Nickels and dimes for change

Next week, your spare change will wind up somewhere other than between the couch cushions. The coins collected in the Change for Change program -- which provided incoming Penn students with a red stadium cup to collect spare change -- will be picked up and donated to several area charities. The project was designed and implemented last year by College junior and Undergraduate Assembly Secretary Dana Hork, who said that since every college student has loose change lying around, someone should try and put it to good use. "There is always a dialogue about how students can benefit the local community, and this is an easy way to affect change," Hork said. A pilot project was tested in several College and Greek houses during the last three weeks of the spring 2000 semester, and students raised nearly $1,000. As a result of last year's success, and with the support of the freshman class, Change for Change has been introduced on a more long-term basis, carrying the motto of "small change, big changes." During New Student Orientation this year, each freshman was given the plastic cup to keep in his or her room and collect loose change. Between Monday and Wednesday of next week, resident advisors will be collecting these cups from their halls. The three halls that raise the most money will win pizza parties, and the resident assistants of the winning halls will receive a gift certificate to a local restaurant. Because the collection ends on Valentine's Day, the slogan to push donations is, "Don't give your heart away, give loose change instead." Change for Change has become a freshman class project and the focus of many of the class' social events. This year, the freshman class voted as a whole on which charities it wanted to prioritize in donating proceeds collected throughout the year. The class selected the University City Hospitality Coalition, St. Mary's Family Respite Center and Parents and Children Against Drugs as their Change for Change charities. The proceeds from last year's trial project were donated to the charity Upward Bound, a program to help Philadelphia high-school students gain admission to four-year colleges and universities. In addition to the cup collection drive, the class raised $300 for the project by sponsoring a section of seats at the first men's basketball home game of the season in December. According to Freshman Class President Jason Levy, the class is also planning to donate some or all of the remainder of the freshman class budget to Change for Change. Levy commented that the project itself and the social events involved in raising money serve to "unify our entire class." Nursing Representative to the Freshman Board Elizabeth Hernandez -- who has been actively involved in the Change for Change initiative -- said, "since we're so privileged to be here, I think we should try and give back to the community, and this is the perfect opportunity." In addition to the help of the freshman class, Hork has received administrative and financial support from the University. According to Hork, Laurie McCall in the Department of Academic Support Programs has played an instrumental role in coordinating the project. The University has also agreed to donate next week's profits from the Class of 1973 game room in Houston Hall to the Change for Change charities. Hork said that the Order of Omega -- a national Greek-based honor society -- will be conducting a collection in Greek houses similar to that in the freshman dorms later this year. Hork said that if the campaign is successful, she hopes Penn will be recognized as committed to its surrounding community and will inspire other schools to implement similar programs.

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