It’s no secret that politics and money go hand in hand.
Kids might as well learn this at an early age.
“Coins for a Cause” puts a positive spin on this message for children in the Morris School District from pre-school through the eighth grade. The results were demonstrated on June 2, when kids from several schools came to the Hillcrest School to present a check for nearly $14,000 to Morristown-based Meals on Wheels, a program that feeds homebound residents of Morristown and Morris Township.
Students donated their loose change over a period of weeks, heard pitches from three nonprofit organizations, then cast ballots for their favorite in real voting machines at an “ice cream social.”
Coins for a Cause has raised $70,000 for various charities since the program’s inception eight years ago, according to the district.
Provident Bank has been a sponsor from the start, and contributed $1,000 to this year’s total.
The other candidates this year were Grow It Green Morristown and Literacy Volunteers of Morris County. We are told that each made compelling presentations for the students’ money.
“I voted for Meals on Wheels because I thought older people needed a little more help with money and food,” said a little girl named Sophia, a kindergartener.
You’ve got our vote, Sophia.
CAMPAIGN LITERATURE, THIRD-GRADE STYLE
(Ava Lolli, a third-grader at the Normandy Park School, wrote this letter urging her teacher to vote for Meals on Wheels in the “Coins for a Cause” election.)
Dear Miss Weitz,
I think you should vote for Meals On Wheels because some senior citizens cannot drive so the(y) can’t go shopping for food. Meals On Wheels provides 2 well-balanced meals; a lunch and a nice hot dinner. Volunteers visit them daily to make sure they are safe. Sometimes the volunteers are the only visitors senior citizens see or talk to all DAY! Some senior citizens do not have enough money to buy food because the cost of food keeps going up and their paycheck doesn’t go up. So…If this cause gets the most votes they put it in the tresery [sic]. My point is….NO one sould [sic] STARVE!
Love,
Ava Lotti
P.S. Senior citizens are like our grandparents and everyone loves grandparents. Our grandparents always take good care of us so now it’s our turn to take good care of THEM!
