There were gasps of amazement
when Sara Hinkel, Chair of the Pennies for Peace Fundraising Campaign
in Fremont, Union City and Newark elementary schools and an AAUW member,
presented the giant check for over $34,000 to Greg Mortenson at both
the afternoon and evening events on March 3, 2009.
The greatest gasp came from Mortenson
himself who was floored and so thankful for the contribution.
“Children,” he said, “can move mountains.”
What is so impressive is that
the check represents the donations, in pennies, of thousands of
children in our area. Three students, each representing a
school district, carried the huge check onto the stage and helped
present it.
Carolyn Johnson, also an AAUW member,
and treasurer of the Pennies for Peace fundraiser, talked about the
weight of over three million four hundred thousand pennies.
“One hundred dollars, she said,
“is 60 pounds; $1,000 is 600 pounds; $10,000 is 6,000 pounds
and $3,000 is 9000 pounds or nine tons! That’s the size
of a large elephant,” she said to a laughing audience.
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