Students from River Valley School (RVS) are collecting pennies for less fortunate people in developing countries.
The fundraiser began last month and is running until April when the pennies will be donated to Free the Children.
Free the Children is an organization with a goal to provide clean water to 100,000 people in marginalized communities around the world, in the course of a year.
The organization is accepting pennies from people across the country.
ì(Free the Children is) running this campaign as a way to say goodbye to the penny,î said Tanya Braybrook, a staff member at RVS who is organizing the penny drive at the school.
The school's Me to We club is running the fundraiser, she said.
As a leader of the club, she said she started it a couple of years ago to address social justice issues.
The club consists of students from Grades 2, 3, and 4, but all grades are invited to donate pennies, she said.
ìWe do activities based on different social issues,î she said, noting the club members meet on a weekly basis.
ìWe are trying to make our kids a little more globally aware of some diversity, not only within our community but the world in general,î she said.
The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) is providing bags to all classrooms for the students to donate their pennies.
ìEach bag of pennies that we've collected will provide clean water for one person for life in a developing country,î said Braybrook.
Each bag holds approximately 2,500 pennies.
At the end of April, members of the Me to We club will collect the bags and take them to RBC.
Braybrook also encourages people within the community to drop off their pennies at RVS.
ìI think the kids realize that a penny may not seem like a lot but when we put our pennies together, it can really make a difference,î she said.
