A penny saved is a penny that can go to a good cause. And the good cause this time is Miracles in Progress, a Westchester-based charity which assists those with brain injuries and cerebral palsy in accessing necessary treatment and resources.

Recently, Miracles in Progress was the recipient of $5,000 raised by the students of St. Mary School during their Catholic Schools Week fundraiser, Penny War.

Each class was given a bucket to collect the money and choose a charity to donate to.  Each penny was worth one point – and they could sabotage other classes by putting into the other class buckets a different coin, like nickel. A nickel in another class bucket meant minus-5 points and so on. 

Money was counted daily with standings posted on a leaderboard. At the end of the weeklong Penny War, the class with the most points got to collect all the money and present it to their designated charity. 

The winning class was Ashley Grengs’ first-graders who were also treated to a lunch from Jimmy John’s along with some smiley face balloons.

It was Ms. Grengs who was familiar with Miracles in Progress and she presented the organization to the class as a potential recipient. The first-graders, with all the enthusiasm of first-graders, presented the check to Susan Watson, executive director, and Judy Saraceno-Watson of the organization.

According to the charity’s website, “The goal of MIP is to assist those who have a brain injury to acquire the resources necessary for treatment, both conventional and alternative, so that they can achieve their highest potential. These treatments include, but are not limited to, therapeutic, medical, educational, recreational, alternative medical resources and support services.”

To learn more about Miracles in Progress visit them at miraclesinprogress.org. You will also be able to see a video with more insight into the program.

As for the students at St. Mary’s, they learned helping others can be fun and that pennies saved can mount up to a lot more.

Good job, kids, now you can go back to filling your piggy banks and checking around for loose change and start saving again.