Today’s post is about one of our superstar schools! The Easterbrook Discovery School has run The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Pennies for Patients program eight years in a row now, raising over $30,000 for blood cancer research! Read on for their story!
Sometimes, a handful of change can make all the difference. To the students of Easterbrook Discovery School (EDS), the power of pennies is one lesson they have learned very well. In the eight years that teacher Katie Morse has run her school’s Pennies for Patients campaign to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), the students have raised over $30,000 to help find a cure for blood cancers. “The students and staff are very dedicated to the Pennies for Patients drive and it has become our biggest community service project each year,” Morse says of her school’s involvement, adding, “I think it’s fun for the kids to work towards a goal and they feel so proud when they reach it.”
This year, EDS set a goal of $8,000, which they surpassed, raising over $9,000 for LLS. Their top fundraiser, fifth-grader Hannah Lighthouse, used signs asking “Got Change?” to attract passersby to her baked goods and lemonade stand, which raised $863 in honor of her uncle Steve, a lymphoma survivor. “It doesn’t take much to raise money to help others,” Lighthouse 
says of her fundraising efforts. “If everyone brought in their loose change, they could be helping someone in need.” Lighthouse was last year’s top fundraiser as well. After her uncle was diagnosed in November of 2009, she really took the Pennies campaign to heart. “The highlight of her day was when her uncle Steve drove down from Livermore to bring her his loose change,” her mother says of this year’s effort. “He was too ill going through his treatments last year to come down, so it was exciting to her when he drove up and he could see what she was doing to support him and others with this cancer.”
Morse has her own personal reasons for supporting the campaign as well. “I do it in memory of my grandfather,” she admits, adding, “I have lost many loved ones to leukemia or lymphoma and have been a supporter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for many years.” Although this personal component was part of her decision to start running the campaign eight years ago, Morse has seen many other benefits in the students at her school. “I think the Pennies for Patients program is a great way to teach kids about empathy, giving, and valuing life,” says Morse, who is “absolutely” planning on running the campaign again next year.
When asked what she would say to other schools thinking of signing up for LLS’ Pennies for Patients program, Morse gave a very thought-provoking response. “Our job as educators is not just about teaching students academic skills,” she says. “Teaching children about compassion and the importance of helping others is so important. Together we truly can make a difference.”
For more information on Pennies for Patients and the LLS’ School & Youth programs, contact Brenda Hendricksen at Brenda.Hendricksen@lls.org or (408) 490-3116.
About School & Youth Programs and Pennies for Patients
Thanks to research, nearly 90% of children with acute lymphocytic leukemia are now cured. But there still is a long way to go. Leukemia affects more children than any other cancer, so The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s School & YouthSM Programs provide a meaningful way for kids to help kids.
The LLS’ School & Youth Programs are fundraising campaigns designed for young people. During the 2009-2010 school year, students raised more than $20 million through School & YouthSM Programs. Since its inception, School & Youth Programs have raised more than $100 million, making them the third largest fundraiser for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).
Pennies for Patients® is a School & Youth value-building program for elementary and secondary schools. Students collect funds, starting with their own spare change, to support the research and patient services programs of LLS. Twenty one percent of all schools in the United States raise funds for the Pennies for Patients program.
About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society ® (LLS) is the world’s largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world and provides free information and support services.
Founded in 1949 and headquartered in White Plains, NY, LLS has chapters throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more, visit www.LLS.org or contact the Information Resource Center at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET. www.lls.org.
