Penny War Raises Change and Coins
Patty Haberstroh reminds 8th graders where the raised money goes.
Every year, the 8th graders at Bedford hold the Penny War competition for the very worthy cause, and as an added bonus, these penny warriors have a blast doing it.
“I loved Penny War. Spirit Week–the entire experience–was definitely the most fun event I’ve experienced,” says Megan Cua, an 8th grader on the Green Team. “It was taken seriously, and the students had a lot of fun.”
This year, the three 8th grade teams collectively raised $11,859.68, which beats the previous record set two years ago by over $1,500. The Purple Team was a huge contributor to this, nabbing the Penny War win.
One person who knows how important the Penny War proceeds are is Patty Haberstroh, a member of the Westport Department of Human Services. She has seen firsthand the need that the Penny War helps fill.
The Westport Department of Human Services is a local government group that provides financial assistance to families or individuals who meet the eligibility guidelines for help. It is also the group that collects the pennies generously donated by 8th graders. The money they collect from the Penny War goes
“The gifts were truly needed, appreciated, and very thoughtful. When arrived to pick up our gifts, I actually broke into tears at the generosity and care…”
— One person whose family received aid
According to the Department of Human Services’ 2015 Family Holiday Giving statistics, 385 individuals, or 143 households, received aid. Of these households, 124 parents, 27 single or disabled adults, and 234 children were helped.
According to Mrs. Haberstroh, there are a great number of Westport families who are in need of the Penny War money.
Westport is known to have an excellent school district, and parents of school-aged children spend a lot of resources to stay in a town with such good schools. However, this means that some may struggle to have money left to pay for holiday gifts.
Patty Haberstroh confirms that with the Penny War money the families helped are able to have a joyful holiday season. And these families are certainly very appreciative.
Along with Mrs. Haberstroh being an avid member of the Department of Human Services, she is also the representative who comes to explain the purpose of the fundraiser to the 8th graders in order to raise awareness.
The Department of Human Services received numerous thank you notes after the 2015 holiday season. Some of these notes include: “The gifts were truly needed, appreciated, and very thoughtful. When arrived to pick up our gifts, I actually broke into tears at the generosity and care…”, and “Being a single mom on disability life has become very hard for me the past few years and this extra help I received helped me very much…”
Mr. Kevin Cuccaro, a math teacher for the purple pod, also adds on the spirit of the Penny War. When asked if he felt the 8th graders participated in the Penny Warswith a good competitive demeanor, he said, “Absolutely, probably more so this year than ever before did I see the spirit of good sportsmanship.”
