Buckeyes across campus are making a difference — one penny at a time.
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions and First Year Experience is leading the “Pennies for Peace” initiative, a campus-wide fundraising effort to support construction of schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“Pennies for Peace” at Ohio State was inspired by the Buckeye Book Community, which encouraged students to read Greg Mortenson’s bestselling memoir, “Three Cups of Tea,” over summer. Mortenson, founder of the nonprofit organization Central Asia Institute, visited OSU Sunday and Monday for a book discussion and signing.
“Pennies are a metaphor,” Mortenson said in a statement. “A penny buys a pencil in Afghanistan and Pakistan and empowers a child to read, write and think critically. Education coupled with compassion can move mountains.”
Amy Barnes, the assistant director for Undergraduate Admissions and First Year Experience, said penny jars are located in offices and residence halls around campus, and donations will be accepted until the end of Autumn Quarter.
“Students read the book, have engaged in discussions and now will be able to make a donation to Greg and his program,” Barnes said.
Money typically is not collected in residence halls because of security risks, said Susannah Turner, associate director for Residence Life. But “University Housing decided to participate in ‘Pennies for Peace’ as a way of supporting the Buckeye Book Community program and bringing the reading to life by allowing students to participate in this project,” she said.
Turner said that the Office of University Housing hopes students will use the program as a way to connect the book’s message to the university.
“We also hope that through this experience, students will find other ways to reach out to communities in need, here or abroad, in ways that are meaningful to them,” Turner said. “I think that students can learn that even a small thing can make a difference, whether that is a penny, a smile to brighten someone’s day or helping out a friend in need.”
On campus, “Pennies for Peace” is sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and First Year Experience, Alpha Zeta Partners and U.S. Bank. About 15 student volunteers check the canisters and take the pennies to the bank, which has offered to count the pennies for free.
Five jars of pennies and other donations were collected at Mortenson’s lectures on campus, Barnes said. All donations will be given to Mortenson’s Central Asia Institute.
The goal for the program is to involve “as many businesses that border campus as possible” to collect pennies for the cause, Barnes said.
Those interested in receiving a canister to collect donations at businesses or offices can contact Barnes at [email protected].
