“ Let us remember : One book , one pen , one child , and one teacher can change the world .” — MALALA YOUSAFZI
PENNIES
FOR PEACE
Anyone can be a philanthropist
By LAURA BRIN , CAI Operations Manager
I n the loud , bustling convention hall , thousands of people walked by . Some rushed past . Some glanced at our free neon pencils . Some stopped to learn about who we are . But a few , like one mother-teacher who stopped at our Pennies for Peace booth this year , filled the giant room with inspiration and enthusiasm .
A student reads from the chalkboard at the Sykomal Girls ' Middle School in Ishkashim , Afghanistan .
She stopped suddenly when she saw the Pennies for Peace banner behind our table .
“ My daughters do this program ! Each week , they walk along the Venice Beach boardwalk and collect change ,” she said , beaming with excitement about Central Asia Institute ’ s ( CAI ) service-learning program .
Her daughters don ’ t go out there and stand in the hot sun because anyone asked them to , she said . They fundraise , one penny at a time , because they want to help girls they don ’ t even know , girls who live thousands of miles away , get a basic education .
Every year CAI and Pennies for Peace participate in the National Education Association ( NEA ) annual conference . It is a great opportunity to tell educators around the country about our unique , fun program .
This July a three-person crew — CAI Communications Assistant Sarah Webb , Jerene Mortenson , mother of CAI Co-Founder Greg Mortenson , and I — set up a booth at the Denver , Colorado venue to spread the word about the program .
Having Jerene participate is a huge plus . She was there two decades ago when the program started at Westside Elementary School in Wisconsin . Jerene had invited her son , Greg , to speak to the students about his efforts to build a school in Korphe , Pakistan .
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