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Penny Drive helps education

3 min read

When was the last time you dropped a penny and didn’t pick it up, because it’s just a penny?

Now you have a reason to.

The Teachers Association of Lee County and the Substitute Professional Association of Lee County are collecting pennies for the Florida Education Association’s “Make Our Schools A Priority” Penny Collection Drive. The campaign is a symbolic demonstration for the importance of revenue and support for public school education.

If the organizations reach their goal, the drive will bring in at least $26,000 (one penny per student) and more if anyone else contributes.

After the protest is completed, all of the pennies will be donated to the Children’s Home Society of Florida. Established in Jacksonville in 1902, the home provides an array of services including family and individual counseling, child abuse prevention and intervention services, home-based services, help for pregnant teens and first-time mothers, residential and group homes, adoption and foster care services, mentoring programs, family preservation, and so much more.

“The FEA is trying to collect a penny for each of the 2.6 million students in the state,” said Mark Castellano, president of TALC. “They’re doing it to promote the one-cent sales tax which is dedicated to public education. (The penny drive) is directed toward the legislature to urge them to adequately fund public education.”

Castellano then made a plea to interested contributors.

“If anyone would like to donate pennies, go to your nearest public school, drop them off at our office (Island Coast FEA Service Unit) on 6281 Metro Plantation Road, or call 275-8252 by March 13,” he said. “All the pennies will be taken to Tallahassee on March 18 where there will be a ‘penny rally’ on the steps of the State Capitol building that morning.”

Beach Elementary School on Oak Street will be among the contributors.

“The concept is that we are going to raise one penny for every student in Lee County and all other counties in the state, take them to Tallahassee and present them,” said Larry Wood, principal of Beach elementary. “It’s a symbolic gesture in letting them know how serious we are.”

And, although the beach school’s contribution may be slight due to its small student body, the overall size of the penny collection should be an eyeful, according to Wood.

“That’s going to be a pretty impressive sight,” he said. “When it’s presented, it’ll say ‘this represents our kids.’ As a whole, we’re letting them know how serious we are.”

For more information on the penny drive call TALC at 275-8252 ext. 18

or go to Mark.Castellano@floridaea.org.

The penny drive process

According to Castellano, TALC and SPALC building reps will collect the pennies by Friday, March 13 and place them in clear one-gallon heavy duty freezer bags marked with each school name in the district. The bags will go into clear (opaque) containers marked ” Lee County School District ” and “TALC/SPALC”.

On Monday, March 16, TALC/SPALC and the District will arrange for a local media event to show their pennies for each school and provide a message to the local media including that the pennies will be transported to Tallahassee for the March 18 Lobby Day Rally.

After March 18, the pennies totaling more than $26,000 will be donated to the Children’s Home Society of Florida. CHS will then equitably distribute the money for services to children and families in the 14 regional CHS offices in Florida .