“ 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.
FA L L 2 0 1 4 Journey of Hope | 55