Freehold school collects pennies in effort to help Ukrainians
A first grader in Freehold, who recently went to school visibly upset, was asked by her teacher what was wrong. She said she has family in Ukraine and was worried about their safety -- that's when the school jumped into action.
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Mar 15, 2022, 9:31 AM
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Updated 864 days ago
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375ds agoA first grader in Freehold,
who recently went to school visibly upset, was asked by her teacher what was
wrong. She said she has
family in Ukraine and was worried about their safety -- that's when the school
jumped into action.
The school decided to collect pennies to help those overseas.
First grader Victoria Stefashyn is
Ukrainian-American. Her grandparents are currently stuck in the war-torn
country.She last saw them when she visited
Ukraine last year.
LIVE UPDATES: The latest developments on the Russia-Ukraine Crisis
"I’m nervous about them
because I love them,” says Victoria.
Victoria's mom, Anna
Stefashyn, has been following the news closely as she watches areas in and
around her hometown being attacked.
"We knew we had to do something here to help,” says supervisor of instruction Danielle Parella.
Once the staff at Marshall
W. Errickson Elementary School
in Freehold heard about Victoria's family, they decided to help, one penny at a
time.
"Even though a penny
might see so small, it's still doing so much,” says Parella.
The school is raising money
for UNICEF's efforts in helping Ukrainians. Normally, they call fundraisers
such as this "Penny Wars," but given the circumstances, “it seems more appropriate to do
Pennies For Peace,” says Parella.
Since last week, students
have been collecting pennies, counting them at home, even looking between
couch cushions, before bringing it to school.
"It might be one penny,
but the impact is so much more than that,” says Parella.
Students this week will be
dumping coins into containers during lunch. But it's not just pennies, they are
receiving bills too.
This inspired many students
to participate, including Victoria's classmate Nathan, whose family is from
Poland. He donated $1,000.
As for Victoria, she has one
wish.
"Ukraine was safe, that
was my wish, and my grandma and grandpa are safe,” says Victoria.
Victoria just moved to
Freehold from New York less than two months ago. Whichever grade gets the most
points will get an ice cream party.
If you would like to donate
pennies, the school will continue collecting them this week.
