It’s the end of the Canadian Penny. Yes, that lonely coin that no one seems to care about. That coin that gets tossed into the change can or on the sidewalk. We don’t really think much about the Penny and it’s worth. So, as a country, we are saying goodbye. But while we are phasing out the Penny, there is something we can do, collectively, with the ones just sitting at the bottom of our purses and piggy banks.
In September, Free The Children and RBC launched the WE CREATE CHANGE campaign inviting Canadians to join in Canada’s largest Penny drive.
This morning, Free The Children & RBC announced that they have collected 70 million Pennies from this initiative so far. That’s $700,000 raised and enough to provide more than 28,000 people with clean water for life! Over 2100 school across Canada have participated by collecting bag-fulls of Pennies and they are continuing to do so.
Craig and Mark Kielburger, co-founders of Free The Children, addressed a school auditorium full of young students this morning along side with Honorable David C.Onley, RBC’s Dave McKay (Group Head, Personal and Commercial Banking), Degrassi’s Jacob Neayen, Pinball Clemons, Olympian Jennifer Botterill, Spencer West and Canadian singer-songwriter Tyler Shaw.
“When we were young we were told not to dream so big – not to be such big idealists. But how does change happen? I’ll tell you, we started a lemonade stand. It’s one action at a time,” said Craig Kielburger. “Just like a Penny, a lot of people thought we were too small and powerless. But if we put all our small ideas together…we can make a difference.”
What seems worthless to us is going to create the change for others around the world.
“This morning I woke up and brushed my teeth and had my shower,” said Honorable David.C.Onley. “When we arrived here, we were offered coffee, tea or bottled water. We don’t think too much about it. But for many people around the world they don’t know where or when their next glass of clean water will come from. This is where we can make a difference.”
Now ALL Canadians, and not just students, are urged to bring in their tossed aside coins to ANY RBC Bank branch across Canada. In turn, the money raised will go directly to the supporting Free The Children’s year-long Water Initiative to provide 100,000 people around the world with a permanent source of clean water.
While you’re checking under the sofa cushions and gathering your Pennies, here are a few interesting facts…
- The first Canadian Pennies, starting in 1858 were coined at the Royal Min in London, England and then shipped to Canada. It wasn’t until January 2, 1908 at the newly opened Royal Mint in Ottawa, Ontario that the Canadian Penny was finally made in this country.
- The original design featured England’s reigning Queen Victoria on one side and the image of twin maple boughs on the other. The 1937 maple leaf design has only been replaced once, with a rock dove designed by Canadian artist Alex Colville in 1967 to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of Canada’s Confederation.
- Queen Elizabeth II’s likeness has been updated three times – a testament to how long she has been Queen (1965, 1990 and 2003)
- Until 1997, the Penny was made almost entirely of copper, making it more than the value of one cent! The current penny consists of 94 per cent steel, 4.5 per cent copper plating and 1.5 per cent nickel.
- More than 35 billion Pennies have been produced since the Mint opened in 1908 and on average, the Mint produces mroe than 845 million pennies annually.
- It costs Ottawa approximately 1.5 cents to make each penny.
- From 1982 to 1996 the penny was twelve sided for easier identification for the visually impaired.
- The last Penny was minted at the Royal Canadian Mint at the Winnipeg plant on the morning of May 4, 2012 and has since been placed in Canada’s Currency Museum.
- Pennies now returned to the Canadian Mint will be melted.
For the week of February 4 to 9, 2013, bring in any amount of pennies or coins to any branch nationally to donate to Free The Children and RBC’s We Create Change Campaign. For more information please visit www.freethechildren.com
This sounds like a great initiative… I love it!