Pennies support a cause: Primary Children's Hospital

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! As you know, a portion of my proceeds will be donated to Koins for Kenya, and after my mom passed along some of her penny stories, I realized just how many charity organizations are impacted daily by the power of pennies. I already featured a video on the children of New York and their pennies at Rockafeller Center, and now I'll tell you a little about pennies making a difference at Primary Children's Medical Center.

This memory is a combination of both mine and my mothers. I remember the fun of helping collect pennies for a good cause. So, here is my mom's memory:

For many years the penny has played a role in a charity for the Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City. Each year, the LDS church had a penny march or "Pennies by the Inch." Each family was (is) asked to measure every member of their family, and add up the total inches. For every inch, you were asked to give a penny. I remember collecting these pennies in my neighborhood for several years. My children were generous with their pennies when they realized they helped many little sick children in the hospital get better.

It's amazing what a difference pennies can make. Clean out your couch cushions this week and donate all the change you find to your favorite charity cause!

Koins for Kenya

A big part of my book is the contribution of a portion of my sales to Koins for Kenya, a non profit organization that helps communities in Kenya. What does Koins for Kenya do, you may ask? Well, with little to no modern amenities, Koins for Kenya sends a team of volunteers to help build the community and all efforts are centered around education. After building a school in the community, the volunteers focus on teaching life skills in the areas of farming and education that will benefit the individuals long after the Koins for Kenya volunteers have left. Where many relief organization just supply food, Koins for Kenya follows the motto, "Give a man a fish, and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he eats for a lifetime." Started by Bret Van Leeuwen, this Utah-based organization is making a life-changing impact on many people's lives. 

Many people say pennies are worthless. However, this organization is the epitome of taking people's pocket change to make positive change in the world. This organization is a real-life example of the message of my book: never underestimate the power of a penny. 

To learn more about this organization, being a part of a project team, or how you can help, visit: www.koinsforkenya.com. You can also join the group, "Koins for Kenya" on Facebook and  you will be able to support the cause on Facebook soon.