Sam Adams Elementary School students spent the last week of the school year counting pennies and collecting coins to help fight cancer.
The school raised more than $1,000 for the American Cancer Society of Southwest Michigan via a coin drive competition that the students took part in. The students raised $756, with Midwest Energy Cooperative donating $500 to the cause. In total, the drive raised $1,256, which was donated in honor of Maria Jones, who recently retired from student support services.
The coin drive was run by third-grade teacher Mark McGlothlen, who thought the drive fit well with many of the other fundraising efforts the school sponsors throughout the year.
“I thought it would be a good way for the school to give back to our community right before summer vacation,” McGlothlen said. “We wanted to get into the community and show that Sam Adams School cares.”
Students were encouraged to bring in coins, cash and checks to donate to the cause. The students competed against each other to see which classroom could collect the most money.
Having raised more than $200, the kindergarten class won the competition and was awarded with an ice cream party.
“Kids brought in canisters of pennies and coins they found in their dressers and couches,” McGlothlen said. “A lot of these kids have had a family member or someone they know struggle with cancer. It’s sadly pretty common. The kids were happy to help and participate.”
McGlothlen was personally motivated to choose the American Cancer Society as the benefiting charity of the coin drive, as he has lost his parents and two of his brothers to the disease.
“Cancer has affected my family a lot. I’ve seen the effects of it first hand,” he said. “I was doing [the coin drive] for the school and myself in a way. I was more than glad to be able to work on it.”
The coin drive started with a goal of $1,000. To help achieve this goal, McGlothlen reached out to local businesses to spread the word of what the school was trying to do.
It was then that Midwest Energy Cooperative donated $500 to the cause.
“It was above and beyond anything I thought a community business would do,” McGlothen said. “I thought it was very telling of their commitment to the community and the school.”
Midwest Energy Cooperative has a long history donating to the community and schools, according to Patti Nowlin, vice president of corporate communications.
“We do a lot in the community. It’s in our DNA to help in the community. We were really happy to add our $500 on top of [the school’s] coin drive to help them surpass their goal,” Nowlin said. “Cancer is something that has affected so many people. This was a really good way for us to maximize our support for the students and the teachers.”
In future years, McGlothlen would like to continue raising money through coin drives like the one he facilitated this year.
“We haven’t talked about it yet,” he said. “But the principal was very supportive, and I’m grateful I was able to do this.”