On Valentine's Day, 2003, Michelle Schuermann, first grade teacher at Trinity Lutheran School, Cape Girardeau, Missouri, wrote a check for $70.30 to LCMS World Relief. The gift was to help hospitals and clinics in Afghanistan.
Miss Schuermann's first graders chose the project from the "Gift Catalog," mailed out by LCMS World Relief. The fascinating part is that the students raised the money by collecting aluminum cans and pennies.
That's a lot of cans and pennies!
The students had looked through the "Catalog" and chosen their own project as a way of celebrating the 100th day of school in the 2002-2003 school year. Miss Schuermann urged each student to collect at least 100 pennies, one for each day of school. She also urged them to collect aluminum cans because the "extra" would only be great!
On the 100th day, they had all 1,700 pennies, plus 152 pounds of aluminum cans! They took a field trip to the recycling center to cash in the cans. "The kids and parents did a fantastic job," said Schuermann. She added: "Praise God that we can make a difference in such a small way!"
You can help support LCMS World Relief right now...and this is much faster than collecting cans and pennies! Go to the Giving Catalog and choose an LCMS World Relief project to support today.