1, 2, 3, 4… We Declare a Penny War!
Addams Elementary School in Royal Oak has been a long-time supporter of GiGi’s Playhouse Detroit. Between ‘rocking their socks’ on World Down Syndrome Day, making keychains for Down Syndrome Awareness Month, and spreading our #GenerationG message to “Be Accepting, Be Generous, Be Kind,” this school never hesitates to support folks with Down syndrome.
At the start of the 2024-25 school year, plans were made for a penny war to take place the week of World Down Syndrome Day. The PTA supported this idea and recruited a group of students and teachers in their JEDI program to keep the ball rolling. The support from the whole school was resounding; it felt like every group we worked with were excited to make this project a success.
What is a Penny War?
A penny war is a fundraising strategy where grades compete against each other to have the most points at the end of an allotted time. Each grade has a container to collect money; pennies are positive +1 point and one dollar is +100 points. Nickels, dimes, and quarters are negative -5, -10, and -25 points, respectively. To win the “war”, a student can put a handful of pennies in their own jar and save all the silver coins for their competitors’ jars.
The students in JEDI hung handmade posters around the school and presented in each classroom on the mission of GiGi’s Playhouse Detroit, and how to participate in the penny war. Then, from March 17 through March 27, students stayed in during lunch to count and roll coins.
It was a little rocky at first, figuring out the best system for recording all the coins and making sure the right number of points landed with the correct grade. The students had to rely on teamwork, as well as collaborate with kids in different grades who they were ultimately competing against.
But during that lunch hour each day, everyone came together with one common goal: supporting people with Down syndrome at GiGi’s Playhouse Detroit.
The donations were so abundant that a 4th grade girl scout troop even stayed after school one day to help out as well! When asked what they liked about this fundraiser, a few JEDI students responded with these sentiments:
Ade, Jana, and Emerie liked working together as a team, having fun, and making new friends.
Lila and Caroline appreciated their peers donating to a good cause, even if it was just one penny and counting and rolling the money made them feel important.
Mika liked how the fundraiser brought the grade together with everyone working toward a common goal.
Nora, like many of the adults, was surprised to see so many coins come flooding in and was really happy to support people with Down syndrome.
Thank You Addams Elementary for raising over $1500 for our Playhouse!!! Thank you to the students and teachers who counted and rolled all those coins, and congratulations to the winners (the beauty of a penny war is everyone wins!). We are so grateful for your generosity of time and treasure!
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