Pennies for Patients is part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Student Series. The Student Series are a series of programs intended for schools and students to help support the LLS mission: to cure lymphoma, leukemia, Hodgkin’s disease, myeloma, and improve the overall quality of life for patients and their families. Pennies for Patients asks participating schools to help raise funds for the cause. Students participate by donating any type of change they have and placing it inside a box provided. Any type of contribution counts, whether its pennies, nickels, dimes, or dollars!

The program first started in the Society’s North Carolina Chapter in 1995. Since then, more than $315 million have been raised. Annually, up to 13 million students and 850,000 educators in 27,000 different schools across the country participate. Last year, William Mason High School raised the most in the country: a total of almost $62,000.

Hawthorne Math & Science Academy takes a part in the fundraising every year. Key Club is in charge of distributing and collecting money for the program at HMSA. Natalie U., the webmaster of Key Club, stated, “Pennies for Patients is a great way to get our school community involved with caring about those less fortunate.” Each CP 8 class is given up to three weeks to raise as much money as they can. The goal for HMSA is to have every class collect up to $100. To encourage the fundraising, students are rewarded free dress if their CP 8 class raises at least $100. The CP that raises the most money is rewarded with an Olive Garden Party (Ms. Siegler’s CP seems to win every year).

Although rewards are given out to encourage students to participate, it’s important not forget or drift away from the actual purpose: raising money for the cause. Every donation counts and all the small change put together makes a big difference. In the end, everyone who participates is a winner no matter how much they contributed.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the fight against blood cancer, visit their site here. The site also accepts individual donations at any time.