Photo courtesy of Jack Munger.
penny war
Liberty Park students and teachers hold a check for the money they raised during Penny Wars 2015.
Students at Liberty Park Middle School in Vestavia Hills will participate in the Pennies for Patients program that raises pennies and other spare change for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) from April 18-22. The event was previously scheduled for Feb. 22-26.
Pennies for Patients at LPMS will take the form of “a Penny War,” according to Tre’ Munger, one of the school’s counselors.
“Each grade level — six, seven and eight — will compete to see who can raise the most money,” he said. “When students bring in their pennies, they get a point for each one they bring.”
The “Penny War” is also a chance for students and staff at LPMS to learn more about the important work of the LLS.
“During the week prior, we advertise the fundraiser and also begin to educate about leukemia and lymphoma via the school broadcast, the Lancer News Network,” Munger said.
Many of the people in the LPMS family have a personal stake in raising money to fight cancer.
“Many of our students, faculty and staff have been affected by cancer, and this is a way for our young people to make an impact on the fight against such terrible diseases,” Munger said.
This is the second year that the school is taking part in the Pennies for Patients program, which has raised millions of dollars in the United States since 1994. Students at LPMS raised $2,129 in 2015, and this year’s goal is $3,129, according to Munger.
One sponsor of the effort is the school’s Friends of Rachel Club, an “organization that promotes kindness and generosity for everyone,” Munger said. The club was founded in 2012 when representatives of the organization Rachel’s Challenge visited LPMS. That group was founded by the family of Rachel Joy Scott, the first person killed in the Columbine High School shootings in Colorado in1999.
Liberty Park Middle School is located at 17035 Liberty Parkway in Vestavia Hills. For more information, call 402-5450 and go to vestavia.k12.al.us/domain/276.
