Coins for Campers is a program schools participate in by raising funds in their own way for Children’s Cancer Connection. This year, Walnut School was the first school to hold a drive and donated $1147.75 after a week-long penny war between all classes.
Nicole Cunningham, pre-school para at Walnut, organized the event to celebrate Alec Mertz, a former student and Children’s Cancer Connection program participant, whose life was taken by cancer five years ago when he was in 4th grade. Cunningham, who is a friend of the Mertz family, wanted to do something to honor Alec’s memory. “My initial idea was to have a jeans day for the teachers,” said Cunningham. “After looking around online I thought a penny war seemed like a great idea that would get the kids involved during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.”
Cunningham was unsure of where to donate the money after it was raised, so she turned to Michelle Mertz, Alec’s mother. “She suggested donating to Children’s Cancer Connection or Make A Wish Foundation,” said Cunningham. After looking at our website and our mission, Cunningham decided on Children’s Cancer Connection.
Cunningham motivated the students to participate by creating a flyer with Alec’s picture and the Children’s Cancer Connection mission. The results she saw were surprising. Walnut has students from Pre-K to grade 12, and the $1,147.75 total was raised by only 179 students. Alec’s younger brother, Michael, a freshman at Walnut, and his class raised the most money in the penny war. “A few classes stepped up to the plate and brought in a lot more that we expected, which helped us reach such a high total,” said Cunningham.
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