96&cat=23&id=1038544&more=0