webmaster posted on March 29, 2010 11:16
Karen Carter, AB GIRLS leader for First Baptist Church of Salt Lake City, UT, attended the 2007 Biennial in Washington, DC and left with a renewed passion for children in poverty. When she later found information about The Penny Project on the National Ministries website, she and co-leader Stephanie Gosdis knew that they had found a way for the girls at their church to become involved first-hand.
The AB GIRLS group set a goal of 94,000 pennies, representing the number of children currently living in poverty in Utah. Their final tally was 101,786 pennies, reflecting both the effort they put into the project and the level of concern for needy children in the hearts of their donors. One Sunday, a church member stood up and offered a twenty dollar bill, challenging others to do the same. Over $100 was raised in just that one day. “This was an extremely positive experience because it gave our church family, who gave willingly and generously, something to work on together, as well as meeting challenges and taking on a huge issue in our state,” said Karen.
Karen loved taking the money to the bank to be changed into pennies, because she enjoyed explaining the project to the different tellers she encountered. The tellers became excited about the project, and began following the growing penny collection and encouraging the work of the youth.
Inspired by the vision of the youth at First Baptist Church, New London, NH, the project goal is to collect 14 million pennies, one for every child living in poverty in the United States and Puerto Rico. At last count, there were 113 churches participating in the project, and together they have collected well over two million pennies. Each church group is encouraged to do research and make its own decision about how to donate the pennies locally to have the biggest impact.
The First Baptist, Salt Lake City group recently took the pennies to the state capitol, along with a message for state legislators. They protested recent budget cuts that eliminated support for Utah’s disadvantaged children who are in need of healthcare, food and education. Then the pennies were donated to the Crossroads Urban Center, where they were gratefully received. Stephanie reports the power of that experience: “At first, I was striving to reach a goal, but ended with a deep understanding for what this project does for real people in need. It has inspired me to continue spreading the word and getting more people involved with eradicating this problem.”
Stephanie was not the only church member impacted by the project. AB GIRLS member Mary Burnett reported, “I feel so much more aware and thankful for what I have because of this project.”
If 14 million pennies were lined on a road side by side, you would have to travel 165 miles to reach the last penny. It is hard to imagine that many pennies. It is even harder, however, to know that each of those pennies would represent a child living in poverty in our country. There is room for everybody to become involved.
Related Links:
New ABNS Press Release About The Penny Project
The Penny Project
America For Christ Offering 2010
Local ABC4 News Story