The PS 676 PTA is having their first Penny Drive to raise funds for exciting end of the year trips and events for the students.
Jars for the pennies will be in all the PS 676 classrooms. There is also a community jar next to the entrance of the school by the security guard.
The class that fills up their penny jar first will get a special prize at the end of the school year.
According to PTA co-president Joyce Bethea, possible prizes for the class that wins the contest will be a gift card, a class pizza party or a taco night.
They have put fliers for the penny drive around the neighborhood and have put the jars in various stores so that anybody who wants to can participate and then they will go around and collect all of the money.
The inspiration for this penny drive all started from a penny drive that happened in Red Hook in the months following Hurricane Sandy.
Bethea does a lot of volunteer work for the tenant association and she found out about the penny drive organized by the Tzu Chi Buddhist foundation. They are an international organization that helps during natural disasters.
Tzu Chi collected pennies around the neighborhood during the time when the hurricane hit the neighborhood hard and they were able to get enough money to where they were able to give many people $500 gift cards.
“I thought that sounded great for us for our school for the whole year,” Bethea said. “We do not know how many it will add up to at the end of the year. It could be a lot. We will never know until we collect it.”
The drive officially started on October 10 and will continue the rest of the school year. It does not have to just be pennies but that is what they are encouraging. The community is welcome to donate other change or bills as well.
In addition to putting the fliers around the neighborhood, the donation jars were going to be in places like the Spanish restaurant on Lorraine St, at Food Bazaar, and corner stores like the one on Columbia and Huntington Street that’s close to the school.
“We are trying to do gift cards as well,” Bethea said. “We are trying to do something nice for the community.”
They are thinking of asking the construction workers to donate since they are always in the neighborhood as well as at the school.
Carolyn Grant, who is the PTA co-president, added that they are focused on a trip for the elementary school children since there is usually something nice for the middle school students.
The main focus of this penny drive is to collect enough money so that the students can go on a memorable trip at the end of the school year.
One idea was having the students go to the Museum of Natural History. Tiffany Fowler, the PTA secretary, thought this is a plus since it is close and great for kids to see.
Another idea was zip lining or a trip out of Brooklyn to be in nature.
“Especially since this is the Harbor School, we could find somewhere where they could go to a lake and that could be sponsored because that ties in with the harbor theme,” Bethea said. “It would be good to get out of the city into the country.”
Carolyn Grant’s daughter is in the third grade. Her main focus outside of being involved with the PTA is organizing events.
This can include baking, making party favors, organizing baby showers and birthday parties. “Show your face and help with any concerns that are needed,” Grant said. “You want the people in your child’s school to know who you are.”
Bethea has three children at the school. She has a daughter in seventh grade, another daughter in fifth grade and her son is in third grade.
This is her first year as the PTA president. Fowler also thinks that it’s important to be involved with her child’s school.
