Library Lovers
Make Cents For Libraries!

If you have a penny and I have a penny and we exchange pennies,

you still have one cent and I still have one cent.

But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange ideas,

you now have two ideas and I now have two ideas.

Jonathan Herzog, 2 and Dylan West, 7, showed their support for the library by donating spare change to the 1997 Penny Drive. Photograph by George Sakkestad

Time for 'change' at the library

By Dwana Bain

This is the sound of a new book: Plunk.

Here's what new library software sounds like: Plunk-plunk-plunk.

The Cupertino Library Foundation is building a better library one plunk at a time. And by dropping a penny into a five-gallon water jug—plunk—residents can do their part, too.

The foundation envisions the penny drive—launched earlier this month—as a way for all of Cupertino, from children to grandparents, to buy library improvements.

"We thought this would be a great way to involve the community," foundation member Gail West said.

Immediate goals include improving the library's collection of books, tapes and software. "We hope to reach out to all ethnic groups in Cupertino," West said. "We would like to feel that our collection reflects the incredible diversity in the community."

Already, Lincoln, Stevens Creek and Christa McAuliffe elementary schools have signed on to collect pennies for the library. The campaign will last throughout the school year.

Visitors to the library are also plunking down change.

The library's long-term goals, independent of the penny drive, include establishing an endowment fund and opening a new building.

"We're looking toward a state-of-the-art research library," West said.

Anyone interested in collecting pennies at their school or business is urged to call West at 446-9201.

This article appeared in the Cupertino Courier, October 22, 1997. ©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

Ideas are a dime a dozen. People who put them into action are priceless.

• NEW - COIN STAR LOCATIONS - Get help counting those pennies. Ask you local grocery store for some free help!

• Americans For Common Cents: Penny Wars how to conduct your own penny fundraiser.

• Penny Project Building Fund: Several years ago, a LSCCS student wanted to know what something of l,000,000 looked like. He thought of something small that could be contained until it reached the number 1,000,000. As a result, many jugs of pennies have been collected and stored in the vault of the Bank of Lee's Summit. At a 1995-96 PTF meeting, a vote was taken to place the pennies in an interest-bearing account at the Bank of Lee's Summit for the purpose of a future building for the school.

• Penny harvest' paves way for track at Rustic Oak :The new track at Rustic Oak Elementary in Pearland cost the district pennies, thanks to an idea at the school and parental involvement. Kutch heads a parent group involved in environmental projects and the group agreed to work with the school on the project.

• Proceeds from residential college Penny Wars fund United Way agency: A positive point is earned for each penny collected while one negative point per cent value is amassed for silver change and paper money. To have a chance of winning, participants will want to fill their jugs with as many pennies as possible while putting silver change and paper money in competitors jugs to knock down the points of the competition.

• The Magic Penny Society A brief history of the British penny coin is available along with coin in education photo, ideas and tons of info.

• "Prestigious Penny Award" from Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work

• Can you guess approximately, how many pennies it takes to fill a five gallon water bottle?

• Can you estimate the weight of a five gallon water bottle filled with pennies?

• Do you know how many pennies, laid end to end, it would take to go one mile?

• Do you know what the farthest distance is that a penny will roll on its side? Can you graph the results?

• Would you be willing to work for a salary of one penny the first day and then doubling it everyday for thirty days? How many pennies would you have? How much money would you have earned at the end of the month?

• How many pennies, when laid flat, will it take to fill one square yard?

• If you stacked pennies in the corner of a room that is eight feet tall, how many pennies would it take to reach the ceiling?

• "Benny's Pennies" by Pat Brisson Activity: Reading Level/Read Aloud Level: Kindergarten

  

• Math Trek: Flipping a coin in the air, catching it, then determining whether it has come up heads or tails is….math game.