Got spare change? Students collect pennies for Arizona Centennial project
June 27, 2011Posted: 02/17/2011
By: Deborah Stocks
PHOENIX – Arizona students are being encouraged to save their pennies, not for a new bike or video game, but to help brighten the State Capitol’s copper dome.
Bashas’ and Food City will be collecting the coins during the CENTennial Penny Drive.
According to Bashas’ Director of Communications Kristy Nied, now through April 15, students from kindergarten through eighth grade are encouraged to search through kitchen drawers and look under couch cushions and collect 100 pennies to help resurface, reseal and polish the copper dome.
“Due to budgetary constraints, the Copper Dome has not been cleaned in almost 20 years,” said Karen Churchard, executive director of the Arizona Centennial Commission. “The Copper Dome serves as the centerpiece for the state’s Centennial celebrations, and the Penny Drive will help pay to bring it back to its shiny brilliance.”
Schools can sign up to participate on the Centennial website . The school that collects the most pennies will win the grand prize of a visit from Arizona’s copper-plated motorcycle and a pizza party for the entire school hosted by Eddie Basha. Other prizes will also be awarded.
Bashas’ shoppers can also make a donation while checking out at the cash register.
According to Churchard, the goal of the drive is to collect $65,000 – or 6.5 million pennies.
Arizona became the 48th U.S. state on February 14, 1912.
